May 07, 2012 OK unless someone has physical access to your machine it is unlikely anyone 'hacked' it, that is not an external IP address you are already behind a NAT (Network Address Translation) which means it is a private home network and can’t be accessed unless you have special setup in. Set your security software, internet browser, and operating system (like Windows or Mac OS) to update automatically Software developers often release updates to patch security vulnerabilities. Keep your security software, your internet browser, and your operating system up-to-date to help your computer keep pace with the latest hack attacks. Apr 30, 2020 The wireless router inspects the MAC address of the network device requesting access and compares it to your list of permitted or denied MACs. It sounds like an excellent security mechanism, but the problem is that hackers can 'spoof' or forge a fake MAC address that matches an approved one.
Every day we see news about computers being hacked and how the cybercriminals make money off people clueless about the protection of their assets.
For someone not very technical, it may sound as if hackers are so powerful, and the only way to hide is to shut down all devices and go off the grid completely.
However, the truth is that there are several simple things one can do to make sure that we are reasonably safe when browsing the internet without affecting our ability to access the information we need.
Whether or not someone can hack into the computer or phone through WiFi depends on a person’s proximity to the WiFi router. If a cybercriminal in the range of access to the WiFi router, they can connect to the local network and perform various attacks, such as Man In The Middle attack.
If the hacker is outside of the WiFi range, then the way they attack will be different.
https://trinliciafrin.tistory.com/3. That argument was likely even one of the reasons in the first place back.But it’s important to note that Screen Time, or any parental control app, is not a magical fix that can automatically replace vigilance and attention from parents. What Parents Can DoThere’s an argument to be made that Apple isn’t doing enough to curb internet addiction among its young users. More than that, they aren’t meant to be.Technically savvy youngsters with plenty of time on their hands are still going to be able to find a way around certain restrictions.
Let’s consider various scenarios of how the computer can be hacked and ways to protect your devices.
Hacking Computer Through Local WiFi
As you probably guessed, it is much easier to hack the computer, which is in close proximity to the hacker’s device.
For instance, your neighbor can connect to your WiFi and use your internet for free. Or you may connect to the free WiFi in the cafe or hotel, but someone already hacked the network, and now everyone, including you, is a potential target.
(This folder is for Windows; for Mac I'm not sure, but its probably something similar.) - Edit 'mission.sav' in notepad or your favourite text editor. Remember to copy it first! - Make changes as per instructions below. Save the file, start Majesty 2 and load your save game, and enjoy. Sep 17, 2009 Get all the inside info, cheats, hacks, codes, walkthroughs for Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim on GameSpot. Wow: these inspiring Majesty 2 cheats ensure that all your buildings and all units will be healed at any time and equipped with any amount of life energy! TRY IT - FREE. MegaDev is a 100% legal trainer software, which allows you to apply cheats in single player PC-Games to customize your gaming experience. Majesty 2 download.
Or maybe you are using the office WiFi, and it was also hacked.
And it doesn’t have to be a computer, such as a Mac or PC. Your smartphone, iPhone, or Android, which uses the WiFi can be hacked as well.
How to hack Kahoot 2017 (Work with Mac and Windows) kahoot bot How to install: – Download, extract and run.exe file, (If your antivirus blocking file, pause it or disable it for some time.) – Choose destination folder. How to Use: Open destination folder and locate file notes.txt, open it and read step by step. HOW TO HACK KAHOOT 2017 (LEGIT) for MAC OS X and iOS. This tool will work on your Mac, all latest versions are supported. Our tool is reliable and will do exactly what you expect and more. HOW TO HACK KAHOOT 2017 (LEGIT) will not only work on MAC but it will. Hack a kahoot game. Oct 21, 2017 How to hack Kahoot 2017 (Work with Mac and Windows) kahoot bot How to install: – Download, extract and run.exe file, (If your antivirus blocking file, pause it or disable it for some time.) – Choose destination folder.
Let’s see what hackers can do if they are physically connected to the WiFi you are using.
Man in the middle attack
If you have the internet at home from a cable, DSL, or fiber-optic provider, you have a router. Your computer does not directly connect to the internet; it sends and receives data by directing it through the router.
In layman terms, the process is the following:
- Your computer or phone finds a WiFi router.
- After submitting the correct password, the router sends back its MAC address. MAC address is an identifier of computer components, and in theory, it should be unique across billions of devices on the planet. The network card on your computer also has a unique MAC address.
- After you get the MAC address of the router, all internet activity will be going through the router. In the pic below, there is a MAC address next to each device on the local network, and the router’s address is 11:22:33:44:55:66.
When a hacker connects to the local WiFi router, it also finds the MAC address of the router. The hacker changes his computer’s MAC address to be the same as routers one (11:22:33:44:55:66 in the pic below).
Now, all devices on the local network connect to the hacker’s machine, and then the data flows to and from the router. So the hacker becomes a man in the middle (MITM).
Once this happened, the hacker can read all outgoing requests and incoming data using various tools that collect such data.
This means every time you enter a username and password on some web site or enter your credit card number, and it gets saved on the hacker’s machine. Also, every URL you are visiting also gets saved.
There are some limitations, obviously. For instance, if the website uses the HTTPS protocol (S at the end stands for Secure), all traffic is encrypted between your computer and cybercriminals will not be able to crack it (in most cases).
However, if the web site uses HTTP, all data, including the password, is in cleartext.
So, if you want to avoid your data being stolen, always check that web site is using a secure protocol (HTTPS). In the browsers, the secure protocol is usually displayed with a padlock icon next to the URL.
Never enter passwords or financial information on web sites with HTTP!
How the router can be hacked
When it comes to your home WiFi, there are three ways for someone outside to connect to the router:
- The router is not password protected
- You tell the password. For instance, you told the guest the password, or she looked it up on the router (if you didn’t change the default one)
- If the router is using an old authentication protocol
I am going to skip the first two and instead of focus on the last one. The authentication protocol used in with WiFi router is very important.
If your router is old, it is possible that it’s still using WEP protocol, then you should know that anyone who knows a little bit about hacking can hack the router literally in less than a minute.
So, if you have it enabled on your router, then go ahead and disable as I did.
What you should have is WPA2 with AES encryption. In the pic below, the authentication strength (protection from hacking) increases from top to bottom (WPA is less secure, and WPA2-PSK with AES is the most secure).
Some hackers employ a dictionary attack to crack WPA protocol, but it takes supercomputers to hack it. So as long as you are not a celebrity or a billionaire, nobody will spend so many resources to break into your network.
Usually, you can connect to the home router settings by going to the local IP address, such as http://192.168.0.1/.
How to tell if someone hacked your router
One of the sure routers hacked signs is the existence of an unknown device connected to the local WiFi network.
As I explained above, in order to perform a man in the middle (MITM) attack, the hacker must connect to the WiFI network first. And if he’s connected, you can see him too.
One way to find out the connected devices is through the router settings. Some routers allow us to see all connected devices and kick them out if needed.
Somebody Installed Windows On My Mac Hacked Windows 10
Another way is to use a network scanner app. For instance, I found a cool app called Fing. The app is available for almost all platforms: iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows.
It is free (with ads) and doesn’t even require creating an account in order to use it.
One cool feature they have is scanning for open ports.
For instance, when I scanned my MacBook Pro, I found that remote desktop and screen sharing features were enabled, and anyone could connect to my Mac remotely.
How to protect from a MITM attack
While it is possible to scan and find unknown devices on the home network, this approach will not work with public WiFi networks, such as the one in Starbucks or the hotel.
You would never know if the public network was compromised. In this case, the only way to protect your privacy is to use a VPN (a virtual private network).
When connected to VPN, your computer or phone creates a secure encrypted channel with the VPN server. After the connection is established, all requests go to the VPN server. The server makes all requests on your behalf and returns the results back to you.
From outside, it looks like the computer is sending some garbage to and back to the same computer. Even if the hacker collecting the information, he won’t be able to tell whether you’re connecting to Google.com or MacMyths.com.
When choosing a VPN software, follow these best practices:
- Do not use a free VPN. They have significant limitations, and you know that good things are never free.
- Test for speed. Some VPS are significantly faster than others.
- Check the provider’s reputation. Since all requests now go through the VPN, technically, the VPN server becomes a man in the middle. So choose only reputable providers.
Personally, I am using NordVPN: it’s the fastest on the market and very inexpensive. It is available for multiple platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.
If you use my NordVPN affiliate link you get a pretty steep discount for three-year plan for up to 6 devices.
Hacking Computer Remotely
We discussed ways to hack the computers and phones through local WiFi, but I know the question that most people ask is whether hackers can connect to the home network when they are on the other end of the world (or more than a hundred yards or meters away).
Fortunately, the answer is no, someone cannot get into your home network, even if they know the password if they are outside of the range (more than 300 feet).
Also, in most cases, hackers cannot get into your computer is off (link).
However, there are other ways to get into your system remotely. Do you remember a story of Bezos’s personal data being leaked?
In his case, he received a message on WhatsApp with malware attachment. When the malware was installed on his phone, it started sending the personal data to the server abroad.
Similarly, we are all at the risk of having malware installed on our computers and smartphones. Some malware open access to the device, so the hackers can access it remotely.
Or, the malware could be a keylogger, and in this case, even having HTTPS or a VPN will not help. A keylogger will record the keys pressed on the keyboard, and if it happens to be a credit card number, then the hacker will have it.
So, how to protect the devices from malware? You need to install an antivirus program.
There is a common myth that Macs cannot have viruses, but this is not true. I was able to inject my Mac with more than 100 malware samples when testing various antimalware solution.
You can check the results of my test and recommended antiviruses in my post: Best Malware Detection App for Mac.
Every time my friends and family ask me for a recommended antivirus, I go with Norton 360. It comes with the biggest bang for the buck and provides antimalware and other security features on all platforms. And it also has its own VPN!
Gta 5 Online Money HackIf you ask someone who already has tried using this tool for GTA 5 Online, he will definitely tell you that this is something you need to have and it is a must if you have a dream of really dominating the game. Everything has been laid out perfectly even for the newbies so everyone can easily benefit from it without breaking a sweat.For the first time users, you can always check and use the help function of the tool to guide you. Hack gta 5 online ps3. As what it is in the real world, money in Grand Theft Auto also is a commodity that begets power and respect. Gta 5 Online Money HackThe tool in itself is very easy to use and does not require any technical knowledge other than common sense.
Conclusion
We reviewed multiple ways how someone can hack into your phone or computer through WiFi. I also listed ways to prevent this from happening, which I wanted to reiterate.
If you worry about online security, consider investing in the following tools:
Somebody Installed Windows On My Mac Hacked Account
- VPN software
- Antivirus program
Be very cautious when connecting to public WiFi. I’d say if you don’t have VPN installed on a laptop or smartphone don’t use public WiFi, or at least avoid making purchases with a credit card or entering passwords.
If you are interested in the topic of security, there is a great course available on Udemy about ethical hacking. The instructor teaches how to hack computers ethically and most importantly what can you do to prevent from being targeted:
Learn Network Hacking From Scratch (WiFi & Wired)Somebody Installed Windows On My Mac Hacked Pc
Also, check my other post:
Somebody Installed Windows On My Mac Hacked Iphone
Photo credit: ©canva.com/cyano66
Last Updated on