How many times have you seen a post with the title “I Was Hacked” in a forum or social network? I have seen it so many times, and I always come up with the same question, “Why would they hack your site?” I see no monetary value that a hacker could receive from many of these web sites that cry out “I Was Hacked”. Are they really being hacked or did the web owner leave their credentials on the table at their favorite fast food chain.

Think about what recently happened to ICANN and IANA when a Turkish group of hackers left their mark. The reason for this hack is fame, recognition and nothing else. It’s a testing ground to see how superior a hacker is, and how far they can get through the tight security that most popular web sites have in place.

If you’re serving up a blog, or static web page with no eCommerce, than you should not worry too much. It’s important to always keep your information secured and not accessible to anyone. A couple of tips to increase your security;

  • Change your password every Month
  • Use special characters in your password and make sure it’s at least 6 characters long
  • Don’t store your passwords locally or on your host server
  • Choose a well known and best in reputation host company
  • Free is not always a good thing
  • Never share your credentials with anyone

    • I am sure there are many other tips, but these tips are the ones I have always followed.

    Hackers can be very valuable for major corporations, and I will explain why. Many well known hackers, who were caught in the act, are now employed by major corporations such as financial institutions. These well known and highly skilled hackers are monitoring and testing for any securities holes. It’s amazing how a person who commits a crime can get paid dividends because of their talent and skills.

    I don’t suggest that hacking is a good thing, but it’s a highly talented skill.