How Do Hackers Manage To Break Into Highly Secure Sites?

[sandyRoe]

Some contain valuable commercial information while others might hold data that could have security implications.

[douglas9401]

'Highly secure' is up there with 'your call is valuable to us' in the list of modern lies.

[barry1010]

I could tell you but I'd get arrested

[archibaldy]

The easiest way, from a technical perspective, is some kind of inside job - e.g. plant a new hire a company and they then have access to some systems, and they can build from there.

The second, from a technical perspective, is social engineering where they contact existing employees with what they think are legitimate security request/changes and can get access details that way. Alternatively if they can get physical access to a system - by pretending to be contractors, cleaning staff, etc. then they can do things from there.

From a purely remote hacking technical perspective websites or sites of any description have to interact with legitimate users - or they aren't a 'site ' hackers write programs that interact with the sites in ways that can allow them to run programs or commands on the 'back end'. All systems have vulnerabilities - generally the older they are the more vulnerable they are.

All hackers need is a 'foothold' then they can wait weeks/months/years if needs be for the opportunity to slowly increase access until they have what they want. Some will never 'announce their presence' and just sit there stealing data for years.

[Peter Pedant]

U ber - today the Times
"can I have the password please"
Ubewr operative was rung up by a hacker who said he needed the password as he was working on a soft ware patch...

Otherwise a back door - software workers need a quick way in, so there a back door with a password ABC123

achibaldy is much better

Oh the NHS worm which locked all the files - one of the input clerks followed the link which lead to the lock out....