Key takeaways
This article in our Stay Safe series looks at the different techniques hackers use to steal your data in an account takeover.
A user account is said to be hacked when criminals gain unauthorized access, and such security breaches can result in the loss of funds and sensitive information.
By learning about the various methods criminals use to hack accounts and applying basic security principles, you will be able to protect yourself more effectively against such attacks.
It has never been more important to protect your login credentials from hackers, as today we live in a digital world where most of people's sensitive information is stored online. Account takeovers in particular are now commonly used by hackers to steal digital assets, and can lead to identity theft, financial losses and reputational damage.
A user account is said to be hacked when cybercriminals gain unauthorized access, often using stolen login credentials which are sometimes collected directly from the victims themselves or other criminals. (trice)s.
This article in our Stay Safe series takes a closer look at the different types of account takeovers to reveal how attackers steal login credentials and suggest steps you can take to avoid becoming their next victim. .
How do hackers get hold of your login credentials?
Hackers use various tools and strategies to try to break into user accounts. Knowing how to recognize the different types of account hacks is particularly important, because it allows users to increase their vigilance and put in place defensive measures to protect themselves from these threats.
It is sometimes difficult to classify account takeovers because each one is unique and often has characteristics that fall into several categories. However, there are some types of account hacks that are more common than others.
Brute force attacks
In a brute force attack, the hacker attempts to systematically guess several combinations of a user's login credentials, most often usernames. and passwords. This tactic generally requires the use of automated software that generates a large number of combinations very quickly.
The principle of a brute force attack is to constantly try to access the targeted account until it succeeds: hackers will not back down in the face of failure to break into an account in an unauthorized manner, by "forcing » entry. Here are some of the most common types of brute force attacks:
Simple brute force attacks: the criminal attempts to guess a user's login credentials without using specialized software. Although it is rather simple, it is an effective method for passwords that are not very complex or easy to guess. In certain cases, hackers are able to come across the right identifiers thanks to rapid reconnaissance work (for example by finding the city of birth of an Internet user in order to answer one of the most common security questions).
Dictionary attacks: the attacker attempts to gain unauthorized access to a user's account by systematically entering words or phrases from a list predefined (the “dictionary”). These lists contain frequently used passwords, phrases or strings of terms that help the hacker guess the correct combination more quickly than the traditional manual method.
Password spraying: Unlike typical brute force attacks that direct all access attempts toward a single account, the so-called “password spraying” tactic attacks multiple accounts at once , which is why it is sometimes called a “reverse brute force attack.” To minimize the risk of triggering alert mechanisms, the attacker most often limits himself to a few passwords per account.
Criminals typically build a list of valid usernames or email addresses already associated with user accounts, then try some of the most common passwords or the weakest (e.g. “mot2passe123” or “azerty”) on the accounts thus recovered. In some cases, they already have a password (e.g. following a data breach): the attacker will use it to search for corresponding login credentials.
Credential stuffing: the criminal enters stolen login credentials on different websites in an attempt to access the other accounts of the users who are victims of the theft. A hacker can, for example, recover the username and password from an account on an online gaming site and attempt to enter it on other platforms such as social networks, online banks or digital exchanges. This is a type of brute force attack that takes advantage of poor password management on the part of Internet users, notably taking advantage of the reuse of passwords or usernames to multiple accounts on various platforms.
Attackers sometimes combine several types of brute force attacks: it often happens that a hacker combines a simple brute force attack with a dictionary attack. He/She starts with a list of possibly used words, then moves on to combinations of characters, letters and numbers to guess the correct password. The principle of such an attack is to use a combination of several methods for better results.
Social engineering attacks
A social engineering attack exploits the known processes and functioning of human psychology and social interactions. The criminal uses deceptive or manipulative tactics to trick Internet users into revealing their login credentials or other sensitive information. The criminal generally begins by investigating his or her victim before working to gain their trust, eventually using trickery to get them to hand over their data.
Here are some of the most common social engineering techniques used in account takeovers:
Baiting: The attacker promises fake services or goods to lure victims into a trap that steals their sensitive information. Such an attack can be orchestrated in the physical world (e.g. by leaving an infected USB drive in a busy location) or online (e.g. by directing victims to click on a malicious link that claims to offer free digital assets). .
Scareware: the criminal sends mass false alerts about fake security threats, which make the user believe that their system is infected by a virus. The owner of the "infected" device is then asked to purchase or download unnecessary or even dangerous software to fix the detected problems, but in doing so, he/she has fallen into the trap: fake antiviruses are the common follow-up to a scareware attack, where the service that is supposed to remove the malware is ironically the one that will harm the targeted system.
Phishing: the criminal sends fraudulent messages, generally posing as a trusted entity, in order to deceive the person he or she is talking to who will reveal sensitive information such as their login credentials or other information. other confidential data. Those responsible for a phishing campaign generally send the same message to several users: such an attack is therefore often easier to detect on servers that have set up a platform aimed at sharing threat information.
Spear phishing: Also called spear phishing, this is a more targeted and sophisticated phishing attack that involves adopting an approach specifically tailored to a specific person or organization. The criminal conducts in-depth research on their target before creating an extremely convincing email or personalized message intended to mislead the Internet user and encourage them to reveal sensitive information. This personalization increases the effectiveness of spear phishing attacks and increases their chances of success.
Malware attacks
In this scenario, the attacker uses malware to gain unauthorized access to a user's accounts or systems. Here, the goal is to trick the victim into downloading and installing the malware, usually through social engineering tactics. Once installed, the harmful software will run in the background in a hidden manner and infiltrate the attacked system or network in order to cause damage, steal sensitive information or take control of it.
Here are some of the most common malware hackers use:
Viruses: They infect local files and spread to other computers by linking to legitimate files. They can perform various actions like corrupt, delete or modify files, destroy operating systems or transmit harmful code on specific dates.
Computer worms: They work similar to viruses, except that computer worms self-reproduce and are distributed across computer networks instead of infecting local files. They frequently cause network congestion or system crashes.
Trojan horses: These programs appear to be completely harmless software that run in the background of the system to steal data, open a remote access door to the machine or simply wait for their creator to gives them an order.
Ransomware: These programs encrypt files on the victim's computer, who must then pay a ransom to the criminal in order to unlock them.
Adware: This type of malware displays advertisements on users' devices while browsing the Internet. These advertisements can be unwanted or harmful in the case of a social engineering attack, and are also sometimes used to track Internet users' activity, which can harm their privacy.
Spyware: These programs covertly monitor and collect data about victims' activities, such as their keyboard inputs, the websites they visited or their login credentials, and then send it to the attacker. The goal of such software is to gather as much sensitive information as possible before being detected.
Remote Access Tools (RAT): These allow the criminal to access and take control of the victim's device remotely, usually through a backdoor complete with a Trojan horse.
API attacks
Application programming interfaces (APIs) are sets of protocols or tools used to create software applications and allow third-party systems to connect to users' online applications. In an API attack, the attacker takes advantage of security vulnerabilities in an API-enabled application to steal user login credentials or other sensitive information.
API attacks can take many different forms, including:
Injection attacks: Malicious code is added to an API call to perform unauthorized actions or steal data.
Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks: Communications between parties are intercepted, and manipulated data is transmitted between applications via an API.
Denial of Service (DOS) attacks: An API is flooded with requests to cause it to crash or become unavailable.
Failed access controls: Vulnerabilities in an API's authentication or authorization mechanisms are exploited to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or functionality.
Session hijacking: a user's valid session identifiers are stolen to gain access to an API while maintaining the same level of authorization.
Strategies to avoid account hacks
Account hacks can have serious consequences for both individuals and companies. For individuals, they can result in loss of money, theft of their identity and damage to their reputation. For businesses, this could mean data breaches, loss of money, fines, damage to their reputation and the trust placed in them by their customers.
Individuals and businesses alike must therefore consider implementing certain strategies to prevent their account from being hacked.
What you can do as an individual to avoid losing your account
We recommend that individuals take the following steps to protect their accounts:
Activate multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever it is offered to add a layer of security. Binance allows its customers to enable up to four types of MFA: email verification, phone verification, Binance or Google Authenticator authentication, and biometric authentication.
Use complex, unique passwords for each account that combine uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters. We don't recommend including easy-to-guess information like names, birthdays, or common expressions: if account takeovers are still so prevalent (especially those resulting from a brute force attack), this is because many Internet users still don't bother to create strong passwords. We also recommend updating passwords regularly and not reusing them across accounts.
Regularly review their accounts and online transactions for suspicious activity, and promptly report any discrepancies to the website or service provider.
Do not click on strange links or open unexpected attachments: this may be a phishing attempt. We also recommend always verifying the identity of the sender and the content of the email before taking any action.
Keep their devices updated, install the latest security patches, and use reliable security software like antivirus and anti-malware software to protect against threats.
Do not disclose personal information on social networks or other online platforms: this could be used by criminals to guess passwords or answers to security questions, or even to design phishing attacks aimed at the target.
Do not connect to sensitive accounts from a public Wi-Fi network: it is possible to intercept data transmitted through this means. We recommend using a trusted VPN to encrypt the Internet connection when using a public network.
Configure reliable recovery options for accounts, such as alternate email addresses and phone numbers that will be updated regularly: This can sometimes help recover an account that has been subject to unauthorized access.
Learn about recent security threats and know best practices to protect their accounts and personal information in all circumstances. By staying up to date on the best ways to protect yourself online, your chances of resisting potential attacks will be even greater.
What you can do as a business to avoid losing your account
Businesses can adopt the following strategies to prevent account takeovers and protect their users' accounts from unauthorized access:
Enforce strong password policies that require the creation of complex, unique passwords with a minimum number and multiple character types. Implement policies requiring regular changing of passwords and preventing their reuse across multiple accounts or services.
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts, especially those containing confidential information and administrative privileges.
Regularly monitor user activities and be alert for suspicious behavior, such as unusual login times and locations or multiple login failures. We also recommend using advanced analytics and machine learning algorithms to spot potential attempts to take over accounts.
Integrate devices that lock user accounts after a certain number of consecutive connection failures and establish a specific waiting period before the account can be unblocked.
Organize regular security awareness training for employees to teach them how to recognize and report possible phishing attacks, social engineering attacks and any other threats that could lead to takeover of a account.
Ensure that all devices used by employees have up-to-date antivirus and anti-malware software, and enforce policies to always install the most recent security patches on computer systems. operation and applications.
Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify potential weaknesses in the organization's security posture and resolve them quickly.
User security is Binance’s priority, and we are investing significant resources to implement all of the measures mentioned above, and even more.
What should you do if your credentials have been compromised?
If a hacker has managed to steal your login credentials, you absolutely must take immediate action to protect your accounts and sensitive information. Here's what you can do to reduce the damage and prevent the situation from getting worse:
Change your passwords: The first and most important thing to do is to change your passwords for all affected accounts.
Contact your service providers: If your login credentials for a specific service have been stolen, contact them to report the situation, and they may be able to help protect your account.
Binance takes user security very seriously and does everything possible to ensure it. If you believe your Binance account has been compromised, contact customer support immediately.
Consider using a credit monitoring service: If you think your personal information like your Social Security or credit card numbers may have been compromised, it would be a good idea to sign up for a credit monitoring service that will alert you as soon as suspicious activity appears on your accounts.
It is absolutely crucial to act quickly and take these steps as soon as you suspect your login credentials have been stolen.
Stay safe
Protecting your digital assets depends on protecting your login credentials; by understanding the mechanisms of various types of account hijacking, the methods used by hackers to steal login credentials and by implementing strategies to avoid falling victim to them, users and businesses alike are able to take proactive steps to protect yourself. Implementing strong password policies, enabling multi-factor authentication, and monitoring and assessing risk can help prevent account takeovers and keep digital assets secure.
Binance security experts continually monitor any suspicious behavior on the platform and strengthen our security protocols to respond. When a report of account hacking is submitted by a user, we examine the case in detail and provide assistance to the person or company concerned.
Although Binance strives to protect your account, we ask you to take responsibility for your own security to best fulfill our mission. By taking the precautions outlined in this article, you will be able to protect your confidential information and reduce the risk of having your account hacked. If you believe your Binance account has been compromised, contact customer support as soon as possible.
For more information
Stay Safe: What is an Account Takeover?
Secure Your Binance Account in 7 Simple Steps
How to Survive Scams: The Red Flags of an Imposter Scam
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