Hotmail is the world’s largest free web- based email website and because of this it’s a large target for hackers looking to get into your email account. There are many methods to hack email accounts, so you must be careful when you choose your passwords, and simply just browsing the internet. Here we’ll talk about some of the most popular methods used to hack Hotmail accounts.
One of the most popular is called phishing. Phishing is a similar concept to fishing; the fisherman puts bait on his hook, pretending to be real food, the fish bites the hook and is caught by the fisherman. When someone is phishing, they send out a fake email, or set up a fake website that looks legitimate. When you enter your information into the website, the “fisherman” gets all of the information you entered into his website. In the case of hotmail, the hacker may set up a website that clones the real Hotmail website such as “hotmaill.com”. When you enter your email and password into his website, he will receive your information and can possibly take control of your account.
Another popular method is the brute-force attack. Technically, the brute-force attack can be used against almost any encryption method. The brute-force method involves systematically testing every password combination until the right one is found. The length of time it takes to brute-force an individual password can vary depending on how long and secure the user makes their password. This method is generally very slow compared to other methods; as it can take years depend on the password strength and how powerful the computer attempting it is.
Keystroke logging (keylogging) is another popular type of method to hack into hotmail accounts. Keylogging is monitoring the keystrokes on a keyboard, usually unknown to the person using the computer. When you go to any website, or type anything on your keyboard, the person who put the keylogger on your computer can see what you input into your computer. If you go to Hotmail and enter your email login and password, the hacker instantly has that information as well as any other information you may type in. Keylogging is one of the easiest ways to find of somebody’s password if you have physical access to someone’s computer, it is harder if you do not, as you need them to download it.
Another very simple method which someone can use is extracting the security question information out of you. They may contact you on an instant messenger, or research information about you. This method is not as technical as the other methods above, and will certainly not work if someone security question is untrue, or if the information is too personal to extract from you.
When it comes to hacking Hotmail accounts (or accounts of any kind for that matter) there are a plethora of methods that malicious hackers can use. This is why it is incredibly important that you choose a strong password and be wary of what programs you download. If you end up downloading a keylogger then a hacked email account may just be the least of your worries.
