Hackers And How They Attack Schools and Even Other Countries

When we think of hackers, some might think of one guy sitting behind a computer typing furiously on a keyboard waiting for the moment when he can finally say "I'm in."

What hackers more commonly are is a team of programmers creating software for you to possibly download onto your computer or mobile device so they can flood you with malware.

A russian team of hackers know as "Sandworm" is doing just that.

They are developing apps that look like actual apps on the app store but the thing about them is that they have some malicious code laced into the program that can lead to an attack on your system.

The "Sandworm" team did this to multiple apps that were used mostly by ukrainians as that is their "testing ground" for these attacks. 

However, there was something discovered by a team of people that partners with isight(a malware detecting company) that discovered a "zero day" in microsoft powerpoint.

"zero day, in hacker jargon, is a secret security flaw in software, one that the company that created and maintains the software’s code doesn’t know about. The name comes from the fact that the company has had “zero days” to respond and push out a patch to protect users."(Greenberg)

This allowed the hackers to infect computers from an application to the entirety of the computer or server.

Not only that but hackers can get into a school's server and set up a ransomware attack.

This is when a block is placed on data stored in the server making it impossible to reach without either paying money to the hacker(which they might not even unblock it) or to rebuild the server.

This had happened to a school in Livingston New Jersey. Their school was a victim of a ransomware attack that shut down the phones and accounts of teachers and students.

These attacks are very powerful and can cripple nations.

Greenberg, Andy. "INSIDE THE DISCOVERY OF SANDWORM, THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS
     HACKERS." Vanity Fair, Oct. 2019, www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/10/
     the-discovery-of-sandworm-the-worlds-most-dangerous-hackers. Accessed 5
     Dec. 2019.

"Livingston Public Schools Hacked With Ransomware, Classes Delayed." CBS Local.
     CBS New York, newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/11/25/
     livingston-schools-ransomware/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2019.

N/A. Hacker. .png file.