How Hackers Target Big Brands?

Big Brands, Big Targets

The digital world today offers two opposing effects to users. The fundamental need for strong brand identities makes them vulnerable to cyber threats because of their built-in security vulnerabilities.

The major corporations including Microsoft and Apple and Binance and Meta operate as digital treasure troves which contain valuable financial information and sensitive data that hackers actively seek to exploit.

The combination of vast personal data and financial strength of these brands makes them perfect targets for cybercriminals.

The brands experience numerous cyberattacks which create major damage to their reputation that affects both their business operations and customer relationships throughout the world. [cited].

The defence work of ethical hackers against threats puts them at risk because their brand protection activities sometimes lead to retaliatory actions from malicious actors.

Ethical hackers require complete understanding of cyber threats while working through challenging security landscapes that offer both protective and threatening elements.

The bar chart demonstrates which major brands experience the most phishing attacks. Microsoft experiences the most phishing attacks compared to all other brands with Apple being the second most targeted.

The absence of attack data for Binance and Meta suggests there might be unexplained security vulnerabilities. The “Other Brands” section which represents different companies shows a considerable number of reported incidents.

The numerous hacking methods used against large corporations with extensive sensitive data storage create significant operational challenges for their security teams.

The widespread use of phishing attacks through fake brand emails continues to deceive numerous people into revealing their personal information. The exploitation of weak third-party provider systems through supply chain attacks enables hackers to penetrate deeper into a company’s network infrastructure.

The combination of zero-day exploits and ransomware attacks creates major security threats because they exploit unpatched software vulnerabilities before fixes become available and force organizations to pay substantial ransom payments to restore access.

The security environment becomes more complex because attackers use credential stuffing to access platforms through stolen passwords and insider threats emerge from employees who deceive their organizations.

The different attack methods need visual representation to demonstrate their connections because a flowchart shows how brand weaknesses create customer problems [cited].

The understanding of these tactics helps people become more aware while demonstrating why robust security systems remain essential for protecting businesses and their ethical security defenders.

The security battle between hackers and defenders continues without end.

Image1. Top Ten Industries Targeted by Cyber-Hacking Worldwide.

Year	Estimated Economic Loss (USD)	Source
2016	57-109 billion	Council of Economic Advisers
2020	700,000+	2.8 billion	U.S. Small Business Administration
2022	92%	National University
2023	72%	National University
2023	1.54 million	National University
2023	72%	National University
2023	13.8 million	Harvard Law School
2023	43.4 million	Harvard Law School
2023	Higher than most other sectors	Office of Financial Research

Cyberattack Statistics on Large Corporations

Why Ethical Hackers Need Safety Tips?

The field of cybersecurity depends heavily on ethical hackers who identify and minimize vulnerabilities within large corporate systems. The role of ethical hackers requires strict adherence to safety protocols because it involves substantial security risks.

The legal gray areas where ethical hackers operate create potential risks of legal consequences when they access systems without authorization even though their goals are positive.

The hackers who want to stop them consider them threats so they need to create strong defensive systems.

Security weaknesses in systems present risks to ethical hackers because cybercriminals attempt to use their findings to launch attacks on their personal equipment and login credentials.

Ethical hackers must create comprehensive security protocols which protect their work activities and personal devices from cyber threats.

The implementation of strict guidelines enables them to defend their professional reputation while safeguarding the systems they protect.

Image2. Infographic on the Impact of Cybersecurity Threats and Preparedness

Ethical Hacker Safety Tips

The practice of ethical hacking requires written consent from all parties and clear definition of testing boundaries and protection of assessment results and system stability and professional conduct.

The effectiveness of ethical hacking work depends on continuous skill development and legal compliance and vulnerability disclosure practices which also protect personal safety.

Legal and Ethical Boundaries

You must acquire unambiguous consent through written authorization from the system owner before beginning any security assessment or testing activities.
Define the scope: Your activities need to stay legal and within the organization-defined scope which you should establish before starting the engagement.
Maintain confidentiality: The assessment process requires strict confidentiality agreements to protect all sensitive information that EC-Council University explains in their blog post. (https://www.eccu.edu/blog/cybersecurity/the-ethics-of-cybersecurity-debating-the-gray-areas/)
Understand the law: The practice of hacking remains illegal so you need to stay aware of all applicable laws to prevent legal consequences.

Operational Safety

Minimize disruption: The use of non-destructive testing methods will prevent damage to systems and networks during assessment procedures.
Responsible reporting: Organizations receive time-sensitive security gap information through responsible disclosure which enables them to fix vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them.
Stay informed: You need to stay updated about new threats and vulnerabilities and current attack methods to perform effective security identification and response.

Professional Practices

Act with integrity: You must keep professional behavior throughout the entire testing process while maintaining absolute professional standards.
Be transparent: The organization needs to receive ongoing updates about your assessment development and results to ensure transparency and trust during the assessment process.
Continuous learning: The field of cybersecurity demands continuous education through training and conferences which help you develop expertise while staying updated about its constant evolution according to LinkedIn.

Focus on the Greater Good

Contribute to security: Ethical hacking exists to enhance digital security while stopping cybercrime and safeguarding important data through its protective functions.
Positive impact: Your security methodologies along with your defensive approach support as the foundation for safeguarding systems and defending against cyber threats. [Link1]

Safety Tips for Beginners

The protection of new ethical hackers is dependent on their competence to function within legal boundaries and ethical codes while protecting their individual privacy.

The practice of responsible skill development requires virtual labs and permission-based testing because legal and illegal hacking activities share many similarities.

Foundational legal and ethical principles

You must obtain written authorization from system owners before starting any security assessment work on their networks or applications. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and other cybercrime laws will not apply to you because you have obtained written authorization for your security assessments.
You should establish a detailed list of authorized systems and testing methods before starting your assessment work. The testing scope must remain within the boundaries that you and the organization agreed upon before starting work.
You must maintain absolute confidentiality when discovering sensitive information during security tests. Most organizations require their contractors to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to protect sensitive information.
You should reveal all discovered vulnerabilities to the organization through private channels while maintaining complete transparency about your findings. The organization faces security threats when you release information publicly because it makes their systems vulnerable to malicious attacks.
Your testing activities should never result in service interruptions or data destruction or loss of any kind. Your testing activities should exclude Denial of Service (DoS) attacks unless your testing scope explicitly includes them.

Personal security and anonymity

The practice of hacking should take place in virtual machines and sandboxes which operate as isolated lab networks to protect your host system and actual networks from damage.

You should protect your IP address and location through Tor or a trustworthy VPN service that maintains no logs. The additional security layer protects your operations even when you conduct activities within legal boundaries.
You should conduct all your hacking operations from a “burner” device which should be an inexpensive laptop while connecting only through public Wi-Fi networks.
You should establish a new set of digital accounts which cannot link back to your actual identity for all your ethical hacking work.
Safe practice environments
Start your practice by working in controlled lab environments that provide a safe space for learning. The platforms provide authorized networks which function as isolated testing environments for skill development:
The platform Hack The Box provides vulnerable machines and “Capture the Flag” (CTF) events for users to practice their skills.
The platform VulnHub provides users with downloadable virtual machines which serve as hacking practice tools.
The platform TryHackMe provides beginners with structured learning paths and step-by-step guided exercises for their development.
You should join bug bounty programs after establishing a solid foundation because these programs let you test live systems under authorized conditions while receiving payment for your discoveries.

Professional development

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) certifications serve as proof of your expertise while demonstrating your dedication to ethical hacking although they are not mandatory.

You should establish basic knowledge of networking and operating systems and programming before moving to advanced tools.

The essential knowledge for beginners includes:

Networking
Operating Systems (especially Linux)
Programming and scripting (Python is recommended for beginners) [Link2]

Steps to Stay Safe as an Ethical Hacker

The exercise of ethical hacking necessitates strict adherence to legal and ethical standards and complete digital identity protection and continuous client communication to ensure safety.

Your adherence to these protocols enables you to stay safe by showing you operate differently from criminal hackers and avoiding serious legal penalties.

Follow legal and professional protocols

Your safety together with your professional integrity require absolute compliance with both ethical and legal standards.
Your security assessment work requires a formal written agreement from organizations before starting any system testing. The authorization document enables your work activities while safeguarding you against criminal prosecution for unauthorized system entry.
Your contract needs to establish precise boundaries which define the systems and IP ranges and applications and networks you can test. You must stay within the defined boundaries of your contract because any testing outside these limits is prohibited.
Every ethical hacking project requires a signed non-disclosure agreement (NDA) from clients. The standard practice of ethical hacking requires NDAs to protect sensitive information which you discover during assessments. Your professional standing and client protection depend on maintaining confidentiality through this agreement provides.
Your work must be conducted with absolute honesty. You should never use discovered system weaknesses to achieve personal advantages. Your mission focuses on detecting security weaknesses to enable their remediation rather than inflicting damage or data theft.
Your work must follow forensic principles. All activities performed during an engagement need to be documented in detail. Your documented actions create an audit trail which proves your work followed the contract terms and shows transparency in your activities.

Protect your digital and personal identity

Ethical hackers need to implement the same level of digital security measures to safeguard their personal information as they do for their client systems.
The testing environment needs to be both secure and isolated through virtual machines. You should perform all testing operations from a sandboxed environment which includes a virtual machine. The operating system Tails or Kali Linux provides encryption and anonymity to protect your digital activities from detection.
The combination of VPN technology with proxy servers provides IP address and location protection during your reconnaissance and testing activities. The practice of using VPNs and proxy chains helps attackers prevent tracking your online activities.
You must safeguard all your personal details from unauthorized access. Your password management requires a strong unique password system which you should store in a password manager for all accounts. Two-factor authentication (2FA) should be empowered every time when there’s an occasion available to defend your digital assets from unauthorized access.

Manage data and reporting responsibly

Your approach to data management and reporting determines both the security of your client systems and your personal safety.
You need to treat all sensitive information with proper care when performing your assessment work. Your assessment should only collect essential information because excessive data collection poses security risks. All collected data requires proper encryption and secure disposal after the project ends.
Your security assessment reports need to present all identified vulnerabilities with their severity levels and recommended solutions to your clients. A transparent reporting process helps clients trust your work while creating documentation that shows your professional standards.
When you find vulnerabilities outside of client work you should follow responsible disclosure procedures. The standard procedure for vulnerability disclosure requires vendors to receive private notification followed by a defined time period (30 to 90 days) before public disclosure of the issue.

Stay professionally current

The cybersecurity environment experiences ongoing transformations which demand ongoing learning for both skill advancement and protection against new security threats.

The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) and Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) certifications demonstrate your professional skills and ethical conduct which you can demonstrate to potential clients.
The community provides authorized secure environments for you to practice your skills through bug bounty programs and Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions.
Your ongoing education must include staying informed about current attack methods and tools and legal changes through industry blogs and conference attendance and continuous learning programs. [Link3]]

Conclusion

Safe Ethical Hacking

The digital era requires ethical hackers to become essential for protecting large companies from cyber threats. The experts who protect digital systems through security enhancement face major risks during their work.

Ethical hackers who follow established safety protocols including obtaining legal authorization and using protected communication channels will safeguard their professional image and the digital assets they protect.

The essential nature of these ethical hacker safety tips and practical guidelines for new professionals leads to a successful long-term career in this challenging field.

The analysis of hacker strategies demonstrates that both vigilance and readiness play a crucial role in security [cited].

The practice of safe ethical hacking serves two essential purposes because it defends vulnerable systems from attacks and safeguards ethical hackers from legal repercussions for their essential work. The forward-thinking approach serves as a fundamental requirement to maintain a robust cybersecurity environment.

Cyber Security

How Hackers Target Big Brands?

Big Brands, Big Targets