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What is a Backdoor?
As the name suggests, a "Backdoor" allows someone to enter your house, not from the legal way that is the front door. In technical terms, the backdoor is any sort of method which allows any organization, hacker, or even government to access your system without your permission.
A Backdoor can be installed on your system by hackers in the form of some malware application or using your device’s software vulnerabilities.
Backdoors are used mainly by hackers for using your data, invading your privacy, crypto-jacking, surveillance, etc.
In recent days, hackers have discovered so many new ways to get access to user’s devices and install all the malware applications to get their private data.
Hackers can generally install backdoors in two places in your phone
Hardware − It allows remote access to the user’s system
Software − It is even more dangerous as malware files/apps are disguised in the name of other legitimate applications. Hence, your device’s OS finds it challenging to recognize that someone else is accessing your phone.
This backdoor concept was invented for legal purposes like tech support, but now they are used mainly by cyber attackers for their profit.
Note − All the malware like rootkits, trojans, spyware, cryptojackers, keyloggers, worms and even ransomware are considered to be backdoors if installed in user’s devices without their permission or knowledge.
Generally, the hackers gain access to the user’s device through open networks, out-of-date software, weak firewalls, or even no security in the machine. So there exist all these software vulnerabilities which get spotted by malicious software, which then they use to theft your data and install a backdoor on your system.
So once any malicious application is installed in your device through any of the ways mentioned above, your device is accessible for hackers to install their backdoor in it, steal your data, and crash your entire network.
How to Prevent a Device from Backdoors?
Now that you know what a backdoor is and how it can be installed, let us see how to prevent one’s device from this?
Backdoors are very challenging to detect, and hence it is better to take precautions and be aware that no one else is accessing your system through a backdoor. These are the ways that may come in handy −
Using anti-virus and anti-malware apps on your device is always a good idea as it detects a lot of unusual activity before the user even recognizes it. As soon as it catches, it tries to eliminate those viruses before they start infecting your device.
Now backdoors can’t be installed in your device without you giving access to the hacker to install those malicious apps or software in your devices, so if you stay a bit alert while downloading files, you can stop hackers to even gain access to your device, without which backdoors can’t be installed so never download any files from suspicious and pirated sites.
Always use good and enhanced security in your device like updated password managers, which encrypts all your information using 256-bit AES encryption and also use biometrics or OTP’s for transferring data in place of simple patterned locks because this generates random complex passwords, which makes it difficult for cyber attackers to guess. Hence, they can’t gain access to your device.
With each day passing, hackers are developing a new way to install backdoors. Still, even software developers are not leaving behind to publish new features in their updates to fix their vulnerabilities and fill all the loopholes existing. Still, using any app efficiently, it’s essential always to have the latest version installed in your device so that you don’t miss any new updates, so it’s always advised to keep your auto-update feature ON specifically for your device antivirus and anti-malware apps to stay even safer.
So, if you are a bit alert and do not even allow hackers to fool your OS, then there is no way for hackers to install backdoors in your device.
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