Asma'u Yusuf
9min Read

How Your Email Gets Hacked & What You Can Do To Avoid It

How Nigerians Hack Email Accounts- Why Should You be Part of it

This article found you. I can relate to how you have been pondering on how your email account gets hacked and that is why this piece is being put together, revealing the intricacies of how Nigerians hack email accounts. It is important to remember that not all Nigerians are involved in email hacking. The actions of a few individuals should not be generalized to an entire nation. Cybercriminals can emerge from any part of the world, and it is unfair to label an entire country based on the actions of a few bad actors.

Curious about how Nigerians hack email accounts? In this comprehensive article, we dive into the techniques, strategies, and motivations behind email hacking in Nigeria. Uncover the methods used by hackers, learn how to protect yourself, and gain a deeper understanding of this prevalent cyber threat.

Introduction

With the rapid advancement of technology, the world has become more interconnected than ever before. Alongside the countless benefits that this connectivity brings, there are also new challenges and risks to consider. One such risk is the hacking of email accounts, a cyber threat that affects individuals and organizations globally. In this article, we aim to shed light on the question: how do Nigerians hack email accounts?

Understanding How Nigerians Hack Email Accounts

Nigerian cybercriminals have gained notoriety for their involvement in email hacking, as they have honed their skills and developed sophisticated techniques over time. Understanding their methods is essential in order to protect ourselves from falling victim to such attacks. Let’s explore some of the common strategies employed by these hackers:

Phishing: Luring Users into a Trap

I prefer to go with the Oxford Dictionary`s definition of phishing, it explains it as the fraudulent practice of sending emails or other messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Phishing is a popular technique used by Nigerian hackers to gain unauthorized access to email accounts. By disguising themselves as a trustworthy entity, such as a reputable company, they trick unsuspecting users into revealing their login credentials or personal information. These deceptive emails often contain urgent requests or enticing offers, compelling users to act impulsively. Their most common strategy is calling people, pretending to be from their bank, and luring people to disclose certain private information about themselves.

A very good example is you receive an email that looks like it’s from your favorite online game or a popular website. The email might say something like, “Congratulations! You’ve won a special prize. Click here to claim it!” The email might even have the same logo and colors as the real website.

But here’s the trick, the email is not really from the game or website. It’s from someone who wants to steal your personal information, like your username and password. They’re pretending to be someone you trust to trick you into giving them your information.

When you click on the link in the email, it takes you to a fake website that looks just like the real one. But when you enter your username and password on that fake website, the hackers behind it now have your information. They can use it to access your real account, and that can cause a lot of problems.

So, phishing is like someone pretending to be your friend or a trusted company to trick you into giving away your personal information. It’s important to be cautious and not click on suspicious links or give out your personal information to anyone you don’t trust. Talking about trust, you can trust PhishDeFy, an anti-hacking app that combats this ongoing malware and e-mail phishing epidemic.

Remember, if something seems too good to be true or feels a little fishy, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Always double-check with the official website before giving out any personal information online.

Social Engineering: Manipulating Human Psychology

Social engineering is another method employed by Nigerian hackers to compromise email accounts. By exploiting human psychology and preying on individuals’ trust or curiosity, hackers trick their victims into revealing sensitive information. They may use tactics like impersonating a friend or a colleague, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful attack.

Imagine you’re at school, and there’s a new student who wants to become friends with you. This new student seems really nice and friendly, so you start to trust them. They start asking you questions about yourself, like your favorite hobbies, your family, or even your passwords. But here’s the thing: this new student is not really interested in being your friend. They’re trying to gather information from you that they can use to their advantage. They might pretend to be your friend to trick you into giving away important details.

This is what social engineering is all about. It’s when someone uses their social skills to manipulate and trick others into doing things they wouldn’t normally do. They might pretend to be someone you trust, like a friend or even a teacher, to get what they want. For example, a social engineer might call you on the phone and pretend to be a family member in trouble, asking you to share sensitive information or send them money. They know how to play with your emotions and make you feel worried or scared so that you’ll do what they ask.

It’s important to be cautious and not share personal information or do anything that feels strange or uncomfortable, even if someone seems nice or familiar. If someone is asking for your passwords, bank account details, or anything private, it’s best not to disclose anything and be safe and skeptical when it comes to sharing personal information or doing things that others ask you to do, especially if it doesn’t feel right. Trust your instincts and seek guidance from trusted adults to keep yourself protected from social engineering tactics.

Keylogging: Silent Data Capture

Keyloggers are malicious software tools that capture keystrokes on infected devices. Nigerian hackers often deploy these stealthy programs to record login credentials as users type them, giving them unrestricted access to email accounts. Keyloggers can be transmitted through email attachments, compromised websites, or even physical devices connected to the target system.

Have you ever considered how keystrokes on your computer or phone work? Each time you type a message or enter a password, your device receives a signal from the keyboard, and the corresponding letter or number appears on the screen. However, it’s possible for a keylogger program to run surreptitiously on your device and record every keystroke you make without your knowledge. Beware!

The keylogger keeps a hidden record of all the words, numbers, and symbols you type, including your passwords, messages, and anything else you type on your device. It works quietly in the background, collecting all this information without your permission.

The purpose of a keylogger is to steal information. Once it captures your keystrokes, it sends that information to someone who wants to get hold of your personal details, like your passwords, credit card numbers, or private messages. This can be done by hackers or cybercriminals who want to use your information for their own gain.

Keyloggers can infiltrate your device through various means such as downloading infected files or visiting malicious websites. These stealthy intruders can be challenging to detect because they operate silently without any visible signs of activity.

To safeguard your privacy from keyloggers, it’s essential to practice proper security measures. Ensure that your devices have the latest security updates and patches, and be wary when accessing websites or downloading files from unknown or suspicious sources. Additionally, use strong, unique passwords for your online accounts since this makes it more difficult for keyloggers to capture your login details. By being vigilant and practicing safe online habits, you can minimize the risk of encountering keyloggers and protect your personal information from being compromised.

Brute Force Attacks: Persistence Pays Off

Brute force attacks involve systematically attempting various combinations of usernames and passwords until the correct credentials are found. Nigerian hackers utilize automated tools that rapidly cycle through numerous possibilities, exploiting weak or commonly used passwords. By employing this persistence, they increase their chances of successfully hacking an email account.

To make more sense, let’s say you have a locker and you’ve set a combination lock on it to keep it secure. The lock has three numbers, and you need to turn the dial to the correct numbers in the right order to open it. Now, there’s someone who really wants to get into your locker, but they don’t know the combination. What they can do is try every possible combination until they find the right one. They start with 000 and go all the way up to 999, trying each combination one after the other.

This method of trying all possible combinations one by one, without any specific clue or knowledge, is what we call a brute force attack. It’s like trying every key in a huge keychain until one of them finally fits and unlocks the door. Brute force attacks can also happen in the digital world, especially with passwords. Let’s say you have an online account with a password that you’ve set. If someone wants to get into your account, they can use a computer program that tries different passwords, one after the other, until it finds the correct one.

This process can take a long time because there are so many possible combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols for a password. But if the password is weak, like something simple or easy to guess, the attacker might have a higher chance of succeeding. To protect yourself from brute force attacks, it’s important to use strong and unique passwords for your online accounts. A strong password is one that includes a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. It’s also a good idea to enable two-factor authentication whenever possible, which adds an extra layer of security to your accounts.

Email Spoofing: Manipulating Sender Information

Email spoofing is a technique that involves forging the sender’s email address, making it appear as if the email originated from a trusted source. Nigerian hackers employ this tactic to deceive recipients and convince them to divulge sensitive information or execute malicious actions. By imitating a legitimate entity, they exploit the trust established between the recipient and the impersonated party.

With the aim of shedding more light on this point, imagine you and your friend have a secret code or a special handshake that only the two of you know. It’s a way to identify each other and make sure that you can trust the person you’re talking to. This code or handshake is like a unique stamp that shows it’s really your friend.

Now, let’s say there’s someone who wants to trick you into thinking they’re your friend. They want to send you a message pretending to be your friend, even though they’re not. To do this, they create a fake version of your friend’s stamp or code. They copy it exactly to make it look real. When you receive a message with this fake stamp or code, it seems like it’s from your friend. But in reality, it’s from someone else who wants to deceive you. They might try to ask you for personal information or trick you into doing something you wouldn’t normally do.

To avoid email spoofing, it is essential to be vigilant when receiving emails, particularly from unfamiliar or unexpected sources. Verify the email address and be on the lookout for any odd or suspicious markings. If an email appears questionable or requests personal information, it is wise to cross-check with the individual or organization through alternative channels such as a phone call or visiting their official website.

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this article, you have just been equipped with a handful of information concerning how Nigerians hack email accounts. You also have a clear view of how cyber attacks on emails are launched and how to avoid falling victim to their devices which has been exposed in this article. Now you understand when I said this article found you because you are more enlightened on the whole issue of email hacking and can take progressive steps to shield yourself from email hackers.


The Author

Asma'u Yusuf