DoxingThe term doxing, aka doxing, comes from the phrase “downing the dox, that is, the document,” a revenge tactic by hackers in which they leave malicious information about an opponent. Typically, doxing is a malicious act that a hacker uses against someone whom he does not like or has opposing views.
In other words, doxing is the disclosure of real name, home address, telephone, financial and other identifying personal information about the person whose target is online. This information is shared with the public without the person's permission.
The main goal in doxing practices is to move the intense polarization with the targeted person from the online world to the real world. Hackers also aim to facilitate transportation by combining all this information that can be found in individual places.
Information that can be found among the disclosed information:
In the 90s, the term was used only among hackers who considered anonymity sacrosanct, now it is now used to mean the disclosure of personal information. Since we all use real names and surnames on social media nowadays, the side of anonymous accounts revealing who you really are is a bit outdated. The fact that people dox others has recently come to be used in cultural attacks against pirates who hold the opposite view.
We know that doxxing is an invasion of privacy at its core. It should also be noted that there are several different types of this disclosure pattern. Pek, what are the types of doxing? The first is the online publication of private and personally identifiable information of the individual. The second is the disclosure of previously unknown information of a private person online. Finally, it can be counted as the publication of information online by a private person that can damage not only their own reputation, but also their personal and professional life, or even their employees.
In the age of big data we live in, there is a huge pool of our personal data on the internet, and our control over this information may be much less than you might expect. Below are the methods used by hackers who want to misuse data and information in doxing attacks.
Tracking usernames: People planning a doxing attack know that many people use the same username when using services on the Internet. Thus, it can reach information about the interests of the person and the footprint on the Internet.
Doing a whois search: With whois, the reporting mechanism that tells who domain names belong to, the information of everyone who owns a domain name is stored in a common registry. Thus, information that can identify the person can still be found on the Internet on anyone's side.
Phishing attacks: Sensitive emails can be exposed by hackers in the use of unreliable email accounts.
Examining state records: information such as business license databases containing personal information, county records, marriage licenses, motor vehicle records, and voter registration books can be accessed from state records.
Examining ip addresses: When they find out your IP address, they can infiltrate the person's network through social engineering through the internet service provider.
Following on social media: The person who launched the doxing attack can even find answers to your security questions from the information you share, especially if your social media accounts are public.
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