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- Article About Hacking Facebook
- Article About Ethical Hacking
- Salon.com Article About Russian Hacking
- Information Is Beautiful Data Breaches
Article About Hacking Facebook
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.hack (ドットハック) (pronounced 'dot-hack') is a Japanese multimedia franchise that encompasses two projects: Project .hack and .hack Conglomerate. Both projects were primarily created and developed by CyberConnect2, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The series franchise revolves around an alternative history setting in the rise of the new millennium regarding the technological rise of a new version of the internet following a major global computer network disaster in the year 2005, and the mysterious events regarding the wildly popular in-universe MMORPG series The World. The series is mainly followed through anime and video game installations, and has been adapted through manga, novels and other related media.
- 1Project .hack
- 2.hack Conglomerate
Project .hack[edit]
Article About Ethical Hacking
Project .hack was the first project of the .hack series. It launched in 2002 with the anime series .hack//Sign in April 2002 and the PlayStation 2 game .hack//Infection in June 2002. Project developers included Koichi Mashimo (Bee Train), Kazunori Ito (Catfish), and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Gainax). Since then, Project .hack has spanned television, video games, manga, and novels. Project .hack centers mainly on the events and affairs of the prime installment of The World. The franchise began internationally when Bandai announced .hack//Infection, which was released in 2003 and .hack//Sign got an English dub, which was released on Cartoon Network in the same year.
![News article about computer hacking News article about computer hacking](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126432984/706604309.png)
Games[edit]
- .hack, a series of four PlayStation 2 games that follow the story of the .hackers, Kite and BlackRose, and their attempts to find out what caused the sudden coma of Kite's friend, Orca, and BlackRose's brother, Kazu. The four volumes, in sequence, are .hack//Infection, .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine.
- .hack//frägment, the first .hackORPG (online role-playing game). It was released only in Japan, and the servers have since been closed, ending all official online gameplay.
- .hack//Enemy, a collectible card game created by Decipher Inc. based on the .hack series. It was discontinued after running five separate expansions between 2003 and 2005.
- .hack//Link
Anime[edit]
- .hack//Sign is an anime television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo and produced by studio Bee Train and Bandai Visual. .hack//Sign consists of twenty six original episodes and three additional bonus episodes released on DVD as original video animations (OVAs). The series focuses on a Wavemaster (magic user) named Tsukasa, a player character of a virtual-realitymassively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) called The World. Tsukasa wakes up to find himself in a dungeon in The World, but he suffers from short-term memory loss as he wonders where he is and how he got there. The situation gets worse when he discovers he is unable to log out and is trapped in the game. From then on, along with other players Tsukasa embarks on a quest to figure out the truth behind his abnormal situation. The series is influenced by psychological and sociological subjects such as anxiety, escapism, and interpersonal relationships.[1][2] The series premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo between April 4, 2002 and September 25, 2002. It was later broadcast across East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Latin America by the anime television network, Animax; and across the United States, Nigeria, Canada, and United Kingdom by Cartoon Network, YTV, and AnimeCentral (English and Japanese) respectively. It is distributed across North America by Bandai Entertainment.
- .hack//Legend of the Twilight is a twelve episode anime adaption of the manga series written by Tatsuya Hamazaki and drawn by Rei Izumi. The series was directed by Koichi Mashimo and Koji Sawai, and produced by Bee Train. Set in a fictional MMORPG, The World, the series focuses on twins Rena and Shugo, who receive chibi avatars in the design of the legendary .hackers known as Kite and BlackRose. After Shugo is given the Twilight Bracelet by a mysterious girl, the two embark on a quest to find Aura and unravel the mystery of the Twilight Bracelet. The anime series features many of the same characters as the manga version, but with an alternative storyline. It was localized as .hack//Dusk, among other names, in fan translations prior to the official English release.
- .hack//Liminality is a set of four DVDOVAs included with the .hack video game series for the PlayStation 2. Liminality is focused on the real world as opposed to the games' MMORPGThe World. Separated into four volumes; each volume was released with its corresponding game. The initial episode is 45 minutes long and each subsequent episode is 30 minutes long. The video series was directed by Koichi Mashimo, written by Kazunori Itō with music by Yuki Kajiura. Primary animation production was handled by Mashimo's studio Bee Train which collaborated for the four games as well as handled major production on .hack//Sign. Liminality follows the story of Mai Minase, Yuki Aihara, Kyoko Tohno, and ex-CyberConnect employee Junichiro Tokuoka as they attempt to find out why players are falling into comas when playing in The World.
- .hack//Gift, a self-deprecating, tongue-in-cheek, OVA that was created as a 'gift' for those who had bought and completed all four .hack video games. It was released under Project .hack. In Japan, it was available when the Data Flag on the memory card file in .hack//Quarantine was present, whereas the American version included Gift on the fourth Liminality DVD. It is predominantly a comedy that makes fun of everything that developed throughout the series, even the franchise's own shortcomings. Character designs are deliberately simplistic.
Novels[edit]
- .hack//AI buster, a novel released under Project .hack, in 2002. It tells the story of Albireo and a prototype of the ultimate AI, Lycoris, and of how Orca and Balmung defeated 'The One Sin' and became the Descendants of Fianna.
- .hack//AI buster 2, a collection of stories released under Project .hack. It involves the characters of AI Buster and Legend of the Twilight Bracelet: '.hack//2nd Character', '.hack//Wotan's Spear', '.hack//Kamui', '.hack//Rumor' and '.hack//Firefly'. 'Rumor' was previously released with the Rena Special Pack in Japan.
- .hack//Another Birth, series of novelizations released under Project .hack. It retells the story of the .hack video games from BlackRose's point of view.
- .hack//Zero, a novel series released under Project .hack. It tells the story of a Long Arm named Carl, of what happened to Sora after he was trapped in The World by Morganna, and of Tsukasa's real life after being able to log out from The World.
- .hack//Epitaph of Twilight, a novel series telling the story of Harald Hoerwick's niece, Lara Hoerwick, who finds herself trapped in an early version of The World.
Manga[edit]
- .hack//Legend of the Twilight, a manga series released under Project .hack. It tells the story of two player characters Shugo and Rena, as they win a mysterious contest that earns them chibi character models of the legendary .hackers Kite and BlackRose (from the .hack PlayStation 2 games).
.hack Conglomerate[edit]
.hack Conglomerate is the current project of .hack by CyberConnect2 and various other companies and successor to Project .hack. The companies include Victor Entertainment, Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, Bandai, TV Tokyo, Bee Train, and Kadokawa Shoten. It encompasses a series of three PlayStation 2 games called .hack//G.U., an anime series called .hack//Roots, prose, and manga. .hack Conglomerate focuses on times and installments after the original The World MMORPG.
Games[edit]
- .hack//G.U. is a series of three video games (Vol. 1 Rebirth, Vol. 2 Reminisce, and Vol. 3 Redemption) released for the .hack Conglomerate project. Taking place in the installment of The World R:2 in the year 2017, the series focuses on the player Haseo's search for a cure after his friend was attacked by a player known as Tri-edge, which led to his eventual involvement with Project G.U, and the mysterious anomalies called AIDA that plague The World R:2. There was a remastered release on November 3, 2017 for the PlayStation 4 and PC that included all three previous volumes and added a new 4th volume called Reconnection.
- .hack//Link, a PSP game released under the .hack Conglomerate project. It was claimed to be the last game in the series; the game centers on the youth named Tokio in the year 2020, who is given a free copy of The World R:X by the popular but mysterious new classmate Saika Amagi. Contains unplayable characters from .hack and .hack//G.U. video games.
- .hack//Versus, a PS3 game released under the .hack Conglomerate project. The game is the first .hack fighter game, which is bundled with the film .hack//The Movie.
- .hack//Guilty Dragon, a game for Android and iOS, it is exclusive for Japan. Its services began from October 15, 2012 and ended on March 23, 2016.
- .hack//G.U. The Card Battle is a trading card game similar to that of .hack//Enemy released under the .hack Conglomerate project. Unlike .hack//Enemy, the game was made by the original creators of .hack//G.U.. There are two sets of rules, one based on the mini game in the G.U. series, Crimson VS, and the one specifically designed for the trading card game. This game won the Origins Award for Best Trading Card Game of 2003.[3]
- New World Vol. 1: Maiden of Silver Tears, an Android & iOS game released under the .hack Conglomerate project. it is a Japanese exclusive, it serves as a reboot to the franchise. Services began on January 8, 2016 and ended on December 20, 2016.
Anime[edit]
- .hack//Roots is an anime series released under the .hack Conglomerate project. It follows Haseo and his joining (and subsequent exploits with) the Twilight Brigade guild. It also shows his rise to power and how he becomes known as 'The Terror of Death'. Towards the end of the series we see the start of .hack.//G.U. This series is the last in the .hack anime series to be licensed by Bandai Entertainment.
- .hack//G.U. Trilogy, a CGI video adaptation of the .hack//G.U. video games released under the .hack Conglomerate project.
- .hack//G.U. Returner, a short follow up video and the conclusion to .hack//Roots released under the .hack Conglomerate project. It tells the story about the characters of .hack//G.U. in one last adventure.
- .hack//Quantum, a three part OVA series from Kinema Citrus and the first in the anime series of .hack to be licensed by Funimation.
- .hack//The Movie, a CGI movie, announced in August 23, 2011.[4] On January 21, 2012, it was launched in theaters throughout Japan.[5] The movie takes place in the year 2024, where a reboot of The World under the name FORCE:ERA is released to a new generation of players.
- Thanatos Report, OVA in .hack//Versus unlocked after finishing Story Mode.
Novels[edit]
- .hack//Cell, a novel released under the .hack Conglomerate project. .hack//CELL takes place at the same time as .hack//Roots. The main premise of the story covers the happenings that Midori and Adamas witness and experience in The World R:2, an extremely popular MMORPG that is a new version of the original game, The World. Midori meets numerous characters from .hack//Roots (most notably Haseo,) and .hack//G.U. (such as Silabus and Gaspard.) The main plot centers around Midori selling herself out to would-be PKers, and some real-world events that center around the girl who also bears the name Midori (Midori Shimomura) who is in a coma. It is later revealed that Midori is a sentient PC, a result of the 'virtual cell' that was taken from Midori Shimomura's blood. After Midori Shimomura awakens from her coma, she enters The World R:2 with a PC identical to Midori.[6]Tokyopop has obtained the rights to .hack//CELL and was released on March 2, 2010.[7]
- .hack//G.U., a novel adaptation of the three .hack//G.U. Video games released under the .hack Conglomerate project.
- .hack//bullet, a web novel that follows Flugel after the events of .hack//Link.[8]
Manga[edit]
- .hack//4koma, a manga series which throws a little humor into both .hack and .hack//G.U. alike.
- .hack//Alcor, a manga series released under the .hack Conglomerate project. It focuses on a girl called Nanase, who appears to be quite fond of Silabus, as well as Alkaid during her days as empress of the Demon Palace.
- .hack//GnU, a humorous manga series released under the .hack Conglomerate project. It revolves around a male Blade Brandier called Raid and the seventh division of the Moon Tree guild.
- .hack//G.U.+, a manga adaptation of the three .hack//G.U. video games released under the .hack Conglomerate project.
- .hack//XXXX (read as 'X-Fourth'), a manga series released under the .hack Conglomerate project. The manga adapts the four original .hack video games.
- .hack//Link, manga series released under the .hack Conglomerate project. It occurs three years after the end of .hack//G.U. in a new version of The World called The World R:X. It focuses on a player named Tokio and a mysterious exchange student named Saika.
Other appearances[edit]
A few characters from the franchise appear in the Nintendo 3DS games Project X Zone and Project X Zone 2.
References[edit]
- ^Matsuda, Miyako (April 2003). 'Presentation'. Protoculture Addicts (75): 4. ISBN978-2-9805759-8-3. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- ^Matsuda, Miyako. '.hack//Sign Essay'. Protoculture. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- ^'Origins Award Winners for 2003 and Hall of Fame Inductees'. www.gamingreport.com.
- ^'.hack//The Movie 3D Anime to Open in January'.
- ^'.hack//The Movie Slated to Open on January 21'.
- ^Icy Garnet (4 January 2011). '.hack//CELL'. .hack//Portal. Archived from the original on 2013-09-15. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- ^'Happy Cafe, .hack//CELL, Kokaku Listed by Amazon (Updated)'. Anime News Network.
- ^'Web小説 .hack//bullet'. www.cc2.co.jp.
External links[edit]
- .hack// - Official (Worldwide)
- .hack// - Official(in Japanese)
- Project .hack// - Official(in Japanese)
- .hack// Conglomerate - Official(in Japanese)
- .hack//Trilogy - Official(in Japanese)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=.hack&oldid=914581943'
Salon.com Article About Russian Hacking
We read about hacks of social media accounts all the time, but what’s the point of it? How can someone benefit from hacking a personal social media account, especially a non-celebrity, when there are so many other things to hack? Go steal from a bank or something, right?
This article is going to look at a few reasons why a social media account is hacked. The goal is for you to understand why you will want to better protect your account, regardless of whether or not you see yourself as ‘important.’
Social media hacks happen to everyone
Ok, before we get too far here, I want to show you for certain that everyone can have their social media account hacked. Here are a few examples from Twitter:
Another apology. Last Thursday night I apparently followed a few thousand people. I'm thrilled to contact you all, but I think I was hacked.
— john noble (@thejohnnoble) October 11, 2015 https://venconnector.weebly.com/blog/apple-iphone-software-free-download.
I was hacked. Thanks for bringing that back up! Love these disgusting tweets. https://t.co/ZpXqIkV0kT
— gay vault dweller (@sassychicanx) October 12, 2015
Drats, I was hacked. Sorry for the spam posts everyone. All good now.
— Mary Clark (@ClarkMaryP) October 12, 2015
Recognize anyone there? I doubt it. None of them are famous. They’re just regular folks using Twitter for fun or to stay in touch. Them being hacked isn’t as obvious as why these people are hacked:
Information Is Beautiful Data Breaches
Where is Hardison when I need him?!Thanks guys, my account was hacked but should be fine now–The diet posts were not mine.
— BETH RIESGRAF (@BethRiesgraf) October 17, 2015
![About About](/uploads/1/2/6/4/126432984/693051130.jpg)
Sorry for the late night spam everyone. My account was hacked. It's all sorted out now.
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) October 17, 2015
#Giveaway: Tell me what you would do with my account if YOU hacked it! Tag #HackToddy to enter giveaway. Details: http://t.co/FAw0IoHSN6
— Todd McFarlane (@Todd_McFarlane) September 24, 2015
That was a fairly well know actor, a U.S. Representative and my favorite comic book artist running a contest after he was hacked. You can see why someone would want to hack those more well known accounts.
But ordinary people being hacked, with followers that are mostly their friends, what’s the point?
Why social media accounts are hacked
For the LOLz
Why social media accounts are hacked varies. For famous accounts, one of the biggest reasons is not one you’d expect: For the LOLz. For fun.
Todd McFarlane, the comic book artist from above, is Canadian. When his account was hacked the person in control of his account tweeted out lyrics from fellow Canadian Drake.
There wasn’t much point to it. Little harm could be found besides the fact that Todd no longer followed fellow frequent collaborator Greg Capullo. As far as anyone can tell, it was for fun.
For forced shares
The second reason that social media accounts are hacked is to force shares. This happened to a friend of mine on Facebook recently.
He had shared and tagged many friends in a link to a website full of nude women. This friend of mine is gay. It didn’t take any special computer knowledge to know that he was hacked.
These types of hacks can be more harmful than you think. Let’s say that one of your friends isn’t a gay man and wants to see these naked women. This person clicks on the link and is sent to a website that’s devoid of naked ladies but full of trojan horses, phishing pages and all forms of malware.
It all starts from one click on a piece of content that seems enticing.
The image to the right is about 1/10th of all the messages he got rassing him when people saw the spam post. They had a laugh about it after, but it’s scary when someone takes control of your social media account!
For forced follows
The third reason that your social media account could be hacked is for forced follows of other accounts.
This can involve your account being hacked as part of a wider plan to hack accounts and get them to follow a specific account. This account that you’ve been forced to follow, that may have a fake brand name, will then be used to spread malware like in the example above.
Worst of all, you may never know that there’s any problem at all. One day you’ll see a post from someone in your Timeline or Newsfeed. It will look kinda sorta like a brand you actually follow, only it’s not.
For information
The last reason someone will hack your social media is to steal information from you.
This can be your password itself so that they can steal it and use it to try and sign into accounts you have with banks and online retailers. This can be information about your place of work. https://venconnector.weebly.com/gta-5-3dm-crack-only.html. This can be a crazy stalker trying to find out what your plans are for Friday night.
How you can protect yourself
To understand how to protect yourself, I’ll look at some common hacking methods used on social media accounts and explain a method of defense for each.
This is when a hacker gets hold of one piece of information, your email as an example, and then uses a tool to guess your password. This can be as simple as a password recovery tool altered for criminal purposes.
Protect yourself: You can protect your social media accounts from this by having complex passwords. Make sure they’re not common words. Mix upper and lower case and include at least 12 characters. I use 15 now. These are nearly impossible to crack via brute force hacks.
This is when hackers insert themselves between the conversation your computer is having with a server or other computer. This is most commonly done at public WiFi hotspots, but it can, in theory, be done anywhere. You may never know that one of these hacks has been carried out, as it can be impossible to detect it happening.
Protect yourself:
With the hacker inserting themselves between you and who you’re trying to talk to, simply encrypt your information. The easiest way to do this, and most flexible, is by choosing a well ranked and regarded VPN for your particular goals.
These tools will encrypt your traffic from your computer to the server or computer you’re speaking to. Anyone trying a man in the middle attack will get nothing but encrypted gibberish which they can not read or decode.
These are pages which look legitimate in some way but are actually only built to steal the information you freely give them. These messages are often found in your email but they can spread via social media, as well. The basic premise is that you have to enter your login details for a specific website, like your bank, for some ‘urgent’ reason.
Protect yourself: Your best bet for defending yourself against these types of hacks is to trust no one and nothing. Enter the URL of the business claiming it needs your information yourself to make sure it’s the right website. Contact the administration before you follow the message. Do not be gullible!
This is when you authorize a download onto your computer for something you think you want but you don’t want it at all. When it comes to hacking social media, this is usually a keylogger that records your keystrokes.
Protect yourself: Know where you’re downloading from! There are dozens of websites built just for this; they’re called ‘warez’ websites. Going to the source for your downloads should always be priority number one. Second, a good piece of antivirus software, with a strong firewall, will take care of 99% of the rest.
Social media isn’t all fun and games
So you mostly play that horrid Farmville on Facebook and chat with your mom now and again. While it might be nothing but fun and games for you, it can be serious business for a hacker who gets into your account and gets hold of the right information.
There are real world consequences that you can face if you don’t better secure your social media accounts now. Start with better passwords, add some encryption, and don’t be gullible!
For more information on how to safely navigate the world of social networking, please click here.
About the Author: Marcus Habert (@MarcusHabert) is the online security writer and analyst for the Best VPN Provider Online Security and Privacy blog. Catch him there every Wednesday for the latest developments in the world of infosec. You can also join the team on Twitter for a constant stream of what’s happening in online security and hacks.
Editor’s Note:The opinions expressed in this guest author article are solely those of the contributor, and do not necessarily reflect those of Tripwire, Inc.
Title image courtesy of ShutterStock