Hacking is any attempt by an intruder to gain unauthorised access to your computer systems via the Internet. Systems used to host websites are also frequent targets for hackers.

Without appropriate security measures in place, any PC or network connected to the Internet can be vulnerable to attack.

Activities carried out by hackers fall into several categories. Each of these requires slightly different preventative measures. Click on the the links below to read about these categories and about ways in which hackers can be prevented from gaining access to your PC and systems:

• denial of service (DoS) attacks 
• dumping
• port scanning

For further information

The Internet Industry Association has a specific section in its security portal website on hacking and how to prevent it: http://www.security.iia.net.au/australian_resources/security_issues/hacking.html