How Hackers Break Into Websites:

( From Axximum Infosolutions – Your Ethical Hacking & Cybersecurity Partner)

In 2025, cyber attacks on websites have become more advanced. Ethical hackers and cybersecurity experts must understand how hackers operate so they can defend against these threats.

This step-by-step guide from Axximum Infosolutions will walk you through the exact methods, tools, and commands used in website hacking — but only for ethical and legal purposes like penetration testing, bug bounty hunting, and security research.

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Step 1: Reconnaissance (Information Gathering)

Goal: Collect as much public information about the target website as possible.

Tools Used:

• Nmap – For scanning open ports

nmap -A targetwebsite.com

Whois Lookup – For domain registration details

whois targetwebsite.com

Sublist3r – For subdomain enumeration

sublist3r -d targetwebsite.com

Why? Reconnaissance gives hackers the blueprint of your site’s weaknesses before they try to break in.

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Step 2: Scanning & Vulnerability Detection

Goal: Identify security flaws that can be exploited.

Tools Used:

• Nikto – Web server vulnerability scanner

nikto -h targetwebsite.com

• OpenVAS – Full vulnerability assessment
• Wpscan – WordPress-specific scanner

wpscan --url targetwebsite.com --enumerate u

Why? Ethical hackers check for outdated plugins, misconfigured servers, and unpatched vulnerabilities.

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Step 3: Exploitation (Testing the Weak Points)

Goal: Use ethical hacking techniques to prove a vulnerability exists.

Tools Used:

• SQLmap – SQL Injection testing

sqlmap -u "http://targetwebsite.com/page.php?id=1" --dbs

• Burp Suite – Intercept and manipulate web requests
• Metasploit – Exploit known vulnerabilities

Example: If SQL injection is found, hackers can access sensitive data like usernames and passwords. Ethical hackers exploit it only to report the flaw.

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Step 4: Gaining Access

Goal: Simulate how an attacker would take control of the site.

Tools Used:

• Hydra – Brute force login attempts

hydra -l admin -P passwordlist.txt targetwebsite.com http-post-form

• Cewl – Generate custom wordlists from website content
• John the Ripper – Crack stolen password hashes

Why? This step shows the real risk if a vulnerability remains unpatched.

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Step 5: Maintaining Access (Persistence)

Goal: Demonstrate how hackers keep control of a compromised site.

Techniques Used:

• Uploading web shells like c99.php or r57.php
• Creating backdoor admin accounts
• Installing malicious cron jobs

Note: Ethical hackers never actually harm the site — they simulate these steps to strengthen defenses.

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Step 6: Covering Tracks

Goal: Show how hackers hide their activity.

Methods Used:

• Clearing server logs
• Modifying timestamps of files
• Disabling security alerts

Ethical hackers document these methods for clients so they can detect and stop them.

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Website Protection Tips in 2025

• Keep all software, CMS, and plugins updated.
• Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF) like Cloudflare or Sucuri.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Conduct regular penetration testing with certified ethical hackers.

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Disclaimer:

How Hackers Break Into Websites:

This guide is for educational purposes only. Axximum Infosolutions promotes ethical hacking to help organizations secure their websites against cyber threats. Unauthorized hacking is illegal and punishable by law.