Common hacking tactics include vulnerability scanners that check for known weaknesses, spoofing attacks like phishing that masquerade as trusted systems, password cracking by repeatedly guessing passwords, packet sniffers that capture network data including passwords, social engineering by tricking users, key loggers that record keystrokes to steal passwords, Trojan horses that pose as one thing but do another like enabling backdoor access, and viruses that self-replicate to spread malware. Hackers use these tactics to access systems and steal confidential information without authorization.