With the introduction of network-based ransomware worms, attackers can launch campaigns without the need for human participation.
When an individual or an organization intentionally and maliciously attempts to breach the information system of another individual or organization, this is known as a cyber attack. Several recent operations have involved data destruction as an objective, although most assaults have an economic goal.
Attacks can be carried out for a variety of causes, e.g., political activity, but most malicious actors typically seek ransom or other forms of financial gain.
What is a Cyber Attack?
A cyber attack is a malicious and purposeful attempt on the part of an organization to breach another person’s or organization’s information system. The attacker usually hopes to obtain some sort of advantage by interrupting the victim’s network.
Cybercrime is on the rise every year as people try to benefit from weak corporate systems. Attackers frequently seek ransom: 53% of cyber attacks resulted in losses of $500,000 or more.
Cyber Threats can be initiated for a variety of reasons. Some attackers use “hacktivism” to try to destroy systems and data, some will use it to influence decision makers, and other may do it, believe it or not, for pure fun.
Yet it doesn’t matter what the motive of the attacker is, the result is a security breach and an attempt to steal one’s data.
Before we talk about IR, SIEM/SOC and other defending methods, the first step in defending properly against cyber attack will be identifying the type of attack.
So here are the 5 most common types of cyber attacks:
Types of Cyber Attacks
Brute Force
Brute Force Is one of the oldest attack methods, and in most cases the attackers first pick. It’s a systematically way to guess passwords, encryption keys and login details using commonly used passwords data bases. As the name implies, Brute Force attacks are considered simple yet aggressive way to force enter a user system.
The key to a successful Brute Force attack lies in the user’s login information, e.g., default username and password (admin/admin). This situation is identified by the hacker manually and called Broken Authentication.
Phishing
Phishing attacks are common, and they include sending a huge number of fraudulent emails to naïve people while pretending to be a reputable source. The fraudulent emails typically look to be authentic, but they link to a harmful file or script that lets attackers obtain access to your device in order to control it or gather information, install dangerous scripts/files, or extract data like user information, financial information, and more.
Phishing attacks can also be carried out through social media and other online forums, using direct messages from other members who have a secret agenda. Phishers frequently use social engineering and other publicly available information to gather information about your job, hobbies, and activities, providing attackers an advantage in convincing you they’re not who they say they are.
What is a Common Indicator of a Phishing Attempt?
Phishing emails are successful because they appear genuine and are difficult to detect. There are, however, a few typical signals that users should be aware of in order to spot bogus emails.
In an email message and subject line, the most prevalent indicators of a phishing effort are tone, language, and urgency. The following are major email warning signs: An unusual greeting. Misspelled words and grammatical faults.
Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks
When an attacker intercepts a two-party transaction and inserts himself in the midst, this is known as eavesdropping. By disrupting transmission, cyber criminals can steal and modify data.
This type of attack takes advantage of network security weaknesses, such as an open public WiFi hotspot, to connect a visitor’s device to the network. The victim believes the information is being transferred to a genuine location, making it harder to detect this type of assault. Mitm attacks are typically launched using phishing or malware.
SQL Injection
When an attacker injects malicious code into a server using Server Query Language (SQL), the server is forced to reveal protected information. An unsecured website comment or search box is commonly used in this type of attack. SQL injections can be avoided by employing secure coding techniques such as parameterized queries with prepared statements.
When a SQL command uses a parameter rather than directly adding values, the backend can conduct malicious queries. Furthermore, the SQL translator treats the parameter as data rather than as code.
DOS (Denial-of-Service) Attack
DoS attacks flood systems, servers, and/or networks with traffic, overloading resources and bandwidth. As a result, the system can no longer process and fulfill valid requests. In addition to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, there are distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
DoS attacks overload a system’s resources, slowing response time to service requests. A DDoS attack, on the other hand, is launched from a group of infected host machines with the goal of denying service and taking down a system, allowing another attack to access the network/environment.
TCP SYN flood attacks, teardrop attacks, smurf attacks, ping-of-death attacks, and botnets are the most prevalent types of DoS and DDoS attacks.
Conclusion
Cyberattacks are growing more complex and diversified, with each wicked purpose requiring a distinct type of attack. While cybersecurity prevention strategies differ depending on the type of attack, good security practices and basic IT hygiene are generally beneficial in decreasing threats.
In addition to good cybersecurity practices, your company should use secure coding practices, keep systems and security software up to date, use firewalls and threat management tools and solutions, install antivirus software across systems, control access and user privileges, backup systems frequently, and use a managed detection and response service to proactively watch for breached systems.
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