Cybersecurity is a global concern that affects everyone. As technology continues to become more integrated into our daily lives, it is becoming easier for cyber criminals to break their way into our systems.
The only way to combat this threat is by being aware of what types of attacks exist and how they affect us as individuals and as organizations.
What Is Cyber Security?
Cyber security protects computer systems from theft or damage to their hardware, software, or information and disruption or misdirection of their services.
It also encompasses identifying, detecting, and correcting any weaknesses in network security devices.
What Do We Do In Cyber Security?
In the face of a cyber security threat, we act quickly to protect data and systems. Then we work with law enforcement to help them investigate cybercrime.
In addition, our security experts work with our partners in the public and private sectors to help them protect their data, networks, and systems from threats like malware (malicious software).
These phishing attacks try to trick you into giving out personal information. These denial-of-service attacks block access to websites by flooding them with traffic or spam emails designed to trick people into clicking embedded links.
What Are The Seven Types Of Cyber Security Threats?
To help you get a better idea of what cyber security threats are out there, we’ve listed seven common examples below.
- Phishing scams
- Ransomware attacks
- Malware infections, including viruses and worms (a worm is a type of malware)
- Social engineering schemes trick users into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links or attachments.
These can come in email messages with phishing links or fake apps on app stores (like Google Play).
- Hackers try every possible combination to gain access to your system’s resources through a brute force method; this can include using malware and other techniques such as keyloggers that record all keystrokes made by a system user over time to determine their passwords later on.
Malware
Malware is a collective term to describe any malicious software used to steal or damage information. Malware includes viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and ransomware. It can be installed through phishing emails or downloading an infected file from a website.
Malware can be used to steal personal information or damage a computer. A common example of malware is ransomware: malicious software that locks down your computer until you pay the attacker money to regain access.
Ransomware
Malicious code typically encrypts files on the infected device and demands a ransom for the decryption key needed to restore them. Ransomware restricts access to the computer system or threatens to publish private information until a ransom is paid. Ransomware can be spread through email attachments, infected websites, or other means.
Phishing Emails
Phishing is sending emails to users to scam them into giving up personal information. Phishing emails are often from reputable companies, banks, and other institutions, but they’re not.
They can be sent to access your social media accounts or steal money from your bank account.
These attacks can take many forms: some phishing messages appear as an email asking you to reset your password, while others may look like a notification that there has been suspicious activity on your account, and you need to verify it by clicking a certain link.
Regardless of how they arrive at your inboxes and smartphones, these messages are designed to trick people into handing over their credentials so the hackers behind them can access our online lives.
Botnets
Botnets are networks of computers that have been infected with malware. These botnets can be used to launch DDoS attacks, steal data, or be rented out for other malicious purposes.
Malware is a general term for any computer virus or malicious software that can take over your computer and do things you didn’t intend to do. A botnet is an example of this type of malware; however, there are many different kinds of malware out there.
Some are designed only to infect your system, while others are designed to take personal information like credit card numbers (which can then be sold on the black market).
When someone creates a botnet, they place their malicious code on thousands or even hundreds of thousands of computers without the user’s knowledge. This makes it harder for security researchers and law enforcement officials to find them because they are scattered throughout various networks worldwide.
This also makes it harder for users whose systems have been infected because they will not notice anything wrong until something happens. And when something happens – like an attack from another hacker trying to use your computer as part of his botnet – you will probably not know what happened until afterward, either.
Denial-of-service (DoS) Attacks
A denial-of-service (DoS) attack makes a computer resource unavailable to its intended users. The attackers usually target the availability of a website, server, or network resource.
The attacker, in this scenario, tries to overwhelm the victim with requests, making it unable to respond to legitimate requests or services. A DoS attack can also prevent users from accessing specific resources on the internet by blocking port numbers and IP addresses or overwhelming DNS servers with queries.
A DoS attack can cause an Internet server crash or any other device connected through it, such as routers and firewalls. This leads to severe consequences such as loss of revenue, time loss, etc., which impact businesses worldwide every year due mainly to cyber threats like DoS attacks being carried out against them regularly online.
SQL Injection Attacks
SQL injection attacks are a type of cyber attack that can result in data theft and website defacement. They are made possible by poor coding practices, which can be mitigated through proper coding practices.
Let’s take a look at what SQL injection attacks are and how they work:
- What is SQL Injection?
SQL injection attacks occur when an attacker uses a malicious script to interact with the database directly or via an application program interface (API). This creates an unauthorized connection between the attacker’s computer and your server, which allows them to execute SQL queries on your database using their commands.
Man-in-the-middle (MitM) Attacks
Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks are among the most common cyber security threats. In this attack, a criminal intercepts and diverts traffic between two systems.
The criminal usually inserts himself into the middle of two parties communicating over a network and relays messages between them to steal information or gain access to resources without either party knowing it’s happening.
In a man-in-the-middle attack, you’re not just exposed to hackers spying on everything you do online. Still, you’re also vulnerable to phishing scams and other forms of hacking that could lead to identity theft or fraud against your bank account or credit card account if they make off with enough personal data.
It Is Important To Be Wary Of The Myriad Threats That Exist.
It is important to be aware of the myriad threats, but you should also know what you can do to protect yourself. Any suspicious email should be deleted without a second thought and never clicked on.
Any email asking for personal information should not be answered. If you receive an email from your bank saying there is a problem with your account, you should go directly to their website rather than clicking on the link in the email itself.
Conclusion
It’s not just the big companies that must be aware of cyber security. Small businesses and individuals are also at risk of being attacked online by hackers looking to steal personal information or damage their computers.
As technology advances, so make the threats against it, and you must stay vigilant to protect yourself and your business from those who would harm you.
