Life today has become far more comfortable because of various digital devices and the internet to support them. There is a flip side to everything good, and that also applies to the digital world today. The internet has brought in a positive change in our lives today, but with that, there is also an enormous challenge in protecting your data. This gives rise to cyber attacks. In this article, we will discuss the different types of
cyber attacks and how they can be prevented. Before heading to the different types of cyber attacks, we will first walk you through a cyber attack. When there is an unauthorized system/network access by a third party, we term it as a cyber attack. The person who carries out a cyberattack
is termed as a hacker/attacker. Cyber-attacks have several negative effects. When an attack is carried out, it can lead to data breaches, resulting in data loss or data manipulation. Organizations incur financial losses, customer trust gets hampered, and there is reputational damage. To put a curb on cyberattacks, we implement
cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is the method of safeguarding networks, computer systems, and their components from unauthorized digital access. The COVID-19 situation has also had an adverse impact on cybersecurity. According to
Interpol and WHO, there has been a notable increase in the number of cyberattacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that you know what a cyber
attack is, let look at the different types of cyberattacks. There are many varieties of cyber attacks that happen in the world today. If we know the various types of cyberattacks, it becomes easier for us to protect our networks and systems against them. Here, we will closely examine the top ten cyber-attacks that can affect an individual, or a large business, depending on the scale. Let’s start with the different types
of cyberattacks on our list: This is one of the most common types of cyberattacks. “Malware” refers to malicious software viruses including worms, spyware, ransomware, adware, and trojans. The trojan virus disguises itself as legitimate software. Ransomware blocks access to the network's key components, whereas Spyware is software that steals all your confidential data without your knowledge. Adware is software that displays advertising content such as
banners on a user's screen. Malware breaches a network through a vulnerability. When the user clicks a dangerous link, it downloads an email attachment or when an infected pen drive is used. Let’s now look at how we can prevent a malware attack:
2. Phishing AttackPhishing attacks are one of the most prominent widespread types of cyberattacks. It is a type of social engineering attack wherein an attacker impersonates to be a trusted contact and sends the victim fake mails. Unaware of this, the victim opens the mail and clicks on the malicious link or opens the mail's attachment. By doing so, attackers gain access to confidential information and account credentials. They can also install malware through a phishing attack. Phishing attacks can be prevented by following the below-mentioned steps:
3. Password AttackIt is a form of attack wherein a hacker cracks your password with various programs and password cracking tools like Aircrack, Cain, Abel, John the Ripper, Hashcat, etc. There are different types of password attacks like brute force attacks, dictionary attacks, and keylogger attacks. Listed below are a few ways to prevent password attacks:
4. Man-in-the-Middle AttackA Man-in-the-Middle Attack (MITM) is also known as an eavesdropping attack. In this attack, an attacker comes in between a two-party communication, i.e., the attacker hijacks the session between a client and host. By doing so, hackers steal and manipulate data. As seen below, the client-server communication has been cut off, and instead, the communication line goes through the hacker. MITM attacks can be prevented by following the below-mentioned steps:
5. SQL Injection AttackA Structured Query Language (SQL) injection attack occurs on a database-driven website when the hacker manipulates a standard SQL query. It is carried by injecting a malicious code into a vulnerable website search box, thereby making the server reveal crucial information. This results in the attacker being able to view, edit, and delete tables in the databases. Attackers can also get administrative rights through this. To prevent a SQL injection attack:
6. Denial-of-Service AttackA Denial-of-Service Attack is a significant threat to companies. Here, attackers target systems, servers, or networks and flood them with traffic to exhaust their resources and bandwidth. When this happens, catering to the incoming requests becomes overwhelming for the servers, resulting in the website it hosts either shut down or slow down. This leaves the legitimate service requests unattended. It is also known as a DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack when attackers use multiple compromised systems to launch this attack. Let’s now look at how to prevent a DDoS attack:
7. Insider ThreatAs the name suggests, an insider threat does not involve a third party but an insider. In such a case; it could be an individual from within the organization who knows everything about the organization. Insider threats have the potential to cause tremendous damages. Insider threats are rampant in small businesses, as the staff there hold access to multiple accounts with data. Reasons for this form of an attack are many, it can be greed, malice, or even carelessness. Insider threats are hard to predict and hence tricky. To prevent the insider threat attack:
8. CryptojackingThe term Cryptojacking is closely related to cryptocurrency. Cryptojacking takes place when attackers access someone else’s computer for mining cryptocurrency. The access is gained by infecting a website or manipulating the victim to click on a malicious link. They also use online ads with JavaScript code for this. Victims are unaware of this as the Crypto mining code works in the background; a delay in the execution is the only sign they might witness. Cryptojacking can be prevented by following the below-mentioned steps:
9. Zero-Day ExploitA Zero-Day Exploit happens after the announcement of a network vulnerability; there is no solution for the vulnerability in most cases. Hence the vendor notifies the vulnerability so that the users are aware; however, this news also reaches the attackers. Depending on the vulnerability, the vendor or the developer could take any amount of time to fix the issue. Meanwhile, the attackers target the disclosed vulnerability. They make sure to exploit the vulnerability even before a patch or solution is implemented for it. Zero-day exploits can be prevented by:
10. Watering Hole AttackThe victim here is a particular group of an organization, region, etc. In such an attack, the attacker targets websites which are frequently used by the targeted group. Websites are identified either by closely monitoring the group or by guessing. After this, the attackers infect these websites with malware, which infects the victims' systems. The malware in such an attack targets the user's personal information. Here, it is also possible for the hacker to take remote access to the infected computer. Let's now see how we can prevent the watering hole attack:
Those were the top ten types of cyberattacks. Now, let us walk you through the next section of our article on types of cyberattacks. How to Prevent Cyber Attacks?Although we had a look at several ways to prevent the different types of cyberattacks we discussed, let's summarize and look at a few personal tips which you can adopt to avoid a cyberattack on the whole.
These are the tips you must implement to protect your systems and networks from a cyber attack. Learn the types of attacks on a system, the techniques used, and more with the Certified Ethical Hacking Course. Enroll now! ConclusionIn this article on the types of cyberattacks, you have understood all about cyber attacks. You looked at what a cyber attack is, the top ten types of cybe rattacks, and the ways to prevent a cyber attack. With the increasing number of cyber crimes today, it is good to be aware of cyber attacks and how one can protect their network. If you would like to understand more about this topic, watch this video: Top Cybersecurity Threats. Do you have any questions for us concerning ‘Types of Cyber Attacks’? Please mention them in the comment section of this article. Our qualified experts will get back to you as soon as possible! FAQs1. What is a Cyber Attack?A cyber attack is an offensive, unauthorized system/network access by a third party. It aims at destroying or stealing confidential information from a computer network, information system, or personal device. The person who carries out this cyber attack is called a hacker. 2. What are the four types of attacks?The different types of cyber-attacks are malware attack, password attack, phishing attack, and SQL injection attack. 3. What are examples of a Cyber Attack?Some cyber attack examples are - Twitter celebrity profile attacks, emails with attachments containing malware, emails with links to malicious websites, and legitimate communication streams with malicious packets. 4. What happens during a Cyber Attack?Cyber attacks disable, destroy, disrupt, or control computer systems to alter, manipulate, block, delete, or steal the data in these systems. They can be made by any individual or group via the internet using one or more attack strategies. It leads to a financial loss of money or the theft of information. 5. What are the different ways to prevent Cyber Attacks?Some of the best ways to prevent cyber attacks include changing passwords regularly and using the ones that are difficult to crack, updating operating systems and applications, using a firewall and other network security tools, avoiding emails from unknown senders, regularly backing up your data, and using multi-factor authentication. 6. What are the top 5 Cyber Attacks?Businesses' most challenging cyber attacks are phishing attacks, ransomware, malware attacks, insider threats, and weak passwords. What are the six common types of threats?The six types of security threat. Cybercrime. Cybercriminals' principal goal is to monetise their attacks. ... . Hacktivism. Hacktivists crave publicity. ... . Insiders. ... . Physical threats. ... . Terrorists. ... . Espionage.. What are the most common types of cyber threats?Below are some of the most common types of cyber-attacks:. Malware.. Phishing.. Man-in-the-middle attack (MITM). Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack.. SQL injection.. Zero-day exploit.. DNS Tunnelling.. Business Email Compromise (BEC). What are the 10 common types of cyber threats?Types of Cyber Attacks. Malware Attack. This is one of the most common types of cyberattacks. ... . Phishing Attack. Phishing attacks are one of the most prominent widespread types of cyberattacks. ... . Password Attack. ... . Man-in-the-Middle Attack. ... . SQL Injection Attack. ... . Denial-of-Service Attack. ... . Insider Threat. ... . Cryptojacking.. What are the 8 common cyber threats?Then you can use that information and take steps to make your networks secure.. 8 Common Types of Cyber Attacks. Cyber attacks can come in different forms. ... . Password Cracking Attacks. ... . Social Engineering Attacks. ... . Social Media Attacks. ... . Malware attacks. ... . Denial-of-Service Attacks. ... . Man-in-the-middle Attacks. ... . Eavesdropping Attack.. |