Cybersecurity dangers can be overwhelming, but knowing and preparing for them is critical for today’s business leaders, digital citizens, and organizations. Cyber threats have evolved into sophisticated strategies like state-sponsored attacks and ransomware, with economic losses from cybercrime expected to reach $10 trillion by 2025. 

The dark web exacerbates cyber dangers by allowing cybercriminals to trade expertise, sell malware, and launch attacks, compromising national security and the economy. Cyberattacks cause significant data breaches, revealing sensitive information for millions of people, and resulting in financial losses and reputational damage for the firms involved.

We’re here to explore and understand the types of cyber attacks. 

Different types of cyber attacks 

While there are dozens of various types of cyber attacks, the most common ones are listed below. 

1. Phishing Attacks: The Classic Con Game

This is one of the crucial types of cyber attacks. A phishing attack happens when a malicious party sends emails that appear to be from trusted, reputable sources to obtain confidential data from the target. Phishing attacks mix social engineering and technology, and the name comes from the fact that the attacker is “fishing” for access to a forbidden region by utilizing the “bait” of a supposedly trustworthy sender. 

To carry out the attack, the cyber attackers may send you a link to a website that tricked you into downloading viruses or giving the hacker your personal information. In many circumstances, the target is unaware that they have been penetrated, allowing the attacker to target others inside the same company without raising suspicion of hostile activity.

You might stop phishing attacks from succeeding by carefully selecting the emails you open and the hyperlinks you click on. Pay special attention to email headers, and avoid clicking on anything that appears dubious. Examine the parameters for “Reply-to” and “Return-path.” They must connect to the same domain specified in the email.

2. Malware: The Digital Disease

Malware is an umbrella term for malicious software, therefore the “mal” at the beginning of the name. It is a significant type of cyber attack. Malware enters a computer and alters its functionality, destroys data, or intercepts user or network activity as it flows through. Malware may propagate from one device to another or stay in place and solely affect the host device. Several of the attack methods discussed above may contain malware, such as phishing, MITM attacks, ransomware, Trojan horses, SQL injection, XSS assaults, and drive-by attacks.

A malware attack requires the program to be downloaded on the target device. This requires the user to take action. As a result, in addition to utilizing malware-detecting firewalls, users should be informed on which types of software not to install, which links to double-check before opening, and which emails and attachments to ignore.

3. Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks: The Digital Blockade

A denial-of-service (DoS) attack is meant to overwhelm a system’s resources, rendering it unable to respond to genuine service requests. A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack resembles one in that it aims to drain a system’s resources. A DDoS cyber attack is launched by a large number of malware-infected host machines commanded by the attacker. These are known as “denial of service” attacks because the victim site fails to offer service to people attempting to access it.

Being one of the important types of cyber attacks, a DoS cyber attack floods the target site with fraudulent requests. Because the site must reply to each request, all responses utilize the site’s resources. This prevents the site from serving users as usual and frequently results in the site’s complete closure. DoS and DDoS cyber threats differ from other sorts of cyber attacks in that they permit the attacker to get access to a system. With these forms of attacks, the attacker directly profits from their actions.

DoS and DDoS network attacks, on the contrary, aim to disrupt the efficacy of the target’s service. If the attacker gets hired by a competitor, they may profit financially from their actions. A DoS attack may additionally be employed to expose a vulnerability for a different form of attack. 

A successful DoS or DDoS attack generally causes the system to go offline, leaving it exposed to other sorts of attacks. One typical method for preventing DoS attacks is to employ a firewall to determine whether requests delivered to your site are authentic. Imposter requests can then be eliminated, allowing legitimate traffic to continue uninterrupted.

A large internet attack of this nature happened in February 2020 against Amazon Web Services (AWS).

4. Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks: The Eavesdropper

Man-in-the-middle (MITM) cyber threats are breaches in cybersecurity that allow an attacker to eavesdrop on data transferred between two persons, networks, or machines. It is known as a “man in the middle” attack because the attacker places oneself in the “middle” or between the two parties attempting to communicate. The attacker is effectively spying on the two parties’ interactions. 

In a MITM attack, both parties believe they are talking properly. They don’t realize that the individual delivering the message illegally accesses or edits it before it reaches its target. You can safeguard yourself and your organization from such attacks by employing robust encryption on access points or a virtual private network (VPN).

5. SQL Injection: The Database Exploit

Structured Query Language (SQL) injection is a popular way of exploiting websites that rely on databases. Clients are computers that receive information from servers, and SQL cyber threats involve sending an SQL query from the client to the server’s database. The command is “injected” into a data plane to replace something else that would ordinarily be there, such as a password or login. The command is then executed on the database server, allowing the system to be compromised.

If an SQL injection is successful, it can result in the disclosure of sensitive data as well as the change or deletion of crucial data. An attacker can also conduct administrator activities such as a shutdown command that can disrupt the database’s functionality. Use the least-privileged model to protect against SQL injection attacks. With the least-privileged architecture, only those who require access to important databases are granted access. Even if a person has power or influence inside the business, they may not be permitted to access certain portions of the network if their job does not need it.

For example, the CEO may be barred from accessing some portions of the network, even if they have the authority to know what is there. Applying a least-privileged policy could stop not just malicious people from accessing sensitive regions, but also individuals who intend well but leave their login credentials accessible to attackers or keep their workstations running while they are not there.

6. Zero-Day Exploits: The Unseen Threat

Zero-day exploits are the cyber threats equivalent of an undiscovered flaw in a fortress’s defenses. These attacks take advantage of unknown vulnerabilities in software or hardware, striking before the developers even know there’s a problem. Because there’s no fix or patch available, zero-day exploits can be incredibly destructive and valuable to cybercriminals.

Imagine finding a hidden backdoor into a castle that even the castle’s architects didn’t know about. That’s the kind of edge zero-day exploits give to attackers.

7. Password Attacks: The Key to Your Digital Kingdom

Passwords are the keys to our digital lives, and attackers are always on the lookout for ways to crack them such as:

• Brute Force Attack: The attacker tries every possible combination of characters until they hit the right one. It’s like trying every key on a keyring until one fits.
• Dictionary Attack: Instead of random combinations, this method uses a list of common passwords or words from the dictionary.
• Credential Stuffing: If attackers get their hands on a batch of stolen usernames and passwords, they try these credentials on other websites, banking on the fact that people often reuse passwords.

The moral of the story? Utilize unique, strong passwords for various accounts, and consider utilizing a password manager.

8. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): The Web Code Hijacker

XSS, or cross-site scripting, is a technique in which an attacker sends malicious scripts to the target’s browser via clickable content. When the target clicks on the link, the script executes. As the user has already logged into the application’s session, whatever he/she enters is outlined as genuine by the web application. However, the attacker altered the script that was executed, causing the “user” to perform an undesired action.

For example, XSS cyber attacks could alter the specifications of a transfer request sent via an online banking application. In the forged request, the intended beneficiary of the transferred funds’ name is changed to that of the attacker. The attacker may even modify the amount transferred, giving oneself more money than the target planned to give. 

One of the most basic methods of preventing XSS attacks is to employ a whitelist of permitted entities. This ensures that the web application will only accept approved entries. You can also employ a process known as sanitizing, which evaluates the data being submitted to see whether it contains any potentially hazardous content.

9. Social Engineering: The Human Hack

Not all cyber attacks rely on technical wizardry. Social engineering triggers people to give up confidential information. Phishing is a type of social engineering, but this category includes other tactics too:

• Pretexting: The attacker invents a scenario to trick the victim into revealing information.
• Baiting: Offering something enticing to get the victim to take an action that leads to a breach.
• Tailgating: Following someone into a restricted area by exploiting their trust.

Social engineering exploits human psychology – curiosity, trust, fear – to achieve its goals.

10. Insider Threats: The Enemy Within

Not all cyber threats come from the outside. Insider threats involve employees or associates with access to sensitive information who misuse their privileges. These threats can be intentional (like a disgruntled employee stealing data) or accidental (like someone clicking on a phishing email).

Companies often focus on defending against external threats, but keeping an eye on internal risks is just as crucial.

What is Cybersecurity Risk Management?

Cybersecurity risk management is the process of discovering, prioritizing, managing, and monitoring threats to information systems. Cyber risk management is now an important component of overall business risk management initiatives. Companies across industries rely on information technology to perform critical business tasks today, leaving them vulnerable to staff errors, fraudsters, natural catastrophes, and other cybersecurity risks. These threats can bring essential systems down or cause havoc in other ways, resulting in stolen data, lost income, regulatory fines, and long-term reputation damage.

Takeaway 

The internet is a fantastic place, full of opportunities and wonders. But just like any other place, it’s essential to be aware of the dangers that lurk in the shadows. Understanding the different types of cyber attacks is the first step in defending yourself against them.

Cybersecurity is a constantly evolving battleground. Cyber security threats endanger our digital lives and influence our society’s critical infrastructure. Understanding these challenges, adapting to new cyber threat actors and environments, and investing in cyber skills, talent, and innovation are all critical steps. Individuals and businesses should make efforts to protect themselves, such as using strong passwords, upgrading software, and monitoring for suspicious activity. In addition, having a response strategy in place is crucial during a cyberattack.

Happy surfing!