Five Common Methods Used To Threaten Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is protecting internet-connected systems like the data, software, and hardware from cyber threats. It is commonly employed practice enterprises and individuals to shield against unwarranted access to computerized systems and data centres. With a potent cybersecurity strategy, you can give your data good security against malicious attacks that may alter, delete, access, extort, or destroy a user or an organization’s sensitive data and systems.

Cybersecurity also helps avoid attacks that disrupt or disable a device or a system’s operations.

Types of cyber threats

Broadly, three threats counter cyber-security. These include:

1. Cyberterrorism tends to undermine electronic systems to invoke fear or panic.
2. Cyberattack involves gathering politically motivated information.
3. Cybercrime includes group targeting systems or single actors to cause disruption or achieve some financial gain.

Five Common Methods Used To Threaten Cybersecurity.

Below, we will discuss some top methods that cyber attackers use to threaten your cyber security. These include:

1. Malware

It is malicious software like ransomware, spyware, worms, and viruses. It gets triggered anytime a user clicks on a malware-infected attachment or link, resulting in a dangerous software installation. If malware gets activated into the system, it can install harmful software, restrict entry into the primary network components, disrupt individual parts causing the system to become inoperable, and covertly extract data by transmitting it via the hard drive.

If you are in the company’s IT department, you must take active measures to shield the company against malware attacks. For this, you can consider enrolling in a class to learn more about it. TangoLearn has some top course suggestions to help you get started.

2. Man-in-the-Middle Attack

Also known as the MitM or the eavesdropping attack, the Man-in-the-Middle Attack involves intercepting the communication between two endpoints, an application, and a user. As part of this cyberattack, the attacker tends to insert themselves into the middle of the two-party transactions. It results in traffic interruption, which may cause data theft.

Two prevalent points of entry for eavesdropping attacks include:

1. The attacker can install software and access all unwarranted information if the malware breaches a device.
2. In an unsecured public Wi-Fi, the attackers tend to insert themselves between the network and the visitor’s device. Consequently, the visitor unknowingly passes on all the information via the attacker.

Some examples of MitM attacks include:

1. IP spoofing
2. DNS spoofing
3. Email hijacking
4. HTTPS spoofing

3. Cryptojacking

It is a prevalent cyber-attack wherein the criminal hacker tends to hijack the victim’s system and uses it to mine cryptocurrency by embedding malicious code in an email or website. It results in the victim’s computer mining cryptocurrency without their knowledge or consent and tends to slow down the victim’s computer. There is also a massive utility consumption, resulting in high electricity bills. Moreover, Crypto jacking also causes mega damage to the victim’s computer.

To know whether your system is under a cyberattack or find ways to avoid it, you can consider enrolling in one of the best cyber security certifications online and learn all about it.

4. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)

This cybercrime aims to overwhelm the target’s resources and prevent it from functioning correctly. At times, the users’ access is also barred in the process. It is a DoS variant wherein the attackers compromise several devices or computers and use them to attack the target system collectively.

Typically, DDoS attacks do not surface individually and are in combination with other cyber threats. The attacks may result in the service denial to capture security staff’s attention and cause a fix. Consequently, while the team gets busy catering to this minor attack, the cybercriminal conveniently undertakes an advanced but subtle attack aimed at stealing the data or causing damage.

Some examples of the DDoS attacks include:

1. Smurf attack
2. Botnets
3. TCP SYN flood attack

5. Phishing attack

You experience a phishing attack when the malicious actor sends an email that appears to be coming from a legitimate, trusted source to extract sensitive information from the victim. Such attacks typically involve technology and social engineering. Because the attacker tends to fish for access into the forbidden path by employing bait and masking as a trusted sender, it is christened the phishing attack.

The cybercriminal sends you a link for executing the phishing attack. It redirects you to a website, which nudges you into downloading malware into your system like a virus. It opens up all your private details to the trespasser. Unfortunately, the victim does not realize till it is too late that they have been compromised. It opens up their access to other employees in the same organizations, sans any suspicious.

You must carefully review the emails before you click on any link to avoid a phishing attack. Be cautious of the email headers. If anything looks suspicious, do not press open it. Lastly, keep a check on the parameters for the Return-path and Reply-to. They should be connected to the same domain in the email.

These are only five of the many cyberattacks that individuals usually encounter. Do you think we missed out on any important one? Please list it down in the comments below.