The advancement of technology and its involvement in all aspects of human lives and businesses have greatly increased reliance on tech-based devices and processes. The dependability on technology requires it to be secure from external threats and data theft. Cybercrime is increasing at an alarming rate and requires proper safety measures put in place to safeguard the interests of users and businesses.
Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated in their ways and to combat their attacks, encryption and security softwares must be installed which requires a 24/7 stable internet connection having a minimum bandwidth of the size of Spectrum WiFi plans. There are various kinds of threats coming from different sources therefore it is important to take up a proactive approach to prevent the leakage of valuable information and other damages.
Some of the cybersecurity threats are discussed in the article below.
Malware
Malware comes in many forms. It can be damaging to the computer. Malware can steal valuable information, corrupt files and disable computer systems. Advanced malware has the ability to take over computers and manipulate data.
The various types of malware attacks are as follows.
Trojan Horses – This type of malware appears to be a secure file, which spreads into the system when downloaded. It can gain access to confidential information and perform other malicious tasks such as installing more viruses into the system.
Worms – Worms are a type of malware that possess the ability to replicate themselves and spread to other systems. Worms spread at a fast rate and take up a lot of storage which can make the systems crash.
Ransomware – Ransomware hacks into the system and steals valuable information and files. It encrypts them and demands ransom for the decryption of files. This type of malware can be damaging as well as costly for the victim as they have to pay the ransom before being able to access their files.
Spyware – Spyware is the type of malware that gathers user information without their knowledge which can be use to track their correspondence or identity theft.
Wiper malware – This type of malware deleted files which can be damaging to the victim as they may lose important information.
Prevention – Updating system regularly with anti-malware and anti-virus softwares.
Social Engineering
Social engineering attacks use deceptive techniques to trick users into doing something that will cause damage to their systems or sensitive information.
Types of social engineering attacks are as follows.
Phishing – Phishing is the most common and widely used social engineering attack. It poses as a legitimate website or link and tricks the victim into sharing their personal information.
Malvertising – Malvertising is a form of fraudulent online advertisement that uses a link or code that leads users to a virus-infected website that infects their systems with malware.
Drive-by Downloads – Drive-by downloads is a term to define the accidental download of malware when a victim enters a virus-infected website or clicks a malware link unknowingly.
Baiting – Baiting is the type of malware where the attacker leaves virus-infected devices purposely in public places for someone to pick them up and plug them into their systems.
Honey Trap – A honey trap is when an attractive frontman is use to attract people into a trap.
Tailgating – Tailgating is when an attacker follows a victim and enters a prohibited area without their knowledge.
Prevention
Don’t respond to unknown emails or phone calls and avoid giving out personal information unless confident about the source.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
DDoS is the type of social engineering that creates artificial traffic or congestion on a server to make it crash or unresponsive.
Botnets – Botnets are virus-infected computers that can send a huge number of requests to a targeted server to occupy it making it unresponsive to original requests.
TCP SYN/UDP Flood Attack – The attacker sends an overwhelming number of SYN/UDP attacks to the target resulting in the exhaustion of the resources of the target.
Smurf Attack – In a smurf attack the attacker floods the IP address of the victim with requests.
Prevention – Install firewalls and try to limit incoming requests avoiding unknown IP addresses.
Software Supply Chain
In a software supply chain attack, the attacker embeds malicious code in an authentic software. It can be add at any stage of software development and distribution.
Software supply chain attacks are carried out in the following ways.
By hacking the account of the software developer and adding the code.
To take over the system and use it to further spread the malware or gain access to important information.
Entering the software archives and infecting authorized software with malicious code
Prevention
Regularly updating software and downloading softwares from authentic places.
