What is a cyber attack?
A cyber attack happens when someone tries to hack into or disrupt a computer, network, or device without authorization. This can be used to steal data, inflict damage, or cause issues. Cyber attacks can affect everyone, from individuals to large organizations and even governments. Some types of cyber attacks are modest and unpleasant, while others are serious, causing major losses or damage.
Why do people carry out cyber attacks?
People engage in cyber attacks for different reasons, depending on what they want. Here are some of the main motivations.
1: To Make Money
So many hackers steal financial information, such as credit card numbers or personal information, to resell online or utilize for personal benefit.
2: To Make a Political or Social Statement
Hackers with strong opinions may target companies in order to protest or raise awareness about a topic. They are called Hacktivist.
3: To Steal Secrets
Some hackers, more often connects to governments or businesses, get into systems in order to gather confidential data, like trade secrets and military information.They are called Espionage.
4: Revenge or Sabotage
Angry ex-employees or competitors can attack a corporation in order to seek revenge or create harm.
5: Cyber Warfare
Countries may target and attack other countries to interfere with their systems, harm infrastructure, or damage their economies.
Types of Cyber Attacks
There are numerous ways cyber attacks can occur. Here is a breakdown of the most popular types and a few more ones for a more complete picture.
1. Phishing
Phishing is when attackers send fake mail or communications that appear to be from trustworthy companies or persons. The idea is to deceive the victim into disclosing critical information such as passwords or bank accounts.
2. Malware
Malware is any malicious software intended to damage a device or network. Malware has several forms, such as
- Viruses: A computer virus is a program that spreads by infecting files or system and then creating copies of itself.
- Ransomware: Ransomware is a type of virus that encrypts data, files, devices, or systems of the victim and make them unavailable and unusable until the attacker gets a ransom payment.
- Spyware: Spyware is harmful software that gets into computer of the user and collects data from the device and transfers it to third parties without their permission.
3. Ransomware
Ransomware occurs when attackers get control over a computer or data and ask a ransom amount in exchange for restoring access.
4. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
This type of attack flood a website or services with a lot of traffic, causing it to crash or slow down. Attackers frequently utilize compromised devices that are also called botnets for sending this traffic.
5. Man-in-the-Middle Attack
A MitM attack involves hackers secretly monitoring communication between two persons or systems. This allows them to track or even change the information transmitted, usually without anyone knowing about it.
6. SQL Injection
SQL injection is a type of attack in which malicious SQL code is injected into an application. This let the hacker to see or edit the database.
7. Zero-Day Exploit
Zero-day exploits are designed to exploit previously undiscovered software or hardware flaws. Because the vulnerability has not been found or corrected by the developers, hackers have the opportunity to exploit it before an update is released.
8. Brute Force Attack
A brute force attack occurs when hackers test multiple password combinations until they find the proper one. It may require time, but with different programs and tools, hackers can test multiple options quickly.
9. Credential Stuffing
Credential stuffing attack can be done when hackers utilize stolen usernames and passwords from previous data breaches to attempt to get in to many websites. Because so many individuals reuse old passwords, this strategy may be highly effective.
10. Spyware
Spyware is a sort of malware. It quietly observes and tracks everything you do on your device. It can steal passwords, monitor your behavior, and collect important information without your knowledge.
11. Adware
Adware is malware that shows unwanted advertising on your device. While they are not necessarily destructive, some adware can monitor your browsing behavior, push you to fraudulent websites, or slow down your computer’s performance.
12. Trojan Horse
Malware that poses as legitimate software is called a Trojan horse. Once it has been downloaded into the victim’s system, it gives attackers complete access to the victim’s data, enabling them to spy on them and alter their device without them being aware of it.
13. Rootkits
Attackers use software tools called rootkits to take complete control of a system. After the instalation , a rootkit can hide the presence of other malware.In result it will make it more challenging to identify and remove them.
14. Password Attacks
Here, hackers attempt to figure out or steal passwords. Password attacks may use methods other than brute force attacks, like these:
- Keylogging: Logging your keystrokes to obtain passwords is called “keylogging”.
- Credential Dumping: Obtaining saved passwords from a system or device is known as “credential dumping.”
15. Social Engineering
Social engineering attacks focus more on controlling individuals than they do on breaking into systems. For example, hackers can pose as a reliable individual, such a coworker or an official in the organization, to fool people into disclosing personal information.
16. Drive-By Download
When someone accesses a malicious website or watches an infected commercial without knowing they are downloading malware, this is known as a drive-by download. User interaction is not required because the download is carried out automatically.
18. Session Hijacking
Session hijacking is a method when an attacker obtains a user’s session ID, they can take control of the session and pretend to be the user . It might be quite dangerous if the session involves sensitive transactions like online banking.
19. Insider Threats
An insider threat occurs when a worker or other individual with access to systems or data is exploited maliciously. Insider assaults can occur accidentally or on purpose, for as when a worker discloses confidential information without realizing it.
20. Watering Hole Attack
Hackers use this form of attack to target popular websites among the targeted group. Hackers attack websites with malware, infecting the systems of the targeted group.
Conclusion
By understanding the numerous types of cyber attacks and the reasons behind them, people and organizations can better protect themselves in the digital world. Being aware of the risks is the first line of protection against phishing scams and sophisticated malware attacks. The cyber security team at Infinity Tech is an expert in this field and offers you the services to protect yourself from these attacks.
