Cybersecurity threats are always increasing in volume, variety, and complexity. Learn about the latest cybersecurity dangers and how to gather the knowledge you need to guard against data breaches and strengthen your information security.
The biggest information security threats that IT staff need to be aware of are listed below.
Malware attack
Attackers utilize a variety of techniques, most frequently social engineering, to install malware on a user’s device. Users could be prompted to act, like opening an attachment or clicking a link. In other instances, the malware installs itself without the user’s knowledge or agreement by taking advantage of flaws in operating systems or browsers. Once the malware has been installed, it can monitor user activity, relay sensitive information to the attacker, help the attacker breach other network targets, and even make the user’s device a member of a botnet that the attacker uses for malevolent purposes.
Viruses and worms
Viruses and worms are examples of malicious software (malware), which is intended to harm a company’s network, systems, and data. A harmful piece of software called a computer virus replicates itself on a host file, system, or other application to spread. Until it is intentionally or accidentally activated, without the knowledge or approval of a user or system administrator, it does not spread.
Botnets
A group of Internet-connected devices, such as PCs, smartphones, servers, and IoT devices, that have been infected and are being remotely controlled by a common form of malware is known as a botnet. The botnet software typically scours the internet for susceptible devices. The threat actor who builds a botnet wants to infect as many connected devices as they can, taking advantage of their computational power and resources for automated actions that are typically hidden from the users of the devices. These botnets are controlled by threat actors, who are frequently cybercriminals. They are used to send spam emails, run click-fraud operations, and produce malicious traffic for distributed denial-of-service assaults.
Denial of Service
A denial of service (DoS) cyberattack floods a computer or network with requests, making it unable to reply. A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack uses the same method but targets a computer network. Cyber attackers typically employ flood assaults to obstruct the “handshake” process and perform a DoS. Many additional techniques might be used, and some cybercriminals take advantage of networks going down to launch additional attacks. A botnet is a type of DDoS in which a hacker can manage millions of devices that are infected with malware, according to Jeff Melnick of Netwrix, a vendor of information technology security tools. Zombie systems and botnets both aim at and overwhelm a target’s processing power. Geographically dispersed botnet sites make them challenging to track.
Man in the Middle
Hackers interjecting themselves into a two-party transaction results in a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack. Cisco claims they can filter and collect data even after the transmission is interrupted. Visitors regularly become the target of MITM attacks when they connect to an unsecured public Wi-Fi network. Attackers limit access to the visitor and the network to install harmful software and get access to data.
Password Attacks
If the right password is used, a cyber attacker can access a lot of information. A type of password attack known as social engineering, according to Data Insider, “relies heavily on human contact and frequently necessitates convincing users to violate fundamental security standards.” Other password attacks include accessing a password database and brute-force password guessing.
Bottom line Numerous risks are currently facing small enterprises. The best method for businesses to defend against these risks is to put in place a full suite of security technologies and to make use of security awareness training to make sure that users are aware of risks and how to avoid them.
