IBPS RRB PO IBPS PO SBI PO -CYBER ATTACKS DETAILS
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CYBER
ATTACK
Table of Contents
What
is a Cyber Attack?
Before heading to the different types of cyber
attacks, we will first walk you through a cyber attack. When there is an
unauthorized system/network access by a third party, we term it as a cyber
attack. The person who carries out a cyberattack is termed as a hacker/attacker.
Cyber-attacks have several negative effects. When
an attack is carried out, it can lead to data breaches, resulting in data loss
or data manipulation. Organizations incur financial losses, customer trust gets
hampered, and there is reputational damage. To put a curb on cyberattacks, we
implement cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity is the method of safeguarding networks, computer systems, and
their components from unauthorized digital access.
The COVID-19 situation has also had an adverse
impact on cybersecurity. According to Interpol and WHO,
there has been a notable increase in the number of cyberattacks during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Now that you know what a cyber attack is, let look
at the different types of cyberattacks.
Types
of Cyber Attacks
Let’s start with the different types of
cyberattacks on our list:
1.
Malware Attack
This is one of the most common types of
cyberattacks. “Malware” refers to malicious software viruses including worms,
spyware, ransomware, adware, and trojans.
The trojan virus disguises itself as legitimate
software. Ransomware blocks access to the network's key components, whereas
Spyware is software that steals all your confidential data without your
knowledge. Adware is software that displays advertising content such as banners
on a user's screen.
Malware breaches a network through a vulnerability.
When the user clicks a dangerous link, it downloads an email attachment or when
an infected pen drive is used.
Let’s now look at how we can prevent a malware
attack:
·
Use antivirus software. It can
protect your computer against malware. Avast Antivirus, Norton Antivirus, and
McAfee Antivirus are a few of the popular antivirus software.
·
Use firewalls. Firewalls filter the
traffic that may enter your device. Windows and Mac OS X have their default
built-in firewalls, named Windows Firewall and Mac Firewall.
·
Stay alert and avoid clicking on
suspicious links.
·
Update your OS and browsers,
regularly.
2.
Phishing Attack
Phishing attacks are one of the most prominent
widespread types of cyberattacks. It is a type of social engineering attack
wherein an attacker impersonates to be a trusted contact and sends the victim
fake mails.
Phishing attacks can be prevented by following the
below-mentioned steps:
·
Scrutinize the emails you receive.
Most phishing emails have significant errors like spelling mistakes and format
changes from that of legitimate sources.
·
Make use of an anti-phishing toolbar.
·
Update your passwords regularly.
3.
Password Attack
It is a form of attack wherein a hacker cracks your
password with various programs and password cracking tools like Aircrack, Cain,
Abel, John the Ripper, Hashcat, etc. There are different types of password
attacks like brute force attacks, dictionary attacks, and keylogger attacks.
Listed below are a few ways to prevent password
attacks:
·
Use strong alphanumeric passwords
with special characters.
·
Abstain from using the same password
for multiple websites or accounts.
·
Update your passwords; this will
limit your exposure to a password attack.
·
Do not have any password hints in the
open.
4.
Man-in-the-Middle Attack
A Man-in-the-Middle Attack (MITM) is also known as
an eavesdropping attack. In this attack, an attacker comes in between a
two-party communication, i.e., the attacker hijacks the session between a
client and host. By doing so, hackers steal and manipulate data.
As seen below, the client-server communication has
been cut off, and instead, the communication line goes through the hacker.
MITM attacks can be prevented by following the
below-mentioned steps:
·
Be mindful of the security of the
website you are using. Use encryption on your devices.
·
Refrain from using public Wi-Fi
networks.
5.
SQL Injection Attack
A Structured Query Language (SQL)
injection attack occurs on a database-driven website when the hacker
manipulates a standard SQL query. It is carried by injecting a malicious code
into a vulnerable website search box, thereby making the server reveal crucial
information.
This results in the attacker being able to view,
edit, and delete tables in the databases. Attackers can also get administrative
rights through this.
To prevent a SQL injection attack:
·
Use an Intrusion detection system, as
they design it to detect unauthorized access to a network.
·
Carry out a validation of the
user-supplied data. With a validation process, it keeps the user input in
check.
6.
Denial-of-Service Attack
A Denial-of-Service Attack is a significant threat
to companies. Here, attackers target systems, servers, or networks and flood
them with traffic to exhaust their resources and bandwidth.
When this happens, catering to the incoming
requests becomes overwhelming for the servers, resulting in the website it
hosts either shut down or slow down. This leaves the legitimate service
requests unattended.
It is also known as a DDoS (Distributed
Denial-of-Service) attack when attackers use multiple compromised systems to
launch this attack.
Let’s now look at how to prevent a DDoS attack:
·
Run a traffic analysis to identify
malicious traffic.
·
Understand the warning signs like
network slowdown, intermittent website shutdowns, etc. At such times, the
organization must take the necessary steps without delay.
·
Formulate an incident response plan,
have a checklist and make sure your team and data center can handle a DDoS
attack.
·
Outsource DDoS prevention to
cloud-based service providers.
7.
Insider Threat
As the name suggests, an insider threat does not
involve a third party but an insider. In such a case; it could be an individual
from within the organization who knows everything about the organization.
Insider threats have the potential to cause tremendous damages.
To prevent the insider threat attack:
·
Organizations should have a good
culture of security awareness.
·
Companies must limit the IT resources
staff can have access to depending on their job roles.
·
Organizations must train employees to
spot insider threats. This will help employees understand when a hacker has
manipulated or is attempting to misuse the organization's data.
8.
Cryptojacking
The term Cryptojacking is closely related to
cryptocurrency. Cryptojacking takes place when attackers access someone else’s
computer for mining cryptocurrency.
The access is gained by infecting a website or
manipulating the victim to click on a malicious link. They also use online ads
with JavaScript code for this. Victims are unaware of this as the Crypto mining
code works in the background; a delay in the execution is the only sign they
might witness.
Cryptojacking can be prevented by following the
below-mentioned steps:
·
Update your software and all the
security apps as cryptojacking can infect the most unprotected systems.
·
Have cryptojacking awareness training
for the employees; this will help them detect crypotjacking threats.
·
Install an ad blocker as ads are a
primary source of cryptojacking scripts. Also have extensions like MinerBlock,
which is used to identify and block crypto mining scripts.
9.
Zero-Day Exploit
A Zero-Day Exploit happens after the announcement
of a network vulnerability; there is no solution for the vulnerability in most
cases. Hence the vendor notifies the vulnerability so that the users are aware;
however, this news also reaches the attackers.
Depending on the vulnerability, the vendor or the
developer could take any amount of time to fix the issue. Meanwhile, the
attackers target the disclosed vulnerability. They make sure to exploit the
vulnerability even before a patch or solution is implemented for it.
Zero-day exploits can be prevented by:
·
Organizations should have
well-communicated patch management processes. Use management solutions to
automate the procedures. Thus it avoids delays in deployment.
·
Have an incident response plan to
help you deal with a cyberattack. Keep a strategy focussing on zero-day
attacks. By doing so, the damage can be reduced or completely avoided.
10.
Watering Hole Attack
The victim here is a particular group of an
organization, region, etc. In such an attack, the attacker targets websites
which are frequently used by the targeted group. Websites are identified either
by closely monitoring the group or by guessing.
After this, the attackers infect these websites
with malware, which infects the victims' systems. The malware in such an attack
targets the user's personal information. Here, it is also possible for the
hacker to take remote access to the infected computer.
Let's now see how we can prevent the watering hole
attack:
·
Update your software and reduce the
risk of an attacker exploiting vulnerabilities. Make sure to check for security
patches regularly.
·
Use your network security tools to
spot watering hole attacks. Intrusion prevention systems(IPS) work well when it
comes to detecting such suspicious activities.
·
To prevent a watering hole attack, it
is advised to conceal your online activities. For this, use a VPN and also make
use of your browser’s private browsing feature. A VPN delivers a secure
connection to another network over the Internet. It acts as a shield for your
browsing activity. NordVPN is a good example of a VPN.
Those were the top ten types of cyberattacks. Now,
let us walk you through the next section of our article on types of
cyberattacks.
How
to Prevent Cyber Attacks?
Although we had a look at several ways to prevent
the different types of cyberattacks we discussed, let's summarize and look at a
few personal tips which you can adopt to avoid a cyberattack on the whole.
1.
Change your passwords regularly and
use strong alphanumeric passwords which are difficult to crack. Refrain from using
too complicated passwords that you would tend to forget. Do not use the same
password twice.
2.
Update both your operating system and
applications regularly. This is a primary prevention method for any cyber
attack. This will remove vulnerabilities that hackers tend to exploit. Use
trusted and legitimate Anti-virus protection software.
3.
Use a firewall and other network
security tools such as Intrusion prevention systems, Access control,
Application security, etc.
4.
Avoid opening emails from unknown
senders. Scrutinize the emails you receive for loopholes and significant
errors.
5.
Make use of a VPN. This makes sure
that it encrypts the traffic between the VPN server and your device.
6.
Regularly back up your data.
According to many security professionals, it is ideal to have three copies of
your data on two different media types and another copy in an off-site location
(cloud storage). Hence, even in the course of a cyber attack, you can erase
your system’s data and restore it with a recently performed backup.
7.
Employees should be aware of
cybersecurity principles. They must know the various types of cyberattacks and
ways to tackle them.
8.
Use Two-Factor or Multi-Factor
Authentication. With two-factor authentication, it requires users to provide
two different authentication factors to verify themselves. When you are asked
for over two additional authentication methods apart from your username and
password, we term it as multi-factor authentication. This proves to be a vital
step to secure your account.
9.
Secure your Wi-Fi networks and avoid
using public Wi-Fi without using a VPN.
10. Safeguard
your mobile, as mobiles are also a cyberattack target. Install apps from only
legitimate and trusted sources, make sure to keep your device updated.
These are the tips you must implement to protect
your systems and networks from a cyber attack.
Conclusion
In this article on the types of cyberattacks, you
have understood all about cyber attacks. You looked at what a cyber attack is,
the top ten types of cybe rattacks, and the ways to prevent a cyber attack.
With the increasing number of cyber crimes today, it is good to be aware of
cyber attacks and how one can protect their network.
FAQs
1.
What is a Cyber Attack?
A cyber attack is an offensive, unauthorized
system/network access by a third party. It aims at destroying or stealing
confidential information from a computer network, information system, or
personal device. The person who carries out this cyber attack is called a hacker.
2.
What are the four types of attacks?
The different types of cyber-attacks are malware
attack, password attack, phishing attack, and SQL injection attack.
3.
What are examples of a Cyber Attack?
Some cyber attack examples are - Twitter celebrity
profile attacks, emails with attachments containing malware, emails with links
to malicious websites, and legitimate communication streams with malicious
packets.
4.
What happens during a Cyber Attack?
Cyber attacks disable, destroy, disrupt, or control
computer systems to alter, manipulate, block, delete, or steal the data in
these systems. They can be made by any individual or group via the internet
using one or more attack strategies. It leads to a financial loss of money or
the theft of information.
5.
What are the different ways to prevent Cyber Attacks?
Some of the best ways to prevent cyber attacks
include changing passwords regularly and using the ones that are difficult to
crack, updating operating systems and applications, using a firewall and other network
security tools, avoiding emails from unknown senders, regularly backing up your
data, and using multi-factor authentication.
6.
What are the top 5 Cyber Attacks?
Businesses' most challenging cyber attacks are
phishing attacks, ransomware, malware attacks, insider threats, and weak
passwords.
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