What are the top 5 cyber attacks?

You may be more or less familiar with cyber-attacks and have heard of them, but we will review the definition of a cyber attack at first, then we will talk about the most common types of these attacks.

What are cyber-attacks?

A cyber attack is a malicious and deliberate act by an individual or organization to violate the information system of another person or organization. The attacker usually seeks some form of harassment to disrupt the victim's network.  Cyber attacks  rank fifth on the global risk list in 2020 and have become a new rule in the public and private sectors. This high-risk industry continues to grow in 2021, as Many cyber-attacks alone are expected to be doubled by 2025.

Many of the methods used by cybercriminals to violate corporate data rely on human error. Even your most innovative employees can become your biggest weakness by clicking on a malicious link. However, other attacks use weaknesses in your data security solutions to access sensitive data. Cyber ​​assaults are very dangerous and can completely shut down a computer. Other targets of these assaults include stealing information and preparing for a more powerful attack.

How many times do cyber assaults occur?

Cyber ​​attacks hurt businesses every day. These injuries destroy some jobs, and others can return to normal with lots of effort.

Impact and severity of this type of attacks

Cyber ​​assaults can affect organizations in many ways, from minor disruptions to significant financial losses. Regardless of the type of cyber attack, every outcome has a cost, both monetary and non-monetary.

The consequences of this type of assault may affect your business weeks or months later. The following is a list of five areas where your business may be affected:

Financial losses Loss of productivity Damage to your credit Persistent business problems Legal debts  Ransomware attacks  have become a significant concern. At the end of 2016, every 40 seconds, a business fell victim to a ransomware attack. According to a report from Cybersecurity Ventures, this rate is expected to increase every 11 seconds by this year. This cyber-attack occurs when malware restricts access to a computer system or data until the victim pays the ransom demanded by the offender.

Why do people carry out this type of assault?

Cybercrime has increased since people took advantage of vulnerable business systems. Attackers often seek ransom: 53% of cyber attacks result in $ 500,000 or more in damages.

The targets of cyber assaults can be very diverse: from information theft to blocking access to servers and hundreds of other things that are not covered in this article.

What is a botnet?

A botnet is a network of devices infected with malware such as viruses. Attackers can control a botnet as a control group to increase their assaults. A botnet is often used to overcome systems in a distributed denial of  service (DDoS) attack.

Common types of these types of assaults

Cyber ​​assaults include common types, which we will examine in the following:

- Malware

Malware is a term used to describe software, including spyware, ransomware, viruses, and worms. Malware breaks through a network through vulnerabilities. Typically, a user clicks on a dangerous link or email attachment and then installs malicious software. Once logged in, the malware can do the following:

 Blocks access to critical network components. Installs additional malware. Gets information secretly by transferring data from the hard drive. It disrupts some parts and renders the system inoperable.

Educate staff on detecting suspicious links and pop-ups that may contain malware to reduce the risk of infecting your systems.

Other ways to protect against malware include keeping operating systems up to date to ensure security patches are patched and using anti-virus software. For example, Equifax's data breach can be prevented if a known patch is installed appropriately.

- Phishing

Phishing is the practice of sending fake messages that appear to be from a reputable source, usually via email.

The purpose of this is to steal sensitive information such as credit card and login information or install malware on the victim's device. Phishing is a standard cyberattack method.

The best way to protect your organization from phishing attacks is to teach your employees how to detect a suspicious email or text message. The following tutorials can help you do just that:

 SecureED application from Digital Defense Security Awareness program from Inspired eLearning an in the middle attack  Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, also known as eavesdropping attacks, occur when attackers enter into a two-way transaction hacker eavesdrops on two devices that interact with each other. They exchange data and gain access to confidential information without the victim's knowledge, which is also known as eavesdropping assaults. Once attackers have stopped traffic, they can filter and steal data.

Two common entry points for MitM assaults:

1- In public insecure WiFi, attackers can place themselves between the visitor device and the network, and without notice, the visitor transmits all the information through the attacker.

2- When malware infiltrates a device, an attacker can install software to gain all the victim information.

Universal encryption protocols such as Transfer Layer Security (TLS) are best to protect against man-in-middle attacks. In addition, requiring employees to use a VPN to access corporate networks over public WiFi ensures that any information shared during the meeting is private, regardless of whether the network belongs to an attacker or unsecured coffee shop WiFi.  - SQL injection

Structure injection (SQL)  occurs when an attacker enters malicious code into a server that uses SQL and forces the server to disclose information that is not ordinarily available. An attacker can inject SQL by sending malicious code into a vulnerable website query. - Zero-day attack  Once the network vulnerability is announced, zero-day exploitation is observed, and in fact, it is used or shared by attackers before developers can find a solution.

How to reduce the risk of these types of attacks?

One of the best ways to prevent a data breach is to take steps to prevent data breaches after having professional and sufficient insurance to breach your data, as the threat of hackers stealing your information increases. Data breach laws vary from country to country, so different factors need to be considered depending on where you work. Notifications for this violation, the cases covered, and the penalties will vary depending on the occurrence and situation you are in. but it is recommended to follow the steps below:

1- Reduce data transferring

Data transfer between personal and business devices is often unavoidable due to the increasing number of remote employees. Storing sensitive information on personal devices significantly increases vulnerability to cyber assaults.

2- Be careful when you are downloading something

Downloading files from unverified sources can expose your systems and devices to security risks. To reduce your device's susceptibility to malware, it is essential to download files only from reputable sources and avoid unnecessary downloads.

3- Improve password security

Password strength is the first line of defense against various attacks. Using a combination of nonsense symbols, changing your password regularly, and not saving or sharing it is a vital step in protecting your sensitive information.

4- Update your device operating system

Device operating system providers work hard to secure their operating system constantly, and regular installation of the latest updates makes the device less vulnerable to attacks.

5- Monitor data leakage

Regular monitoring of your data and detecting existing leaks will help reduce the potential impact of long-term data leaks. Data breach monitoring tools actively monitor suspicious activity and alert you.

6- Create a plan for responding to data breaches

Data breaches can occur even for the most accurate and disciplined companies. Creating a formal event management plan helps organizations of all sizes respond to actual attacks and contain potential damage.

Last word

You now know what a cyber attack is and how essential it is to protect against this kind of attack. You have to make sure that you are not vulnerable to cyber attacks to maintain your security and prevent your information and files from getting stolen by attackers.