Types of Cyber Attacks One Should Be Aware of in 2022

Introduction 

Modern life is much more comfortable due to various digital devices and the internet. In the contemporary digital environment, there are negative counterparts to everything wonderful. Even if the internet has made life better for us today, it has also made data security much more difficult. Online attacks are the result of this. The types of cyberattacks and how to prevent them will be covered in this article.

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What is a Cyber Attack?

Cyberattacks try to modify, block, delete, alter, or steal the data stored in computer systems to disable, disrupt, destroy, or control them. Cyberattacks have several harmful consequences. A successful attack may result in data breaches that cause data loss or tampering. Financial losses, diminished customer trust, and reputational harm result for organizations. We implement cybersecurity to stop cyberattacks. The process of preventing unwanted digital access to networks, computer systems, and their constituent parts is known as cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity has suffered as a result of the COVID-19 incident. The frequency of cyberattacks have significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Interpol and WHO.

After learning what a cyberattack is, let’s examine the many sorts of attacks.

Types of Cyber Attacks

Cyberattacks come in a wide variety and are commonplace today. Knowing the different cyberattack forms makes it simpler to defend our systems and networks against them.

• Phishing Attack

Phishing is the most common and persistent kind of cyberattack. It is a social engineering assault in which the perpetrator poses as a reliable contact and sends the phony victim emails.

Unaware of this, the victim opens the email and either opens the attachment or clicks on the malicious link. Attackers can access private data and login passwords this way. A phishing attack also allows for the installation of malware.

The following things can be taken to avoid phishing attacks:

• Examine the emails you get carefully. Most phishing emails contain serious issues like spelling faults and format differences from those from reliable sources.
• Use a toolbar that detects phishing attempts.
• Regularly change the passwords.

• Insider Threat

An internal threat includes an insider rather than a third party, as the term suggests. In this case, it can be a firm employee who is familiar with the business’s procedures. Threats from insiders have immense potential harm.

Small organizations are particularly vulnerable to insider threats because their employees frequently access sensitive data. There are several causes for this kind of attack, including avarice, malice, and even negligence. Insider threats are tricky because they are difficult to predict.

To avoid an insider threat attack:

• A strong security awareness culture should exist within organizations.
• Companies must restrict staff access to IT resources depending on their employment functions.
• Employers must train their staff to recognize insider risks. Employees will be better able to recognize whether a hacker has tampered with or is attempting to misuse the organization’s data.

• Cryptojacking

Cryptojacking is a phrase that has a lot to do with cryptocurrencies. Hackers access another person’s computer to mine cryptocurrencies, known as cryptojacking.

Access is achieved by infecting a website or tricking the victim into clicking on a malicious link. For this, they also use JavaScript-coded internet advertisements. Since the Crypto mining code operates in the background, the only indication a victim might see is a delay in execution.

By taking the actions listed below, cryptojacking can be avoided:

• Update all of the security software and programs since cryptojacking can infect even the least secure systems.
• Provide staff with training on cryptojacking awareness; this will enable them to recognize dangers.

• SQL Injection Attack 

The manipulation of a common SQL query by a hacker results in a Structured Query Language (SQL) injection attack on a database-driven website. The attack is carried out by inserting malicious code into a search box on a vulnerable website, forcing the server to divulge sensitive data.

By gaining access to the databases’ tables, the attacker is able to view, modify, and remove them. Attackers now have the opportunity to obtain administrative rights.

Defend against a SQL injection attack by:

• Utilize an intrusion detection system, as they are made to identify unwanted network access.
• Validate the information that the user has provided. By using a validation procedure, it controls user input.

• Denial-of-Service Attack

A Denial-of-Service Attack poses a serious risk to businesses. Attackers target systems, servers, or networks in this case and bombard them with traffic to deplete their bandwidth and resources.

When this occurs, the servers get overburdened with serving incoming requests, which causes the website it hosts to either go down or slow down. The valid service requests go unattended as a result.

When attackers employ numerous hacked systems to initiate this attack is sometimes referred to as a DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack.

Now let’s examine how to stop a DDoS attack:

• Analyze the traffic to find malicious traffic.
• Recognize the warning signs, such as network lag and sporadic website outages. In such situations, the organization needs to act right away.
• Ensure the team and datacenter are prepared to manage a DDoS attack by creating an incident response strategy, keeping a checklist, and more.
• Contract with cloud-based service providers to prevent DDoS.

• Malware Attack

One of the most typical kinds of cyberattacks is Malware Attack. Viruses that cause harm to computers are referred to as “malware,” and examples include worms, trojan horses, spyware, ransomware, and adware.

The trojan infection poses as trustworthy software. Spyware is software that secretly steals all of the private information, whereas ransomware locks down access to the network’s essential parts. Adware is software that shows advertising information on a user’s screen, such as banners.

Malware enters a network by exploiting a weakness. When a user visits a risky link, downloads an email attachment, or uses a pen drive that has been infected.

Now let’s examine how to stop a malware attack:

• Implement antivirus software. The PC can be protected from malware using this. Some of the well-known antivirus programs include McAfee, Norton, and Avast.
• Regularly update the operating system and browsers.

• Ransomware

The victim’s computer is held captive by ransomware until they agree to pay the attacker a ransom. The attacker then gives instructions on how the victim might reclaim control of their computer after the payment has been received. The infection is called “ransomware” since it asks the user to pay a ransom.

The target of a ransomware assault downloads the malicious software, typically from a website or an email attachment. The malware exploits flaws that neither the system’s creator nor the IT staff has fixed. The ransomware then encrypts the target’s workstation. Ransomware can occasionally target several parties by preventing access to several machines or a central server necessary for company activities.

Ransomware attack prevention includes:

Good monitoring tools, regular file backups, anti-malware software, and user education are necessary for efficient ransomware protection.

• IoT-Based Attacks

IoT devices are typically less secure than most contemporary operating systems, and hackers are ready to exploit their flaws. Thus, it is unclear how and why cybercriminals will use IoT devices for their gain. Hackers might target smart thermometers, security systems, and medical equipment. They might even try to breach IoT devices to launch massive DDoS attacks.

IoT attack prevention includes:

IoT devices are frequently networked. Therefore, it is easy for an attack to propagate to additional devices if one device is hacked. IoT devices barely have any built-in security, making them an ideal target for attackers. It would help if users were sure to modify the router’s default settings, use a strong password, unplug IoT devices when not in use, and make sure they have the most recent patches and updates loaded, in addition to taking normal security precautions.

Conclusion

Businesses and people are in increased danger of cyberattacks as more and more of the world moves online. Knowing the many cyberattacks and how to defend yourself from them is more crucial than ever because so much of our life and means of subsistence now depend on digital networks.