What Is A Cyber Attack?
A cyber attack is defined as an action aimed at attacking a computer or any component of a computerized information system to modify, eliminate, or take data, as well as to exploit or damage a network. Cyber attacks have been increasing, paralleling the digitization of business that has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Although there are numerous types of cyber attacks, we can use threat intelligence feed to keep our system safe from these threats, the list of cyber attack includes the most common 5 types of cyber attacks.
Top 5 Most Common Types Of Cybersecurity Attacks
1. DoS and DDoS attacks
A denial-of-service (DoS) cyber attack aims to saturate a system’s resources to the extent that it cannot respond to legitimate service requests. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is similar to this, as it also attempts to exhaust a system’s resources. A DDoS attack is launched by a large number of host machines infected with malware under the attacker’s control. These are called “denial of service” attacks because the affected site cannot deliver services to individuals wanting to access it.
During a DoS attack, the targeted site becomes inundated with illegitimate requests. Since the site must reply to each request, its resources are consumed by all the responses. This renders the site unable to serve users as it usually would and frequently leads to a complete shutdown of the site.
DoS and DDoS attacks differ from other forms of cyber attacks that allow the hacker to gain access to a system or elevate their existing access. In these other attacks, the attacker directly profits from their actions. In contrast, the goal of DoS and DDoS network attacks is solely to disrupt the efficiency of the target’s service. If the attacker is working for a business rival, they might gain financially from their actions.
A DoS attack can also be employed to create vulnerability for another attack type. Following a successful DoS or DDoS attack, the system often needs to go offline, which can expose it to other attacks. A common method to mitigate DoS attacks is to implement a firewall that verifies whether requests sent to your site are legitimate. Fraudulent requests can then be ignored, enabling normal traffic to proceed without disruption. An example of a significant online attack of this nature happened in February 2020 against Amazon Web Services (AWS).
2. Phishing Attacks
A phishing cyber attack happens when a malicious individual sends emails that appear to originate from trusted, legitimate entities in an effort to capture sensitive information from the victim. Phishing attacks blend social engineering with technology and are termed as such because the attacker is, in reality, “fishing” for access to a restricted area by employing the “bait” of a seemingly reliable sender.
To carry out the attack, the malicious actor might send a link that directs you to a website that then deceives you into downloading malware like viruses, or providing the attacker with your private information. In numerous instances, the victim may not be aware that they have been compromised, which allows the attacker to target others within the same organization without raising any suspicion of malicious activities.
You can stop phishing attacks from reaching their goals by carefully considering the types of emails you open and the links you click on. Be vigilant about email headers, and refrain from clicking on anything that seems suspicious. Verify the parameters for “Reply-to” and “Return-path. ” They must align with the same domain presented in the email.
3. Ransomware
With Ransomware, the compromised system is held captive until the victim consents to pay a ransom to the perpetrator. Once the payment is made, the perpetrator provides directions on how the victim can regain access to their computer. The term “ransomware” is fitting because the malicious software demands a ransom from the victim.
In a ransomware incident, the victim downloads the ransomware, either from a website or an email attachment. The malicious software is designed to exploit weaknesses that have not been resolved by the system’s creator or the IT department. The ransomware subsequently encrypts the victim’s workstation. Occasionally, ransomware can target multiple victims by restricting access to various computers or a central server that is critical to business operations.
Taking over multiple computers is often achieved by delaying the systems’ capture for days or even weeks following the initial infection by the malware. The malware can transfer AUTORUN files from one system to another via the local network or Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives that link to various computers. Then, when the thief starts the encryption process, it affects all the compromised systems at once.
In some instances, ransomware creators design their code to bypass conventional antivirus software. Thus, it is crucial for users to be cautious about the websites they visit and the links they select. You can also mitigate many ransomware threats by utilizing a next-generation firewall (NGFW) capable of executing deep data packet inspections using artificial intelligence (AI) that detects the traits of ransomware.
4. Brute force attacks
A brute-force attack derives its name from the “brutish” or straightforward method used by the cyber attack. The attacker merely attempts to guess the login credentials of someone who has access to the targeted system. Once they are successful, they gain entry.
Although this might appear to be a tedious and challenging process, attackers frequently utilize bots to crack the credentials. The attacker supplies the bot with a list of credentials that might grant them access to the secure area. The bot then tests each one while the attacker relaxes and awaits results. Once the correct credentials have been entered, the perpetrator obtains access.
To thwart brute-force attacks, implement lock-out policies as a component of your authorization security framework. After a specified number of attempts, the user making the login attempt becomes locked out. This usually entails “freezing” the account so that even if another person tries from a different device with a unique IP address, they can’t circumvent the lockout.
It is also prudent to use random passwords that do not include common words, dates, or sequences of numbers. This method is effective because, for instance, even if an attacker employs software to guess a 10-digit password, it would take many years of continuous attempts to achieve success.
5. Web attacks
Web attacks refer to threats that focus on weaknesses in web-based applications. Each time you input information into a web application, you are triggering a command that elicits a response. For example, when you send money to someone via an online banking application, the data you enter directs the application to access your account, withdraw funds, and transfer them to another person’s account. Attackers leverage these types of requests to exploit them for their benefit.
Common examples of web attacks include SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS), which will be elaborated on later in this article. Hackers also utilize cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks and parameter tampering. In a CSRF attack, the victim is tricked into carrying out an action that is advantageous to the attacker. For instance, they might click on something that triggers a script designed to alter the login credentials for a web application. The hacker, now equipped with the new login credentials, is able to log in as if they were the legitimate user.
Parameter tampering involves modifying the parameters that programmers set as security measures to protect certain operations. The execution of the operation relies on what is entered in the parameters. The attacker simply alters the parameters, enabling them to bypass the security measures that relied on those parameters.
To prevent web attacks, examine your web applications to identify—and resolve—vulnerabilities. One method to address vulnerabilities without affecting the web application’s performance is to implement anti-CSRF tokens. A token is transferred between the user’s browser and the web application. Prior to executing a command, the validity of the token is verified. If it is valid, the command is executed—if not, it is prevented. You may also utilize SameSite flags, which permit only requests from the same site to be processed, leaving any site created by the attacker ineffective.
