What is Cyber Attack?
A cyber attack refers to any deliberate attempt to infiltrate a computer, computing system, or network without authorization, typically with the goal of inflicting harm. The purpose of these attacks is often to disable, disrupt, or take control of systems, or to modify, obstruct, erase, manipulate, or steal the data contained within them.
Cyber attacks can be initiated by individuals or groups from any location, often employing various attack methods. Some attacks are orchestrated by government-backed groups of skilled hackers, known as nation-state attackers, who have been accused of targeting the IT infrastructures of foreign governments as well as private organizations, including businesses, nonprofits, and utility providers.
Who is behind cyberattacks?
Cyberattacks can be initiated by criminal groups, government-backed actors, or individuals. One way to classify these attackers is by distinguishing between external and internal threats.
External threats come from individuals or groups who lack authorized access to a network or device but infiltrate it anyway. These external cyber threat actors include organized crime rings, professional hackers, state-sponsored operatives, amateur hackers, and hacktivists.
Internal threats, on the other hand, involve users who already have legitimate access to a company’s resources but misuse their permissions, either intentionally or accidentally. This group includes employees, business partners, clients, contractors, and vendors who are granted system access.
Although careless behavior by users can jeopardize a company’s security, it only qualifies as a cyberattack if the individual deliberately exploits their access for malicious purposes. For instance, an employee who unintentionally saves sensitive data on an unsecured drive isn’t launching a cyberattack—but a disgruntled worker who purposefully copies confidential information for personal benefit is.
Types of Cyber Attacks
Here are 10 common types of cyber attacks:
1. DoS and DDoS attacks
A denial-of-service (DoS) attack aims to exhaust a system’s resources, rendering it unable to respond to legitimate service requests. Similarly, a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack seeks to overwhelm a system’s resources, but it is launched from multiple compromised devices controlled by the attacker. These attacks are called “denial of service” because they prevent the targeted site from offering services to users attempting to access it.
DoS and DDoS attacks differ from other cyberattacks where hackers attempt to gain unauthorized access or escalate their existing access within a system. In those cases, the attacker benefits directly from the intrusion. However, in DoS and DDoS attacks, the primary goal is to disrupt the target’s operations. If the attack is carried out on behalf of a business competitor, the attacker may gain a financial advantage by incapacitating the competitor’s services.
2. Man-in-the-middle attack
Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, also called eavesdropping attacks, happen when attackers position themselves between two parties engaged in a transaction. By intercepting the communication, they can monitor, filter, and steal sensitive information.
Here are two common methods used for MitM attacks:
- On unsecured public Wi-Fi, attackers can intercept data between a user’s device and the network. The user unknowingly sends all their information through the attacker.
- After malware infects a device, an attacker can install software that captures and processes all the victim’s data without their knowledge.
3. Phishing attacks
Phishing attacks are among the most common forms of cyberattacks. In this type of social engineering attack, the attacker pretends to be a trusted entity and sends fraudulent emails to the target.
The unsuspecting victim opens the email and clicks on a malicious link or downloads an infected attachment. This allows the attacker to gain access to sensitive data and account credentials. Phishing attacks can also be used to deploy malware onto the victim’s device.
4. Malware attack
Malware refers to malicious software, with “mal” indicating its harmful nature. It infects a computer, altering its normal operations, corrupting data, or secretly monitoring the user or network traffic. Malware can spread to other devices or stay confined to the host device, affecting only that system.
Many attack methods, such as MITM attacks, phishing, ransomware, SQL injections, Trojan horses, drive-by downloads, and XSS attacks, often involve malware.
For malware to be effective, it needs to be installed on the target system, usually requiring some user action. As a result, beyond using firewalls to detect malware, it’s essential to educate users on avoiding suspicious software, verifying links before clicking, and being cautious with unfamiliar emails and attachments.
5. Password Attack
Passwords are the most common method of verifying access, making them an appealing target for hackers. There are several ways an attacker can obtain a password. Often, people leave written copies of their passwords on sticky notes or paper near their desks. Hackers can either discover these themselves or bribe someone with insider access to retrieve them.
Another method is intercepting unencrypted network traffic to capture passwords. Hackers may also use social engineering tactics, persuading victims to enter their passwords under the guise of addressing an “urgent” issue. In some cases, attackers can simply guess weak or default passwords, such as “1234567.”
In more advanced attempts, hackers might use brute-force or dictionary attacks to systematically guess a password. For instance, if your password consists of your last name followed by your birth year, and the hacker tries reversing the order on a final attempt, they could successfully guess it on their next try.
6. DNS spoofing
In Domain Name System (DNS) spoofing, attackers manipulate DNS records to redirect users to a fraudulent or “spoofed” website. On this fake site, victims may unknowingly enter sensitive information, which the hacker can either use for malicious purposes or sell. Alternatively, the attacker might create a low-quality site with offensive or harmful content to tarnish the reputation of a competitor.
In a DNS spoofing attack, the hacker exploits the user’s trust, making them believe they are visiting a legitimate website. This deception allows the attacker to carry out illegal activities under the guise of a reputable company, at least from the visitor’s perspective.
7. IoT-based attacks
An Internet of Things (IoT) attack refers to any cyberattack that targets an IoT device or network. Once a device is compromised, the attacker can take control of it, steal sensitive information, or link it with other infected devices to form a botnet, often used to launch DoS or DDoS attacks.
As the number of connected devices is projected to increase significantly, cybersecurity experts anticipate a rise in IoT-related infections. Additionally, the rollout of 5G networks, which will accelerate the use of IoT devices, could further contribute to the growth of such attacks.
8. Ransomware
In a ransomware attack, the victim unknowingly downloads the malware through a website or email attachment. The ransomware takes advantage of unpatched system vulnerabilities, either from the manufacturer or overlooked by the IT team, to encrypt the target’s workstation. In some cases, ransomware can spread further, impacting multiple systems or central servers critical to business operations.
This broader attack can occur when the ransomware remains dormant for days or weeks after initial entry. It spreads across systems using AUTORUN files via internal networks or USB drives connected to multiple devices. Once triggered, the encryption process affects all infected systems simultaneously.
9. SQL injection attacks
SQL injection is a frequent technique used to exploit websites reliant on databases. In this attack, a client sends an SQL query to a server’s database, with a malicious command “injected” in place of legitimate input, like a password or login. The server processes the command, leading to unauthorized access.
To protect against SQL injection attacks, implementing the least-privileged access model is crucial. This approach ensures only essential personnel have access to critical databases. Even high-ranking individuals are restricted from certain network areas unless their role specifically requires it.
10. Trojan horses
A Trojan horse attack involves disguising malicious software inside a seemingly legitimate program. When the user runs the harmless-looking application, the hidden malware creates a backdoor, allowing hackers to infiltrate the computer or network. The name comes from the ancient Greek story of soldiers hiding inside a wooden horse to breach the city of Troy. Just as the Trojans unknowingly accepted the dangerous gift, users might unknowingly allow harmful software into their systems by trusting an innocent-looking application.
Cyber Attack Prevention: Common Cybersecurity Solutions
Here are several common security tools that organizations deploy to defend against cyberattacks. However, tools alone are insufficient; it is crucial to have skilled IT and security teams, or outsourced security services, to manage these tools and utilize them effectively in mitigating risks.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF)
WAFs filter out malicious traffic before it can reach a web application and can protect against many known vulnerabilities, even if the application itself hasn’t been patched. These firewalls work alongside traditional firewalls and intrusion detection systems (IDS), providing a layer of protection at the application level (Layer 7 in the OSI model). - DDoS Protection
A DDoS protection service monitors traffic patterns to identify distributed denial-of-service attacks, distinguishing harmful traffic from legitimate requests. Once an attack is detected, it scrubs the traffic, filtering out malicious packets to prevent them from reaching the targeted server or network, while allowing legitimate traffic to pass through without service interruption. - Bot Protection
Bot protection systems identify and block harmful bots while allowing legitimate ones to perform essential tasks like search engine indexing, performance monitoring, and testing. These systems rely on a database of known bot sources and analyze behavior patterns to detect potentially harmful bots. - Cloud Security
Cloud providers are responsible for securing the infrastructure they offer, and they provide built-in security features to help users protect their data and workloads. However, these native tools may have limitations, and there is no guarantee they will be implemented effectively. Many organizations turn to dedicated cloud security solutions to ensure that sensitive assets in the cloud are adequately safeguarded. - Database Security
Database security tools ensure uniform protection across an organization’s databases, preventing issues like excessive user privileges, unpatched vulnerabilities, exposed sensitive data, and database injection attacks. - API Security
Securing APIs involves several measures such as implementing strong multi-factor authentication (MFA), securely managing authentication tokens, encrypting data during transit, and validating user inputs to prevent injection attacks. API security tools help enforce these controls centrally, protecting APIs from potential threats. - Threat Intelligence
Threat intelligence solutions collect information from various sources and feeds, enabling organizations to quickly identify indicators of compromise (IOCs), detect attacks, understand the attackers’ motives and techniques, and devise an appropriate response strategy.
