Introduction:
The term cybersecurity cannot be taken easily in today’s world. As the usage of digital entities increases, the threat of cyber attacks is widening. According to CISCO, 53% of cyber attacks resulted in damages of $500,000 or more per attack.
Every common man to large corporations is aware of this and must ensure their cyber security. The major methods to perform cyber attacks & the methods to prevent them are listed below.
What exactly is cybersecurity?
Cyber security is defending your computer, network, mobile devices & all your digital assets from unauthorized and evil attacks. These attacks target to steal your data & resources. The stolen data will be used for personal motives & spoiling your reputation. Cybersecurity can also be termed as IT security & Digital security.
Common Threats to CyberSecurity
Cyber-criminals use different approaches to execute an attack against you. The following are the most common methods of targeting individuals and organizations.
Phishing
Phishing is a popular social engineering cyber attack. The trap for phishing attacks will be sent via text messages, emails, and social media invites. Here, the attacker tries to impose a reputed organization to steal sensitive information from the victims.
Ransomware
Ransomware is an attack where an attacker sends malware in disguise. The entered Trojan horse virus takes control of the host system. The attacker locks the system and demands the host to pay the ransom. If the host fails to pay the sum, the attacker may erase or misuse the stolen information.
Man-in-the-Middle Attack
In a Man-in-the-Middle(MITM) attack, an interrupter enters the conversation between two parties. This interception aimed to access personal information like login credentials, bank & financial details, Personal health information(PHI), crucial business data, etc.
The interceptor also modifies the message between two parties to mislead and use them for personal gains. The process of this attack may look simple but have a huge business impact.
Social Engineering
Social Engineering is a psychological cyber attack technique. The attackers intend to create trust in the victim and manipulate them to reveal their permission or click the malicious links and get access to their system. There are multiple ways cyber attackers perform social engineering techniques. Some of them:
- Phishing
- Baiting
- Tailgating
- Scareware
- Quid Pro Quo
- Dumpster Diving
Insider Threat
As the name suggests, it is a cyber threat that originates within the organization. The most common case is an organization’s current or former employee exploiting their access to sensitive information for personal gain.
In some cases, the conflicting party buys out some of the stakeholders in the target organization. By using the vicious buyout, the attackers can easily infiltrate the target’s data.
Vulnerabilities in Cloud Storage Systems
Most people today prefer Cloud solutions for both their business & personal computing services. As a result, the cloud has become the desired target for cyber attackers. Even though many cloud providers have stringent guardrails, it is evident that the system has some vulnerable areas.
The most common cloud vulnerabilities are:
- Misconfiguration of resources like virtual machines, IACs, containers, etc.,
- Public shared storage like S3 bucket where easy access gain happen
- Lack of Monitoring
- Ineffective Access Management
- Integrating unsecured APIs
- Un-encryption of data keys
- Lack of Cloud Infrastructure Visibility
Spyware
A piece of software that enters your system gathers your data, and user activity, and then sends it to a third party without your consent is called spyware. This spyware enters your system via a malicious website or app package installation.
The main objective of this spyware is to monitor your activity, and capture your data such as account details, login credentials, Keyboard strokes, etc., Once it gains essential information then the spyware sends everything to the author. Adware and cookie-tracking tools. are also major forms of spyware.
Preventive Measures to Ensure cybersecurity:
- Always make sure your systems and software components are up to date with the latest version.
- Impose a strict password policy in your organization. An organization with a strong password policy can prevent nearly 20% of cyber attacks from happening.
- Educate your people with a mandatory course about cyber security & most common types of cyber attacks with real-time examples.
- Increase your digital security by setting up complex firewalls in your system.
- You can also establish an “Access Management” process in place. This process helps to give only the required access to a user and stops them from using admin options.
- Install security monitoring tools into your on-premise and cloud systems. This will help to take quicker action whenever a system is alerted with a possible attack.
- Restrict personal devices of employees in work environments. A personal device might carry a malicious virus that can penetrate your system.
- Avoid using public WiFi networks. Always use & encourage using private and dedicated networks.
Conclusion
We clearly understand cyber-attacks are multi-dimensional. Hence, a good cybersecurity strategy must be a combination of multiple security measures. A dynamic security framework should be in place to defend itself from emerging cyber-attacks.
The US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency has given a lot of advice to ensure cyber security. Bookmark us to learn more useful content about technology & trends.
