As the scale and complexity of networks continue to increase, the types of network attacks become increasingly diverse, and the network security issues faced by enterprises become increasingly severe. Currently, there are many types of cyber attacks, but most companies face the same threats. This article introduces the five types of cyber attacks that companies are most likely to encounter. Come and take a look.
1. Social engineering malware
Social engineering malware, often led by data-encrypting ransomware these days, provides the number one attack method. End users are tricked into running Trojan horses, usually from websites they trust and visit frequently. Otherwise innocent websites can be temporarily compromised to deliver malware instead of normal website encoding.
Discredited websites tell users to install some new software in order to access the website, run fake antivirus software, or run some other "critical" software, which is unnecessary and malicious. Users are often instructed to click through any security warnings issued by their browser or operating system, and to disable any nasty defenses that may be getting in the way.
2. Password phishing attacks
About 60 to 70 percent of emails are spam, and most of them are phishing attacks designed to trick users into getting rid of their login credentials. Luckily, anti-spam vendors and services have come a long way, so most of us have pretty clean inboxes. Despite this, I receive several spam emails per day, and at least a few per week that are good phishing replicas of legitimate emails.
Consider an effective phishing email a corrupt work of art: everything looks great: it even warns readers not to fall for fraudulent emails. The only thing that gives it away is a rogue link asking for confidential information.
3. Unpatched software
This is closely followed by socially engineered malware and phishing software with unpatched vulnerabilities. The most common unpatched and exploited programs are browser add-ons, such as Adobe Reader and other programs that people often use to make surfing the web easier. This has been true for years, but oddly enough, a company I've never audited has never had perfectly patched software.
4. Social media threats
Social media threats often arrive as rogue friends or app installation requests. If you unfortunately accept this request, you will usually give up access to your social media account. Corporate hackers love to exploit corporate social media accounts to collect the embarrassment factor of passwords that may be shared between social media sites and corporate networks. Many of today's most egregious hacks began as simple social media hacks. Don't underestimate this potential.
5. Advanced persistent threats
Advanced persistent threats (APTs) are cyberattacks carried out by criminals or nation-states with the goal of stealing data or monitoring systems over an extended period of time. Attackers have specific goals and objectives and spend time and resources determining which vulnerabilities they can exploit to gain access and design attacks that may go undetected for a long time. The attack often involves the use of custom malware.