Common Cyber Security Threats You Need to Watch Out For

Common Cyber Security Threats You Need to Watch Out For

Cyber threats are a significant threat to organizations. They include malware, backdoors, and worms.

Spyware invades systems to track activity and violates privacy—adware spies on web activities to target ads.

Man-in-the-middle attacks eavesdrop on conversations between two parties to steal sensitive information or funds. Cross-site scripting invades web forums, chat rooms, and blogs with malicious code.

Viruses

Cyberattacks like malware, phishing, crypto-jacking, and password attacks have the information security industry on high alert. Whether it’s an attack that threatens to disrupt trade or hijack your Internet of Things devices to mine for cryptocurrency, these threats put the data and assets of corporations, governments, and individuals at risk. So you need to be aware of cyber security threats examples and know how it affect your organization.

Malware is software that captures your information without your knowledge or permission. It can steal data, alter your computer settings and send you to unwanted websites.

It’s been around for years and continues to be a significant threat because it can infect your device without you knowing. For example, if you click on a malicious link in an email or visit a website with malware vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting, the code will execute and infect your device.

Trojans

Named for the Trojan horse of antiquity, a malware program aims to sneak in and steal data. This malware can damage files, redirect Internet traffic, spy on you, or even set up backdoor access points.

Trojan malware includes IM Trojans that hack instant message apps to steal usernames and passwords. Infostealer Trojans scour devices for sensitive personal information, like bank accounts, credit cards, and e-payment systems. Trojans that target SMS can generate revenue by sending premium-rate text messages from infected phones.

Other Trojans use supply chain attacks to compromise build processes, modify source code or hide malicious content. These Trojans are usually delivered through email attachments or downloads for games, tools, and other software programs.

Spyware

Spyware is software that collects personal information and relays it to another entity without a user’s consent. It can collect keystrokes from stealing usernames and passwords, tracking browsing habits, changing web browser homepages, hijacking devices to place calls or send texts, and even serving annoying pop-up ads.

Typically, cyber thieves collect this information for financial gain. Some of this information is of direct value, like your bank account information or credit card passwords. Other times, it has indirect value, such as identity theft.

Spyware can infiltrate your system by tricking you into clicking a malicious link or downloading an unwanted software program. It can also eat up CPU capacity, disk usage, and network traffic and cause stability issues such as applications freezing or failure to connect to the internet.

Ransomware

Ransomware is malware that encrypts files and demands money to decrypt them. It’s a top threat that can cripple a business and disrupt productivity with the risk of losing valuable data, including customer information, employee records, and financial transactions.

Ransomware attacks are becoming more common because they can quickly spread through phishing emails. Cyber awareness training helps employees identify and avoid these types of threats. As more employees work from home, attacks can infect personal devices that connect to the network and encrypt data.

The best way to mitigate against ransomware is to practice the 3-2-1 rule, keeping backups of essential files in multiple locations. You should also keep your applications and operating systems up-to-date to patch security vulnerabilities. This will help prevent hackers from exploiting them to access your system.

Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

A man-in-the-middle attack (sometimes abbreviated as MitM) involves a cyber attacker secretly relaying or altering communication between two parties who believe they are communicating directly. This allows the attacker to intercept, send and receive information they shouldn’t have access to.

An attacker can stage a man-in-the-middle, including sniffing sensitive traffic and packet injection. They can use a sniffer to intercept unencrypted data and identify a victim’s session token, which gives them full access to an online account. They can also spoof a website’s address or email an attacker, causing victims to follow instructions they believe are coming from their bank. Attackers can even scoop up cookies from your device to obtain passwords and other confidential information, which is why multi-factor authentication is essential.

Distributed Denial of Service Attacks

Attackers typically use multiple compromised computers to launch a DDoS attack. These devices are known as a botnet, and the attacker controls them without their owners’ knowledge.

DDoS attacks flood systems and servers with traffic to exhaust bandwidth and processing power, making it impossible to fulfill legitimate requests. Using botnets is much more effective than attacking from a single computer.

Man-in-the-Middle attacks are also called eavesdropping and involve an attacker coming in between two-party communication. For example, on unsecured Wi-Fi networks, an attacker can insert themselves into the connection between a visitor and a website to intercept information or steal sensitive data.

How Privileged Access Management Defend Against cyber Attacks

Privileged Access Management is a critical cybersecurity solution that serves as a formidable defense against cyberattacks. PAM focuses on safeguarding accounts with elevated privileges, such as administrator or root access, which are often prime targets for cybercriminals. By implementing PAM, organizations can tightly control and monitor who can access these privileged accounts, when, and for what purposes. This not only prevents unauthorized access but also limits the potential for misuse by insiders. Furthermore, PAM solutions often include features like session recording and real-time monitoring, enabling organizations to detect suspicious activities and respond promptly to any potential breaches. By implementing strict access controls, enforcing the principle of least privilege, and monitoring privileged access in real-time, PAM significantly reduces the attack surface, defends against cyberattacks like privilege escalation, credential theft, and lateral movement, ultimately bolstering the overall security posture of an organization.