The holiday shopping, and scamming, season is here. Cyberattacks cause disruption in different ways, from direct hacking to WiFi spoofing. Keep cyberthreats wrapped this holiday season. Here are 4 common cyberattacks that keep on giving.
4 Common Cyberattacks
Direct Hacking
Direct Hacking is a last-gen, but still efficient, cyberthreat. Also known as a cyber breach or brute force attack, this type of attack hacks a user’s account using malicious software or brute force attacks to access sensitive data. Direct hacking exploits security weaknesses for financial gain or ruins an organization’s reputation as an act of cyberterrorism.
Avoid this type of threat by robustly securing core network and endpoints to deter malicious traffic and detect brute-forcing attempts.
Phishing
Phishing is also known as trolling, identity theft and email spoofing. Scammers target individuals in organizations via fake emails, messages and websites to trick them into giving away passwords or bank details. These scammers are experts at creating websites and emails with an official appearance. This type of cyberthreat accounts for over 95% of successful hacks and data breaches.
Avoid this type of threat by training employees to be careful when replying to emails or clicking links. For example, never share passwords of any kind via email. Robust malware detection and prevention capabilities will catch any other threats that slip through.
Man In The Middle Attacks (MitM)
MitM is also known as WiFi spoofing or IP spoofing. MitM attacks utilize fake network access points to intercept internet traffic, access private data and then pass it onto the intended recipient. Scammers pose as a legitimate WiFi network and attempt to deceive a mobile device or laptop into connecting with it. These attacks intercept important communications and gain access to private data.
Avoid this type of threat by using VPN (Virtual Private Network) services. VPN encryption prevents exposing data directly to the connected network.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
DDos attacks are also known as botnet attacks, traffic floods or zombie network attacks. DDoS scammers crash or significantly disrupt a targeted network by bombarding it with requests from malware-infected devices. A popular choice of scammers interested in corporate sabotage, this type of attack is not for financial gain. It is designed purely to disrupt an organization’s digital operations for as long as possible. This type of threat may reach 14.5 million annual attacks in the next 2 years.
Educate employees to identify malicious traffic from a botnet. Botnets also rely on vulnerable devices with outdated security products, including firewalls and antivirus software. Systems without software patches are easy targets where botnet code resides and wreaks havoc.
Another way to avoid DDoS attacks is by teaming up with a Managed Services Provider who keeps your network fortified with frequent checks, patches, and updates.
With a hosted solution, you never have to worry about updates that keep your operations secure. Hosted solutions provide ease of use and eliminate stress from the equation.
