6 Types of Cyber Attacks You Need to Avoid

Cyber security is one of the topmost priorities when it comes to web development. Cyber attacks can not only cause damage to a business and online reputation, but can also result in a total shutdown of the business as a whole. That’s exactly why you need to have complete security against all malicious activities of the cyber criminals, which you can get with any top-notch .

Cyber Security: Why Is It Important?

The sole purpose behind the existence of cyber security is the various threats a company faces when it shifts its entire workspace online. As we can never know the intent of the cybercriminals, cyber security becomes important. Different cybercriminals may come with various intentions while attacking a company or business. It may vary from getting financial benefits, damaging a famous company’s reputation to stealing company’s data for selling or other reasons.

Moreover, to achieve what they intend, these cybercriminals may use different types of attacks to infiltrate and extract data online. This makes it more difficult for the companies to fend off cyberattacks. Thus, cybersecurity has become an utmost important factor for online businesses.

Cyber Attacks: Everything You Need to Know

We have provided a list of 6 different cyberattacks, the damage they can inflict, and the areas they usually target, so that companies can accordingly arrange their cybersecurity and be safe all day, every day!

Malware Distribution

Malware is a term for malicious software which can be extremely harmful if installed. It usually comes from an unreliable source on the internet or malicious email letters. While downloading a software, users should always ensure the reliability of the source and avoid running or installing suspected malware.

Malware can be designed to do different tasks, but most malware have a common task; slowing down your computer. It can also be used for stealing valuable corporate data or encrypting it, so that the company has to meet the demands of the attackers to get back the valuable data. Spyware is also a form of malware, which is most commonly used for spying on a company’s employees and tracking their internet activities without leaving a trace.
It can be designed to damage mobile app development services, computer systems, tablets, etc. Here are some common forms of malware:

Trojan Horse
Spyware
Ransomware
Worms
Computer Viruses

Social Engineering Attacks

After malware distribution, social engineering attack is the most used method by cyber attackers. It is a strategy based attack where cybercriminals attempt to communicate with employees of a specific company, preferably through mails.

Whether the means is a malicious email or a spooky website link, the cybercriminal’s main aim is to get into the company’s system through an employee. Such social engineering attacks are also used by cyber terrorists to get the access of corporate bank accounts for financial theft. Some common ways to execute social engineering attacks include:

Phishing
Baiting
Whaling
Spear Phishing

MitM Attacks (Man in the Middle)

To execute a MitM attack, a cybercriminal targets a conversation or transaction going in between two parties, usually a user from a company and a web application. This act of eavesdropping can result in obtaining valuable data such as credentials or important corporate details which shouldn’t be leaked.

Mostly, the targets include websites and emails. Emails are easier to hack because many email services do not provide default encryption, making any exchange of information vulnerable to hacking. Some of the common MitM attacks come in the form of:

HTTPS Spoofing
Session Hijacking
WiFi Eavesdropping
Domain Name System Spoofing

Web Application Attacks

Did you know that as much as 32% of tested web applications don’t have even a basic security barrier! Vulnerabilities such as server-side and client-side poor security are targeted by the cybercriminals for extracting corporate data. Information of users as well as a company’s clients is considered as private data which should not be shared with a third party.

Thus, web application attacks can really cause irreparable damage to a company.
To achieve their ambitions, cybercriminals use web application attacks to damage corporate servers and networks through malicious scripts, which they inject into the website login forms. These client-side scripts cause overloads on the servers by sending a plethora of requests, causing their denial. Here are some of the most common forms of web application attacks:

SQL Injections
Cross Site Scripting
Denial-of-Service
Distributed Denial-of-Service

Password Attacks

Password attacks are a low-possibility maneuver which can result in the highest damage. If a cybercriminal successfully obtains a password of a user in a company, it means he/she can access information about the entire company without raising any eyebrows. In order to achieve such password attacks, they use specialised scanning software which is capable of interpreting network traffic and recording different network packets with password combinations.

Most of the employees all around the world don’t put effort in changing their passwords appointed by the company, and thus cyberattacks often result in a success. The most common forms of password attacks include:

Password Sniffing
Bruteforce Attacks
Keylogger Attacks

Advanced Persistent Threats

APTs are a combination of more than one way of cyberattacks. For example, fusing social engineering techniques with malware distribution or other techniques. APTs require a higher skill level and are performed by experienced cybercriminals and may lead to severe consequences like property theft, data leaks, or financial troubles. Since APTs use all the methods mentioned above, it makes it harder to detect advanced persistent threats.

How to Protect Your Company From Cyber Attacks?

To have a successful online business free from cyberattacks, you need top-notch cybersecurity all around the year. Setting up the required and configured firewall protection and installing the right antivirus software is the first step you need to take. Combining these with strict password policies can prove to be efficient against cyber attacks. Pyzen Technologies can provide you with an all round protection against all cyber threats. With Pyzen Technologies, you no longer have to search for another , as we offer smart solutions for all your individual needs.