The Cyber-Attacks Threatening Your Business

As we embrace the digital revolution, along with the countless benefits, it’s important to remain vigilante in securing your business against the threats. To many, the cyber-universe is confusing, geeky and surreal. However, the threats of cyber-security are very real. Any ignorance of their capabilities can be catastrophic for your business.

Here’s a simplified list of the most common cyber-attacks and how they could affect your business.

Malware

Short for ‘malicious software’, malware gets into your computer system and creates havoc. They come in many forms:

Virus and Worms

Much like a living virus, a software virus can multiply itself and spread across multiple computers. Once an infected program has been launched, the virus can break down the computer and steal information.

Spyware

Spyware watch and record your actions. Once affected, spyware can record your keystrokes (everything you type) and even harvest your data.

Trojan Horse

A trojan disguises itself as a normal/ trusted file or download. It’s another way for a malware to access a computer and steal data, change files and monitor behaviour.

Phishing Attacks

You may have seen phishing attacks in your spam mail. Not all of them end up there. Calculated ‘spear phishing’ use social engineering to trick you with personal emails and information. Often, the source will be a fake website or email that imitates trusted ones and once visited will overload your system with malware.

DDOS Attacks

Distributed Denial of Service is a cyber attack that overloads a server, making it too full to run. An analogy would be adding golf balls into a bathtub, at first, they would roll around, continue adding them and they would get stuck and unable to move. By overloading a website, it will shut down.

Man in the middle (MITM) Attacks

A MitM attack is where the communication on a server is hijacked. Session Hijacking is when a user has their IP address (a string of numbers unique to every computer using a network) replaced by the attacker’s IP address. If the attack is successful, the server will believe it is still communicating with the user.

Password Attacks

Passwords are the almost universally recognised form of ID online. Therefore, it’s no surprise they are under heavy fire. Password attacks come in two main forms: Brute-Force Attacks, here the password is guessed using obvious combinations, for example ‘stewart1984’. And secondly, Dictionary Attacks, here a script will input combinations of common words. It’s also possible for attackers to scan your keystrokes, memorising everything you have typed in that day. These attacks, known as ‘Key Logger Attacks’ come from malware.

Conclusion:

If this article has achieved anything, you will know the variety and creativity of potential attacks, and the importance of investing in security solutions. Click here to book a free roadmap workshop in security.