What are cyber threats?
Cyber threats fall into several categories, but broadly speaking, a cyber threat refers to any situation where there is a possibility of a threat or evidence of unauthorized access to a computer, network or system.
Cyber threats are widespread and the likely reason could be one of the following:
● To steal data
● Extort money
● Disrupt, damage, or disable hardware, software, and related infrastructure
The problem with a cyber threat is that it can come from within the organization itself or from a remote location, from unknown parties. Locating the source of a cyber threat is half the battle as you also need to implement prevention methods for the future and implement mitigation wherever possible.
What Causes Cyber Threats?
This may be unintentional (caused by untrained or inattentive staff, software upgrades, or maintenance and equipment failures) or intentional.
Sometimes deliberate cyber threats are not executed in a targeted manner. In some cases, malware or viruses are not specifically targeted and are simply placed on the Internet. On the other hand, targeted and intentional threats are specific attacks on a system, they are generally critical and have a specific function.
Understand the types of cyber attacks
Understanding the types of cyber threats your business may face can help you better understand how to protect yourself, your business, and your data. A cyber threat can seriously affect your wealth and reputation. By understanding how best to protect your assets, you can avoid the costly consequences of a security breach caused by a cyberattack simply by taking the appropriate action.Internet securitymeasurements.
Types of Cyber Attacks
Malware
This broad term includes any type of malicious software placed on a computer or network. This can spyware,data theftand trojans – all have to perform specific actions; be it data mining, file decryption or searching for passwords and account information.
Phishing/Vishing/Smishing
As individuals, we are all more aware of phishing scams, but as hackers become more sophisticated, they use more ways to gain access to personal information.
identity fraud
This refers to the traditional hacking practice of obtaining sensitive information through online communications and poses a potential ongoing threat in 2020 and beyond as these practices are taken to another level.
Wish
Vishing or voice phishing refers to criminal phone scams. Unlike phishing, it involves a more personal level of threat, as hackers are likely to trick people via a voice call. This interaction is becoming more important as people can rely on a voice call instead of an email. It uses fake caller ID, which means criminals only need one conversation to leak personal information directly from you.
blaring
This refers to SMS phishing or text message phishing. This method of cyberattack is gaining importance as more and more businesses, including those in the public sector like hospitals and doctor's offices, as well as those in the private sector like banks, are communicating with customers via SMS.
● Denial of Service und Distributed Denial of Service (DoS/DDoS)
Denial of service involves a process where a malicious actor floods a server with requests to overload the system while attempting to resolve all actions. This prevents genuine requests from being fulfilled, essentially freezing the service.
● Advanced Persistent Threat
This cyber threat is an unauthorized access that stays for a long time – undetected and difficult to remove, it can lead to data leakage, deletion and damage over a long period of time.
● natural disaster
Anything natural that can cause physical damage to a server system, an individual computer or a network can be considered a cyber threat.
Top 20 Cyber Threats for 2021
1. Cloud breaches due to remote work
With the country working from home and therefore more and more companies working via the cloud, it has become a prime target for cybercriminals. No business is too small or too big to be attacked by hackers. If they can get in, they will.
in oneinformed by ErmeticNearly 80% of the organizations surveyed have experienced at least one data breach in the past 18 months, and 43% have experienced 10 or more data breaches. One of the most common reasons for these breaches was configuration management, permissions management, and compliance monitoring, suggesting that most of these breaches were preventable.
As more and more companies conduct their business in the cloud, these breaches will continue to increase unless strong security measures are in place.
In 2020, attacks on domestic workers are said to have increased fivefold in the month and a half after the UK first went into lockdown.
2. COVID-related phishing
While phishing is an old threat, it's not going away anytime soon, and with COVID-19, campaigns have become more targeted and sophisticated in their approach.
With more and more people being confined to their homes and having to lead their lives online, this has made things easier for scammers, and it is believed to be the case5% of all COVID-related websites are malicious.
In May 2020, the National Cyber Security Center opened a suspicious email reporting service and reported more than 160,000 suspicious emails, many of which offered testing kits or face masks.
So while all the traditional phishing scams are still active, like emails from your bank, Apple, and PayPal, users should be on the lookout for emails offering vaccines, COVID tests, or masks.
3. Disclosed Databases
In recent years, more and more companies are moving their data storage to the cloud, preferring to host external servers to save time, space and ultimately money.
Cloud storagealthough it doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. Using public cloud storage or those that do not offer multi-factor authorization can expose your organization to data leakage, tampering,
and losses.
4. Cyber attacks on fintechs
In 2020, with the advent of remote working via the cloud, there was a238%Fintech risetargeted cyber attacks. It is an easy target for cyber criminals as it is likely to provide valuable data.
As online banking and online financial transactions continue to grow over the next year, it's time to invest in the right security measures to protect your fintech business, your customers, and your own consumer data.
5. Accelerated ransomware attacks
This cyber threat is believed to cost billions worldwide every year. A study by Cybersecurity Ventures speculates that there will be a ransomware attack every 11 seconds by 2021.
A ransomware attack prevents access to data or use of systems and often holds sensitive data "hostage". They charge a price, usually in cryptocurrency as this can be collected anonymously and when paid the data is released. Sometimes hackers encrypt the data and the key is handed over when the ransom is paid. Not everyone who pays the "ransom" gets all of their data back. However, the average ransom has been paid since the global pandemic beganrose 33% to $111,605.
The surge could be partly due to "business opportunity" packages being sold on the dark web, where ransomware-as-a-service and ransomware kits are sold and configured without much technical knowledge but can fetch millions for hackers.
6. Internet of Things (IoT)
Our reliance on all our devices to be connected to each other and to the internet leaves us vulnerable to malicious cyberattacks. Organizations connect their devices to collect data, manage infrastructure, improve customer service, and streamline business processes, but unauthorized control of these devices can wreak havoc, overload networks, self-destruct, or leak data. . .
New “smart” devices are being added to the IoT every day, and in this race to lead the way in connectivity, security gaps are often overlooked. Some of these IoT devices also don't come with pre-installed security software, making them even more vulnerable to attacks.
Device-related attacks are becoming more prevalent as everyone works from home and sometimes uses devices that are unprotected, unpatched, and unpatched by your organization's IT department. Many hackers try to gain control of certain devices, which in the modern world can include access to your home if you have keyless entry. There they can run botnets that send malware to other devices, leaving havoc or stealing data. Added to this is the use of unsecured Internet connections, which can make it relatively easy for hackers to gain access to individual devices.
7. Doctor
A specific threat perhaps, but one that can affect all organizations. Today, our medical records are almost exclusively online. That means they're vulnerable to data breaches, and because they contain the most sensitive and personal data about us, they can be very valuable to a hacker.
When it comes to modern medical technology, intelligent medical devices can also become vulnerable. Connected heart monitors, syringe drivers and other medical devices can easily fail in a cyber attack; the result can be the loss of human life and data.
So the NHS and private healthcare companies need to be at the forefront of cybersecurity and technology.
8. Zero-Day-Exploit
This is a term for a software vulnerability found by a hacker. Once a vulnerability is found, an exploit is usually written and used to invade a system. These exploits are such that the vendor or creator doesn't yet know a vulnerability exists, and as soon as they know, they fix it, usually with a patch.
Because of this, it is important to update your software whenever the vendor requires it.
9. Advanced Persistent Threat
During an APT, a hacker “digs” into the network and hides undetected for an extended period of time. The network connection is difficult to interrupt with software updates or reboots.
This level of threat is often government-sponsored or political, but can also be financial and more personal.
10. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
A DDoS attack brings a network to a standstill, flooding it with corrupted data, connections, and sometimes files. This effectively paralyzes you and causes lag and crashes.
DDoS attacks can be political in nature or retaliation from a disgruntled ex-employee. Many companies that have experienced a DDoS attack assumed it might be from a competitor.
11. Middleman Attack (MITM)
In this attack, a conversation thought to be between two parties is actually routed through an intermediary. They transmit and modify the communication for their own purposes. The two parties do not necessarily have to be natural persons; one might be a bank, for example, and MITM lets a person log into their account (on the "bad" account page). This can be accomplished through physical proximity or through malware, which can include reading emails or creating unsecured Wi-Fi, all aimed at altering and decrypting personal information.
12. Spyware
This malware gets installed on your computer to secretly record and share certain information. This can be passwords and login information, bank account details or other sensitive data. This type of malware is often attached to free software downloads on the Internet and saw a real surge when P2P file sharing became popular.
13. Troy
Named after Greek history, a Trojan horse attack misleads the user as to the software's intent. The Trojan is downloaded onto your computer after opening an attachment or clicking a link on a social network and can have one of several intentions.
You can open a backdoor so an agent can access your system and files.
May run an exploit: malicious code that attacks vulnerable software.
You can grant access to how your computer systems run, boot, and generally function.
It can also be a banker, a DDoS, a dropper, or many other permutations.
Trojans are unable to replicate themselves or infect other files, but they can contain malware.
14. Descargar Drive-By
This malware is accidentally downloaded onto a computer or system either by misrepresenting what it is or simply by visiting a website or clicking on a link. This does not require any phishing techniques as the download link is not an obvious scam.
15. Crypto-Mining
With the advent of cryptocurrencies, mining is a method of producing bitcoins that does not require much skill but requires a lot of computer processing power. To mine cryptocurrency, you need to be able to crack a 64-digit hash, which requires a lot of calculations.
The default PC settings just aren't good enough for this activity. Cyber criminals are now stealing CPU speed and resources from companies to successfully mine Bitcoin.
16. Cyber-physical attacks
As our technological capabilities evolve, more and more of our infrastructure is becoming networked and computerized. From traffic control to the network, from traffic lights to nuclear power plants: large and important facilities are now online and therefore more vulnerable to attacks. Cyber-physical attacks are the combination of a cyber threat with a specific target that has direct physical consequences.
17. Advanced 5G Technology and More Advanced Cyber Attacks (174)
5G is 100 times faster and much more widespread in connecting smart devices and in the world where Wi-Fi is unavailable than 4G and is now widespread across the UK. However, as with any technology, there are concerns about cybersecurity.
As not all areas of the UK have a strong 5G connection, devices will move between 4G and 3G and will therefore be exposed to any unresolved vulnerabilities in these networks.
With the Internet of Things and all devices connected to it, the attack surface is expanding massively - many vulnerabilities can be exploited. For example, think of the threats when 5G supports traffic control, delivery drones or self-driving cars.
One of the biggest threats is botnet (denial of service) scanning, which overloads the CPU and memory of IoT devices, causing slowdowns and regular restarts, affecting apparently legitimate applications using the devices. Botnets are becoming more sophisticated and automated, with new variants being developed regularly.
18. Third
If your business uses contractors and vendors, you can add another layer of risk: you can get unmanaged and unmonitored access, and that's not just a data risk, it's a deeper risk to your intellectual property. It is believed that around 60% of data breaches come from third parties.
19. Deep Fakes
This online phenomenon uses human imaging, where manipulated videos created by machine learning spread fake news and are often the source of great satire. The software used to create this threat is freely available online and through apps, and the reason why it is such a big threat to businesses is because it is becoming increasingly difficult to see the truth in a given situation: how many cases is becoming give it when in court? ? Accused says "this is a deepfake"? This new level of authenticity makes us question our own perceptions and for our business the danger lies in our reputation but also in our data and our security.
20. Natural Disasters
It might be interesting to add this to a list of cyber threats, but a natural disaster can endanger not only your building but also your data. Something as simple as a power outage can cause permanent damage if your data isn't managed securely.
A fire or flood could damage your servers. This would mean that your data could be irretrievably lost. The best way to prevent such an event from causing long-term problems is to back up your data whenever possible, as contingency planning and cleanup and recovery can be much easier with these things.
Recent high profile cyber attacks
Capital One, 2019
A hacker gained access through a configuration hole in a web application firewall and was able to decrypt 100 million US and 6 million Canadian details. The hacker was arrested, and while she couldn't disseminate the information or use it to fraudulently, that may have been because she hadn't managed to sell it yet. The hacker worked for the internet hosting company that uses Capital One.
Travelex, 2019 - and of course
Online travel cash company fell victim to a ransomware attack 6 months ago, in which hackers gained entry, downloaded 5GB of sensitive customer data and demanded $6 million in payment. Travelex has not yet fully leveraged the system and it is unclear if the ransom has been paid or if further negotiations are ongoing.
The Weather Channel, 2019
The Weather Channel didn't air for an hour, and viewers took to Twitter to find out what happened. The channel said it was the victim of a malware attack, but the best way to deal with it was to restore its services from a backup.
Usage of IoT devices, 2019
A group of hackers used IoT devices to access corporate networks. Hackers have historically targeted democratic institutions, trying to compromise IoT devices like office printers and a VoIP phone to gain access to corporate networks.
Unbelievable Las Vegas Casino
A list of "high roller" customers was stolen from an undisclosed Las Vegas casino through a vulnerability exploited in an aquarium thermometer. Hackers discovered that this device, part of the Internet of Things, was the weak link in the security system, and through this vulnerability, they were able to download 10GB of valuable personal data before the connection was dropped.
How to prevent cyber attacks
If you're looking for easy steps to protect your online business, we're always happy to advise here at CIS.
1. Identify threats
Small doesn't always mean safe; In fact, some cybercriminals see you as an ideal target, provided you have little or no cybersecurity. You must fully understand the nature of the sensitive data you hold, store and use, not only to protect it from hackers and unauthorized access, but also to comply with GDPR regulations. By understanding your data, you will have an idea of the type of threat you may be facing and can plan accordingly.
2. Internal Threat Management
In fact, while it's uncomfortable to think about, your own employees could be the biggest threat to your cybersecurity.
Make sure they understand the importance of privacy and security by completing the training and having them sign their privacy commitment.
Another way to ensure your employees only access the information they need is to use a “least privilege” policy, which ensures no employee has more access to sensitive data and information than is efficient completion of his work is required.
3. Protect your data with passwordless authentication
It's often difficult to maintain the level of security when employees keep forgetting passwords over and over again. Offering new ways to access sensitive data, such as biometrics or token-based logins, can eliminate some of the problems associated with passwords and protect your organization from malicious attacks. Enforce attacks on passwords.
4. Unified Threat Management System
uniform risk managementIt works by consolidating all of its functions into a single device. Combining firewalls, antivirus and intrusion detection with multi-device and multi-layer protection, this system is a "one-stop shop" for all your cybersecurity needs.
CIS provides unified threat management by simplifying financial spend and administrative burden. They can make a real difference to your business, no matter the size.
You can learn more about how the Unified Threat Management System can help protect your business by going online, reading our blog, orContact us today.
5. Anti-Ransomware/Malware
Detecting vulnerabilities and preventing exploits should be the first task of your cybersecurity system. Sophisticated anti-malware systems using artificial intelligence and deep machine learning are now available to protect your business from hackers.
6. Protect your data
The best way to protect your data is to encrypt it. Also, make sure you securely manage your encryption keys for all encrypted devices; This can prevent any kind of data breach from causing long-term damage. Full desktop encryption is recommended because it allows you to manage all your devices from a single admin center.
To make it as secure as possible, it should be encrypted from the file level to the cloud level, with systems in place to prevent unencrypted file transfers. It is important to remember that cloud solutions do not offer maximum protection; provide an extra layer of recreation, but their
Data should always be further secured by third-party cybersecurity support such as B. by what is available from CIS. For example, a full recovery and backup of Office 365, including OneDrive, SharePoint, Themes, and email, can prevent a costly setback if your cloud solution fails.
To keep your data safe, consider using our private cloud, where our resident cyber security officer, Cybot, runs rigorous security scans. AI technology that learns, is autonomous and works 24/7 to protect all the data we store on ourprivate cloud.
7. Prepare with backup and disaster recovery
Sometimes it's better to prepare for the worst; In this case, you can protect the continuity of your business with oursbackup and recovery system.
Fight a cyber attack similar to The Weather Channel by regularly backing up your data, and then worst-case scenario you can get on with your work instead of risking losing data and hours of productivity. Speak to the CIS team today to learn more about how to deal with a specific cyber threat or for more assistance to protect you and your business.
FAQs
What are the main cyber threats of 2022? ›
- Malware on the rise. ...
- Rise of ransomware attacks. ...
- Zero-day attacks. ...
- Remote code execution. ...
- Attack surface expansion. ...
- Digital supply-chain risks. ...
- Cybersecurity mesh. ...
- Zero trust.
1. Inadequate Training for Employees. The biggest cybersecurity threat to organizations comes from within them. According to a recent study by Stanford University, employee errors, whether intentional or accidental, are to blame for 88% of data breach occurrences.
What are the biggest cybersecurity threats right now discuss your answer? ›The biggest, most damaging and most widespread threat facing small businesses is phishing attacks. Phishing accounts for 90% of all breaches that organizations face, they've grown 65% over the last year, and they account for over $12 billion in business losses.
What are the 10 biggest cyber attacks in 2021? ›- Microsoft Exchange Attack, January – March.
- Accellion Supply Chain Attack, January.
- Florida Water Supply, February.
- Australia Channel 9 News Ransomware Attack, March.
- CNA Financial Ransomware Attack, March.
- Quanta Ransomware Attack, April.
- Brenntag Ransomware Attack, April.
- Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack, May.
- Malware.
- Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks.
- Phishing.
- Spoofing.
- Identity-Based Attacks.
- Code Injection Attacks.
- Supply Chain Attacks.
- Insider Threats.
- 1) Ransomware. ...
- 2) Social Engineering/Phishing. ...
- 3) Unpatched Systems and Misconfigurations. ...
- 4) Credential Stuffing. ...
- 5) Password Cracking Attacks. ...
- 6) Man-in-the-Middle Attacks. ...
- 7) Denial-of-Service Attacks. ...
- 8) Drive-by Download Attacks.
- Malware.
- Ransomware.
- Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
- Spam and Phishing.
- Corporate Account Takeover (CATO)
- Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Cash Out.
- Social engineering attacks (or phishing) ...
- Ransomware. ...
- Mobile security attacks. ...
- Remote working risks. ...
- Identity-based cloud security threats.
Ransomware and cyber extortion will remain among the top cyber threats in 2023. As cybercriminals' tactics continue to evolve, they will increasingly favor exfiltrating data over encrypting it for cyber extortion.
What is the largest cybersecurity threat? ›In the first half of 2022, there was a 42% worldwide increase in weekly cyber attacks from the previous year, with ransomware being the biggest cyber threat. By the third quarter of 2022, approximately 15 million data records were exposed worldwide due to data breaches.
What are the 4 main types of vulnerability in cyber security? ›
- Network Vulnerabilities. These are issues with a network's hardware or software that expose it to possible intrusion by an outside party. ...
- Operating System Vulnerabilities. ...
- Human Vulnerabilities. ...
- Process Vulnerabilities.
- Microsoft Azure SSRF Vulnerabilities.
- Slack GitHub Account Hack.
- Data Of 228 Million Deezer Users Stolen.
- Twitter Leaks Data On 200 Million Users.
- Malware Targets 30+ WordPress Plugins.
- Kubernetes Clusters Hacked.
- Top 10 Cyber Attacks In 2022.
- Top 10 Vulnerabilities In 2022.
- Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack. Date: 2021.
- DoD & NASA Hacks. Date: 2000. ...
- 3. Yahoo Hacks. Date: 2013 & 2014. ...
- Log4J Vulnerability. Date: 2021. ...
- Heartland Payment Systems. Date: 2008. ...
- PlayStation Network Hack. Date: 2011. ...
- CardersMarket Hacks. Date: 2007. ...
- Attack on Saudi Aramco. Date: 2012. ...
- Accenture Ransomware Attack – August 2021.
- Acer Ransomware Attack – March 2021.
- Apple Ransomware Attack – April 2021.
- Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack– May 2021.
- JBS Ransomware Attack – June 2021.
- Kaseya Ransomware Attack – July 2021.
- Viruses—a piece of code injects itself into an application. ...
- Worms—malware that exploits software vulnerabilities and backdoors to gain access to an operating system. ...
- Trojans—malicious code or software that poses as an innocent program, hiding in apps, games or email attachments.
- Tip #1 - You are a target to hackers. ...
- Tip #2 - Keep software up-to-date. ...
- Tip #3 - Avoid Phishing scams - beware of suspicious emails and phone calls. ...
- Tip #4 - Practice good password management. ...
- Tip #5 - Be careful what you click. ...
- Tip #6 - Never leave devices unattended.
Threats can be classified into four different categories; direct, indirect, veiled, conditional.
What are the top 3 computer security trends of 2021? ›Three trends to focus on include 1) the expanding cyber-attack surface (remote work, IoT supply chain), 2) Ransomware as a cyber weapon of choice, 3) threats to critical infrastructure via ICS, OT/IT cyber-threat convergence.
What was the most impacting vulnerability for 2021? ›- CVE-2021-44228. This vulnerability, known as Log4Shell, affects Apache's Log4j library, an open-source logging framework. ...
- CVE-2021-26855, CVE-2021-26858, CVE-2021-26857, CVE-2021-27065. ...
- CVE-2021-34523, CVE-2021-34473, CVE-2021-31207. ...
- CVE-2021-26084.
Going into 2023, cybersecurity is still topping the list of CIO concerns. This comes as no surprise. In the first half of 2022, there were 2.8 billion worldwide malware attacks and 236.1 million ransomware attacks. By year end 2022, it is expected that six billion phishing attacks will have been launched.
What are the 8 common cyber threats? ›
- 1) Ransomware. ...
- 2) Social Engineering/Phishing. ...
- 3) Unpatched Systems and Misconfigurations. ...
- 4) Credential Stuffing. ...
- 5) Password Cracking Attacks. ...
- 6) Man-in-the-Middle Attacks. ...
- 7) Denial-of-Service Attacks. ...
- 8) Drive-by Download Attacks.
- Cybercrime. Cybercriminals' principal goal is to monetise their attacks. ...
- Hacktivism. Hacktivists crave publicity. ...
- Insiders. ...
- Physical threats. ...
- Terrorists. ...
- Espionage.
- Network Security. Most attacks occur over the network, and network security solutions are designed to identify and block these attacks. ...
- Cloud Security. ...
- Endpoint Security. ...
- Mobile Security. ...
- IoT Security. ...
- Application Security. ...
- Zero Trust.
Hidden Ransomware, Clop Ransomware, RaaS, Zeus Gameover, and New Malware Attacks are the most dangerous computers virus in 2021.
What are the biggest cyber threats of the future? ›The Future of the Internet
Phishing emails, malware and ransomware attacks, or getting your bank details, passwords and other personal information stolen – the internet has provided malicious hackers with a variety of new ways to make money and cause disruption.
- Ransomware attacks.
- IoT attacks.
- Cloud attacks.
- Phishing attacks.
- Blockchain and cryptocurrency attacks.
- Software vulnerabilities.
- Machine learning and AI attacks.
- BYOD policies.
- Microsoft Exchange Server Data Breach (January 2021) ...
- 2. Facebook (April 2021) ...
- Colonial Pipeline (May 2021) ...
- JBS (May 2021) ...
- Peloton Data Breach (January 2021)
- Injection.
- Insecure Design.
- Security Misconfiguration.
- Vulnerable and Outdated Components.
- Identification and Authentication Failures.
- Software and Data Integrity Failures.
- Security Logging and Monitoring Failures.
- Server-Side Request Forgery.
- Log4Shell/Log4j (CVE-2021-44228) ...
- Google Chrome Zero Day (CVE-2022-0609) ...
- Apple Out of Bounds Write (CVE-2022-42827) ...
- Microsoft Exchange Privilege Escalation (CVE-2022-41080) ...
- F5 BIG-IP iControl REST RCE (CVE-2022-1388) ...
- Microsoft Follina MSDT Bug (CVE-2022-30190)