It can really feel like cyber threats are becoming relentless, especially as they seem to be getting more and more dangerous. The hard truth is that cyber-attacks hit businesses and private systems every day, and the variety of attacks has increased quickly.
But what does this variety include? Figuring out the different types of threats that pose a cyber security risk can be confusing, purely down to the fact that there are just so many. In this article we will cover the main types of threats, so you can understand how to best protect your business or system.
What Are Cyber Security Threats?
A cyber or cybersecurity threat is essentially an act with a malicious intention that seeks to damage data, steal data, or disrupt digital life in general.
They can also refer to the idea of a successful cyberattack that aimed to access unauthorised data, damage, disrupt, or steal information, or gain entry into a technology asset, computer network, or intellectual property that contains any form of sensitive data.
Where Do Cyber Threats Come From?
Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this question. The risk of cyber threats and attacks can originate from various sources including corporate spies, hacktivists, terrorist groups, hostile nation-states, criminal organizations, lone hackers and disgruntled employees.
Due to the huge range of possibilities as to where cyber attacks can suddenly come from, it’s important that you have the correct precautions in place to protect your business and information. And in order to do this effectively, you will need to understand the basic types of threats and how they work.
7 Types Of Cyber Security Threats
Now that we have established what exactly a cyber security threat is and where it can originate from, it’s time to dive into the different types so you know exactly what you are up against.
- Malware
The definition of malware is any type of software that has been intentionally designed to cause disruption to a computer, computer network, server or person. This software can leak private information, gain access to unauthorised information or systems, and deny access to important information which can unknowingly interfere with the security and privacy of a computer system.
Once the malware has been activated on a system, it can have many harmful impacts including:
- Blocking access to key network components (also known as ransomware)
- Installing additional harmful software onto your system
- Obtaining information by transmitting data from the hard drive
- Disrupting individual parts of your system to make it inoperable
- Phishing
Phishing is a cyber security threat and consists of a fraudulent message that has been designed specifically to be used for fake communication, such as through an email.
The goal is to trick the receiver into opening it and carrying out the instructions inside, such as providing a credit card number, account details, personal information, or passwords. This not only reveals sensitive information to the attacker, but they can also deploy malicious software on the victim’s infrastructure like ransomware.
Many people have become aware of the threat of phishing emails, and usually don’t open suspicious emails anymore. This has caused cybercriminals to change their techniques with the aim to get more people to fall for it. Today hackers use a variety of different ways to trick unbeknown victims including text messages, phone calls, fake apps, and social media quizzes.
- Botnet
A botnet is a number of Internet-connected devices, each of which runs one or more bots. This network of comprised computers gives hackers the ability to control infected computers or mobile devices remotely.
This means that the instance that the infected malware is launched on your computer or mobile device, it takes it straight into the infected botnet network and allows a cybercriminal to access, control and use your data in the background, without you even knowing.
The main reason that attackers use botnets is to compromise systems, distribute malware and recruit new devices to the infected network. A botnet attack can also be used for the sole purpose of disruption or as a means of blazing a path to launch a secondary attack.
- Computer Worm
Much like a virus that passes from one human to another in real life, a computer worm is a standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in order to spread to other computers and infect them, but in the digital world.
The unique feature of this cyber security threat is that it can self-replicate and doesn’t require physical human interaction to create copies and spread quickly and in great volume. This makes it a very “successful” threat as an attacker doesn’t have to sit behind a computer to try and break their way into your device.
Most computer worms are spread through tricking internet users and are designed to exploit known security holes in software. And considering the fact that many employees use their phones for work-related tasks when they are not within the perimeter of their corporate firewall, it can really put businesses at a very high risk of becoming infected with computer worms.
In the event that a mobile device, computer system or machine is infected with a computer worm, it can cause major disruption such as:
- Corrupting files
- Stealing sensitive data
- Install a backdoor giving to give the original attacker access to your device
- Modifying different parts of your system settings to make it more vulnerable, or sometimes, inoperable
- Denial of Service
A denial of service (DoS) is a type of cyber attack that floods a computer or network so it can’t respond to requests. This means that your device, machine or network resource will become unavailable, temporarily or indefinitely, by disrupting the services of a host that are connected to a network.
There are two general methods of Denial of Service attacks: flooding services or crashing services:
- Flood attacks occur when the system receives too much traffic for the server to buffer, causing them to slow down and eventually stop.
- Crashing services is when vulnerabilities that cause the target system or service to crash, are exploited. In these attacks, input is sent that takes advantage of bugs in the target that subsequently crash or severely destabilise the system so that it cannot be accessed or used.
Unlike most of the other main cyber security threats, DoS is quite unheard of and many people may not know how to go about preventing these types of attacks. Some top tips include:
- Implementing technology to monitor networks visually and know how much bandwidth a site uses on average.
- Ensuring servers have the capacity to handle heavy traffic spikes and the necessary mitigation tools necessary to address security problems.
- Updating and patching firewalls and network security programs.
- Set up protocols outlining the steps to take in the event that a DDoS attack does happen.
- Spam
When people hear the word spam, their mind instantly flashes to unwanted messages in their email inbox. But the thing here is that not all spam is a cyber security threat.
As a sender, they may think that sending out emails is a great way to get a message across or promote an advert. However cyber security criminals have caught onto this and can replicate spam emails to include links that will install malicious software on your computer if you click on it.
So then how can you know the difference between harmless and malicious spam email? The first thing to look at is the email address that the message has been sent from. If it is not in your contact list, or you just don’t recognise it, don’t open it.
Also, if the email addresses you in a generic way, for example, “Dear customer” or “Hi there” then that is another warning sign telling you not to open it. If you do accidentally click on a spam email that you think is harmful you don’t need to panic just yet. Just be aware of the embedded links and check if they have odd URLs by hovering over them. Don’t click on them if you see that the link is directing you to a sketchy site.
- Password Attacks
This type of cyber security threat is relatively new to the world of attacks. The thing is when you set up a password for your software, accounts, apps, or databases, you think that you are protected. No one can access your information without knowing your password, right?
Wrong. A cyber attacker has many different paths to finding out what your password is. Methods usually rely heavily on human interaction and often involve tricking people into breaking standard security practices. Other types of password attacks can include accessing a password database or just guessing in the hopes that you’ve set a weak one.
