5 common types of cyber-attacks

Although the increased use of technology has brought numerous benefits in the past years, it has also given rise to new challenges. According to TechJury, ransomware cases increased 150%, just in 2020. It is of immense importance to create and implement a good cybersecurity strategy. 

However, before creating a strategy to protect our businesses, first we must know what we are defending ourselves against. 

What is a cyber-attack? 

‘’Cyber-attacks are unwelcome attempts to steal, expose, alter, disable, or destroy information through unauthorized access to computer systems’’ -(IBM, 2020) 

Types of cyber-attacks 

Malware 

Malware or malicious software is a type of application that introduces itself into your system, damaging its integrity and the stored data. 

There are certain types of malwares, some that are designed to persistently access a network and some that are designed to spy on users to steal credentials or any valuable confidential data. 

However, the most notable form of malware is ransomware. These are designed to encrypt one’s files, to further charge a ransom to get the decryption key. 

Phishing 

Phishing attacks consists of trying to trick a user into sharing valuable information, such as credit card details and passwords. 

This form of attack is the most popular and common, due to its effectiveness and how easy it is to carry out. 

Read this article to know more about phishing attacks and how to prevent them. 

DDoS attack 

A DDoS or Distributed Denial-of-Service attack is where the attacker targets a server with traffic, attempting to disrupt and/or bring down said target. 

A DDoS can leverage multiple compromised devices to bombard the target with traffic. 

SQL injection 

This type of attack is exclusive for SQL databases. These databases use SQL statements to query data, which are typically executed via HTML form. So, SQL injection consists of exploiting the HTML form to execute queries to create, modify, or delete data from the database. 

Zero-day exploit 

We can call a Zero-day exploit when cybercriminals discover a vulnerability in certain widely used software apps and OS. Attackers would then target organizations that use this software to exploit the vulnerability before it is fixed. 

These are just a few of the most used cyberattacks, however, they are increasingly coming alongside modern technologies. It is important to be informed and learn what we are defending our organizations from and how to. 

Keep your data secure without compromising end-user productivity, with our help and the use of Microsoft Technology. Remember that security is more than just products, but a series of processes, policies, and controls. 

Talk to one of our experts today to learn how our team of experts can help you safeguard your IT assets.