A cyberattack refers to the efforts of cybercriminals or hackers to breach and infiltrate a computer network or system with malicious intent. Usually, cybercriminals will modify, steal, or reveal information and data to make money, instigate political or social turmoil, or accomplish some other goal. Direct financial theft is also common.
Targets of cyberattacks vary widely, ranging from individual users to corporations and governments. In the case of businesses and organizations, hackers often aim to gain access to key infrastructure and valuable resources like intellectual property, customer data, or payment information.
As of 2024, cybersecurity has evolved into a strategic imperative that cannot be confined solely to the IT department. Gartner foresees a significant shift, anticipating that by 2026, approximately 70% of corporate boards will have at least one member possessing expertise in the realm of cybersecurity.
Let us now look into the different types of cybersecurity threats so that you may better understand the many benefits of cybersecurity. We’ll mainly cover attack vectors, i.e., the methods cybercriminals use to infiltrate your network.
Table of Contents
1. Malware
Malware (malicious software) encompasses viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, and ransomware, representing the most prevalent form of cyberattacks on individuals.
Malware can enter your system in many ways but most commonly via links on untrusted websites, emails, or software downloads. Once deployed, malware operates within the targeted system, harvesting sensitive data, manipulating or obstructing access to network components, and, in some cases, causing system or data destruction.
Various forms of malware attacks include:
Viruses, Worms, and Trojans
Viruses are usually files or programs infected with executable code that almost exclusively harms a computer system.
Worms, on the other hand, can be standalone software, running independently. Their most common trait is the capability to replicate into thousands of copies and forward copies to other users in an email address book, for instance. The multitude of copies slows networks or systems down to a gridlock, but they’ve been known to also provide remote system access to perpetrators.
Lastly, Trojans, named after the Ancient Greek myth of Troy and its downfall, are usually standalone software that appear to be genuine applications but provide backdoor system entry to the perpetrator, allowing unauthorized control of the user's device.
Ransomware and Spyware
Ransomware is software that denies access to systems or data through encryption, with attackers demanding a ransom for a decryption key. However, even ceding payment does not guarantee full system restoration, as it’s all up to the malicious actor to decrypt a system once they’ve deployed ransomware.
Spyware, on the other hand, is malicious software that serves to gain access to a user's data, including sensitive information like passwords and payment details. The difference here is that spyware may exist in a system for a long time unbeknownst to the user, siphoning information, and ransom isn’t necessarily requested.
Lastly, adware is a form of spyware that tracks a user's browsing activity to profile behavior and interests for targeted advertising. While not inherently malicious, it can compromise privacy without user consent. With fileless malware, no software is installed on the operating system; instead, native files like WMI and PowerShell are manipulated to enable malicious functions, making it challenging to detect using traditional antivirus methods.
Rootkits and Cryptojacking
Rootkits are software injected into applications, firmware, operating system kernels, or hypervisors that provides remote administrative access. Attackers can start the operating system within a compromised environment, gaining complete control and delivering additional malware.
Cryptojacking operates similarly, but it’s deployed on a victim's device to utilize computing resources to mine cryptocurrency without their knowledge, potentially affecting system performance.
2. Phishing
Phishing is a form of malicious outreach with the end goal of obtaining sensitive information from individuals or companies. It can be conducted through various channels, such as email, SMS, phone calls, and social media.
Phishing perpetrators often employ social engineering tactics to lure victims into divulging sensitive information, such as passwords or account numbers, by misrepresenting themselves as legitimate institutions. It may also involve enticing individuals to download a malicious file, leading to the installation of malware on their device.
Key phishing attacks include:
Spear Phishing
Spear phishing is a form of phishing targeting specific individuals within organizations, who usually have access to sensitive information or data. It’s often executed through malicious emails, but the main difference here is the narrowness of the cyberattack’s scope. The most common targets are less tech-savvy individuals who are likely to unintentionally expose important details.
Whaling
Next, whaling is a type of phishing that’s very similar to spear phishing, but here, the cyberattack is specifically directed at senior or C-level executives or other important stakeholders within a company, as they likely possess the most valuable information or data.
Moreover, successful whaling attempts may grant the malicious actor access to the whole network if the compromised “whale” in question has admin-level privileges, allowing hackers to wreak further havoc.
Smishing and Vishing
Smishing (SMS phishing) and vishing (voice phishing) differ from other phishing only in the employed channel — SMS and phone calls or voice messages.
The motive, yet again, is the same: to trick individuals into sharing sensitive data such as passwords, usernames, and credit card numbers. Cybercriminals may pose as entities like banks or shipping services to execute a smishing or vishing attack.
3. Spoofing
Spoofing, while similar to phishing in that it’s a tactic employed by cybercriminals to present themselves as a recognized or trustworthy entity, it commonly doesn’t entail outreach. It usually involves misrepresenting domains, interfering in networks, and in some cases, email.
By assuming this false identity, the adversary may gain access to systems or devices with the ultimate objectives of stealing information, extorting money, or installing malware or other detrimental software on the device.
Domain Spoofing
In domain spoofing, an attacker mimics a familiar business or individual website or email domain to deceive people into placing trust in them. Typically, the domain initially appears legitimate, but closer scrutiny reveals subtle differences.
ARP Spoofing
Address resolution protocol (ARP) spoofing, also known as ARP poisoning, is a form of spoofing attack where hackers intercept data in a network. In an ARP spoofing attack, a hacker deceives a device into sending messages to the hacker instead of the intended recipient, thereby gaining access to the device's communications, including sensitive data.
4. Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks
A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is a targeted cyberattack that inundates a network with spurious requests, aiming to disrupt business operations.
During a DoS attack, users are usually unable to perform essential tasks, such as accessing email, websites, online accounts, or other resources managed by a compromised computer or network. Although most DoS attacks do not result in data loss and are typically resolved without succumbing to ransom demands, they impose significant costs on organizations, consuming time, money, and other resources required to restore critical business operations.
The distinction between denial of service and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks lies in the attack's origin. DoS attacks stem from a single system, whereas DDoS attacks are executed from multiple systems. DDoS attacks are much quicker and more effective, as well as harder to mitigate. Multiple systems must be identified and neutralized to effectively halt the assault.
5. Identity-Based Attacks
Research reveals that 80% of all security breaches involve compromised identities and may take up to 250 days to be recognized. All cyberattacks that aim to steal, manipulate, or misuse identity-related information may be classified as identity-based attacks.
Detecting them, however, is exceptionally challenging. When the credentials of a valid user are compromised, and a malicious actor impersonates that user, distinguishing between the user's typical behavior and the action of the hacker becomes arduous using conventional security measures and tools.
Some of the most prevalent identity-based attack types include:
Authentication Attacks
One type of identity-based attack is authentication attacks, the most common of which is kerberoasting. Kerberoasting is a post-exploitation attack technique targeting Kerberos network protocols for authentication. Without getting too technical, this type of attack aims to crack password data via the Active Directory PowerShell module, which is part of the Windows operating system.
In this scenario, a malicious actor, posing as an account user with a service principal name (SPN), requests a ticket containing an encrypted password.
Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
A man-in-the-middle attack, yet another authentication attack, involves an assailant eavesdropping on a conversation between two targets, with the objective of gathering personal data, passwords, or banking details. The goal may be to convince the victim to change login credentials, complete a transaction, or initiate a fund transfer.
Pass-the-Hash Attacks
Quite similarly, in a pass-the-hash (PtH) attack, a malicious actor steals a "hashed" user credential and uses it to create a new user session on the same network. This method doesn't require the attacker to know or crack the password but utilizes a stored version of the password to initiate a new session, gaining full access as if they did have the credentials.
Credential-Based Intrusions
Speaking of credentials, there are quite a few types of credential-based intrusions, such as “golden ticket” attacks. In such instances, malicious actors aim to gain unlimited access to an organization's domain by exploiting vulnerabilities in the Kerberos identity authentication protocol within Microsoft Active Directory (AD). This allows them to bypass authentication methods.
There is also the silver ticket, which is a forged authentication ticket that can be made after an attacker steals an account password, allowing them elevated privileges and compromise an entire network. An encrypted forged service ticket grants access to resources for the specific service targeted in the silver ticket attack.
Lastly, there’s credential harvesting and stuffing. Credential harvesting is any cybercriminal activity where malicious actors specifically gather user credentials, such as user IDs, email addresses, passwords, and other login information en masse, and can be executed through many attack vectors.
Credential stuffing, on the other hand, relies on the common practice of individuals using the same user ID and password across multiple accounts, exploiting the potential access gained from one set of credentials to compromise other unrelated accounts.
6. IoT-Based Attacks
An IoT attack encompasses any cyber assault directed at an Internet of Things (IoT) network. Once compromised, the assailant gains control of the network, which may comprise devices, appliances, and even vehicles, enabling malicious actors to seize and manipulate data. Moreover, said network may be integrated into a cluster of infected devices to form a botnet, which can be utilized for launching Denial-of-Service (DoS) or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
With the anticipated rapid expansion of connected devices in the coming years, cybersecurity experts anticipate a corresponding growth in IoT infections. In December 2022, the global count of IoT attacks surpassed 10.54 million incidents.
Additionally, the widespread deployment of 5G networks, which is poised to further accelerate the adoption of connected devices, may also contribute to an increase in IoT-based attacks.
7. Insider Threats
IT teams that focus exclusively on identifying external adversaries receive only a partial perspective. Insider threats involve internal actors, such as current or former employees, who pose a risk to an organization due to their direct access to the company network, sensitive data, intellectual property (IP), and knowledge of business processes, company policies, or other information conducive to carrying out an attack.
Internal actors posing a threat to an organization often exhibit malicious intent. Motives may include acquiring financial gains by selling confidential information or retribution. The methods, though, can be as varied as the competency of the perpetrator. However, most commonly, insider threats employ emotional coercion through social engineering tactics like pretexting or business email compromise (BEC) attacks.
That said, some insider threat actors are not inherently malicious but rather unintentionally compromise cybersecurity. After all, 95% of breaches are due to human error rather than exclusive malicious intent by insiders.
To address this, organizations should implement a comprehensive cybersecurity training program that educates stakeholders on recognizing potential attacks, including those potentially perpetrated by insiders.
In conclusion, a robust cybersecurity strategy is imperative in the contemporary interconnected environment. From a business standpoint, safeguarding the digital assets of the organization not only diminishes the risk of loss, theft, or destruction but also mitigates the potential necessity of paying a ransom to regain control of company data or systems.
By effectively preventing or promptly remediating cyberattacks with the assistance of cybersecurity companies, the organization concurrently reduces the impact of such incidents on business operations.
FAQs
What are cybersecurity threats?
Cybersecurity threats encompass a range of malicious activities targeting digital systems, including malware, phishing, ransomware, and data breaches. These threats pose risks to confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
What do all cybersecurity threats have in common?
Commonly, cybersecurity threats exploit vulnerabilities in systems, seeking unauthorized access or manipulation. They share the goal of compromising data, disrupting operations, or causing harm to individuals and organizations.
