COMMON CYBER ATTACKS

When a purposeful and hostile attempt is made to breach an individual’s or organization’s information system, it is referred to as a cyber-attack. Cyber-attacks are becoming more widespread, and with the emergence of network-based ransom ware viruses, some of the more complex attacks may now be launched without the need for human interaction.

Cyber threats can come from any level of your organization. Workplaces must give cyber security awareness training to educate employees about common cyber threats like social engineering schemes, phishing, ransom ware attacks (think WannaCry), and other malware targeted at stealing intellectual property or personal information.

Several recent operations have featured data destruction as a goal, despite the fact that most assaults have an economic purpose. Attacks are commonly carried out for ransom or other sorts of financial gain, but they can simply be carried out for no cause

Malware Attack! When did it happen?

Bernalillo County, New Mexico’s most populated county, detected a data breach on January 5, 2022, and shut down the government. Despite the fact that no details about the ransom demands have been released, the county has labeled it a ransom ware problem.

Government facilities were closed down, television feeds from a jail were blocked, and detainees were confined due to the failure of automatic door mechanisms. As a result, many of the county’s systems were shut down, making some public services unavailable. Safety services such as fire and rescue operations, on the other hand, continued to operate due to unspecified “backup contingencies.” Bernalillo County commissioners approved a $2 million recovery fund for the county.

Malware, sometimes known as “harmful software,” is a catch-all term for any malicious programme or code that causes computer damage. Malware is malicious software that seeks to infiltrate, damage, or disable computers, computer systems, networks, tablets, and mobile devices by obtaining partial control over their activities. It obstructs normal functioning in the same manner that the human flu obstructs normal functioning. Malware is so ubiquitous that it has a wide range of methods of operation. The most common types being: Viruses, Trojans, Worms, Ransom ware, Spyware.

Phishing what’s that…?

Between October 2021 and March 2022, the cloud security firm Inky discovered that scammers sent 1,157 phishing emails originating from NHS mail. The bulk of the emails included a link to a document that appeared to be intended for them.

Anyone who opened the link, however, was taken to a fake Microsoft 365 login page, where they were requested to enter their credentials. According to Inky, the attack compromised at least 139 NHS emails, but the true scale of the campaign could have been far greater because the organization only looked into phishing attacks against its own customers.

Phishing is a sort of cyber security assault in which hostile actors send messages posing as a trusted individual or organization. Phishing emails persuade users to perform actions such as downloading a malicious file, clicking on a dangerous link, or giving personal information such as login credentials.

Phishing, a general term for attempts to fool or mislead computer users, is the most common type of social engineering. Social engineering is becoming a more common threat vector in almost all security incidents.

Malware, code injection, and network attacks are regularly used in conjunction with phishing and other social engineering tactics. Spear phishing, whaling, and pharming are some of the different types of phishing attempts.