Top 10 most common type of cyber attacks
What is cyberattack
A cyberattack is an effort to acquire access to a computer network or system by hackers, cybercriminals, or other digital competitors, generally with the intention of stealing, disclosing, changing, or destroying the data.
Cyberattacks may aim at an assortment of targets, including individual users, organizations, and even government organizations.
The aim of a hacker harming a business or other organization is often to get access to secret and significant firm data, such as payment information, customer information, or intellectual property (IP).
In Short
- What is cyberattack
- AI-powered Attacks
- Spoofing
- Malware
- Code Injection Attacks
- DDos – Denial-of-Service Attacks
- Insider Threats
- Phishing
- Supply Chain Attacks
- Identity-Based Attacks
- Social Engineering Attacks
- Conclusions
Top 10 most common type of cyber attacks
| S.No | Attack Category | Impact Category | Basics of Prevention | Example |
| 1 | Malware | Malicious software designed to harm devices | Install anti-virus software, avoid suspicious downloads | Ransomware, spyware, adware, trojans |
| 2 | Denial-of-Service (DoS) | Floods server with requests to disrupt operations | Use a reliable web host, implement security measures | Slow website access, inability to send emails |
| 3 | Phishing | Attempts to steal personal information through deceptive messages | Verify sender information, avoid clicking suspicious links | Emails, SMS pretending to be from banks, social media |
| 4 | Spoofing | Pretends to be a trusted source to gain access | Check sender email address carefully, verify website legitimacy | Email spoofing, website spoofing |
| 5 | Identity-Based Attacks | Hacker takes over your account to impersonate you | Enable two-factor authentication, create strong passwords | Social media posts, emails sent from compromised accounts |
| 6 | Code Injection Attacks | Injects malicious code into a system | Keep software updated, validate user input | XSS attacks, SQL injections (Add more examples in this cell) |
| 7 | Supply Chain Attacks | Targets a third-party user to affect others | Use trusted vendors, maintain software updates | Malicious code in software supply chain |
| 8 | Social Engineering Attacks | Uses psychological manipulation to trick users | Be cautious of emotional appeals, verify information before responding | Pretexting, phishing attacks |
| 9 | Insider Threats | Malicious actions from within an organization | Implement security protocols, conduct employee background checks | Leaking confidential data |
| 10 | AI-powered Attacks | Utilizes AI for code injection and information gathering | Educate users on AI tactics, invest in AI security solutions | Deep fakes, social engineering with AI |
1. AI-powered attacks
Artificial Intelligence has grown omnipresent in all fields, including cyberattacks. AI is used by certain businesses to defend their systems from attacks. Still, hackers these days are also knowledgeable in artificial intelligence. It is easy for them to utilize it to insert codes and obtain sensitive and private data about people and businesses. Deep fake, Dark AI, Adversarial AI/ML, and AI-generated Social Engineering are a few instances of AI-powered assaults.
2. Spoofing
A kind of attack referred to as spoofing occurs when a cybercriminal acts as someone that you know. They attempt to obtain confidence and access to the valuable accounts by doing so. This might be done with the objective of stealing money, obtaining passwords, or infecting the device with a harmful virus. Spoofing comes in a variety of forms, which include email, ARP and domain spoofing. To make sure they are not being scammed, one should be cautious and attempt to get in touch with an authentic contact using a different number.
3. Malware
Malicious software has been simplified to malware. It’s a type of code or software created to harm a digital tool. Since it is so easy to infect any number of devices this is one of the most commonly used types of cyberattack. Malware appears in a variety of forms, including file-less malware, trojans, spyware, adware, worms, rootkits, malware for mobile devices, exploits, scareware, keyloggers, botnets, MALSPAM, wiper attacks, and many others.
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4. Code Injection Attacks
When a hacker inserts harmful code into your system, it alters its functionality entirely. This is how a code injection attack happens. SQL injections, data poisoning, cross-site scripting (XSS), and advertising fraud are the many forms of code injection attacks.
5. Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks
There is a focus on the denial-of-service the attack. What it actually does is overload the server with many, meaningless requests in an attempt to cause disruption with the present operation. It causes delays when performing essential activities even when no data is lost. A DoS attack entirely hampers the way of work with its perpetual spam, blocking anyone from sending emails or visiting websites. DoS attacks commence on a single machine.
6. Insider Threats
The majority of technical teams in businesses only have worries about external cyberattacks. Cybercriminals who gained inside knowledge about a firm or who are already employed by it are the ones that issue insider threats. People frequently have to pay cash compensation to prevent robbers from leaking corporate knowledge, which is the most typical example of an insider threat.
7. Phishing
A cyberattack known as phishing occurs when someone tries to get confidential data from someone, such as bank account numbers or passwords, for personal use or to attack a machine with a virus, via email, SMS, social media, or other methods. When releasing sensitive data, one should always be careful and authenticate the information provided by anybody in a position of authority. Hacking, whaling, spear phishing, and many more are examples of phishing techniques.
8. Supply Chain Attacks
There is no direct victim of a supply chain attack. An individual who works for a third party is targeted by a cybercriminal in a supply chain the attack. In order to negatively impact every user, the criminal inserts a code into the program that manages the supply chain. In contrast, supply chains for hardware are less sensitive to these kinds of assaults than those for software.
9. Identity-Based Attacks
Attacks of this nature are extremely challenging to figure out. This happens when someone pretends to be someone through account hacking. It is difficult to figure out if the user or the hacker is using the account once they have taken control of it. After that, the hacker has the ability to post hazardous material on the account or use their account to contact other individuals and request their information. Make careful to use two-factor authentication whenever you can and set a strong password to avoid this from happening. Identity-based attacks include Golden and Silver ticket crimes, Pass-the-Hash attacks and more.
10. Social Engineering Attacks
Emotional strategies for manipulation are applied in social engineering assaults to deceive an individual. Cybercriminals gain access to sensitive user data by either generating fear or acquiring the faith of their target audience. Social engineering assaults are usually carried out to gain influence or to overtake competitors in domains of specialty. Deception, quid pro quo, misinformation campaigns, business email compromise, honeytraps, and more are examples of social engineering attack types.
Conclusions or Verdict
Organizations globally are implementing significant measures to protect their users and staff against cyberattacks. Technical professionals should frequently monitor all devices, and they should instruct consumers on how to defend themselves against such assaults. Investing in protection software for staff members is something that company authorities should do as well. These assaults are simply preventable if one follows these few easy procedures.
In Depth : Cyber Security
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