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According to research that’s been done, it’s estimated that cyber attackers will have stolen 33 billion records by 2023.
In order to stop all of these records and money from being stolen, you can be aware of all the different types of cyberattacks that could happen to you.
When you’re aware of them, it’s easier for you to prevent them. So we’ll break them all down for you here!
Phishing
Phishing is a type of attack where the hacker will try and steal data, like bank account numbers, credit card numbers, or login credentials.
To get this data, the hackers will pretend to pose as a trusted individual or organization. While posing as this person, they’ll send you an email, text message, or IM with a link to input your information. Or they may ask you for it, and provide you with it.
Maybe you’re waiting for someone to send you an email asking for sensitive information.
Since you’re expecting this email, you may not even think twice about sending the information. However, in order to have effective cyber attack prevention from phishing, make sure that you take your time to verify who you are sending this information to.
Man-in-the-Middle
A man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack is when someone eavesdrops on you or inserts themselves into a two-person conversation or transaction.
For example, if you are texting someone, a hacker could jump onto your Wi-Fi and visit your device through an open network. They may also find ways to install undetectable malware onto your computer and insert themselves into all of your personal information and conversations.
Malware
Malware is any kind of software that can hurt your computer, like ransomware or a virus.
One of the most common ways they attack you with malware is to flood your device with popups. If you accidentally click download on one of them, you could be inviting a virus onto your device that’s difficult to get rid of.
Hackers will also send them in email attachments or in other weird links. Once you have the malware downloaded onto your device, it can actually spread to other devices if you’re at an office that’s all on a shared network.
To avoid this, make sure that you don’t open anything that looks suspicious.
Passwords
Password attacks might be the easier cyberattacks that could happen, which is why you should make sure you always follow password requirements for your organization.
You should also make sure that they are strong passwords, with characters, capitalization, numbers, and special characters.
Hackers will be able to use programs that will figure out your password, use regular dictionary words, or use some of the most commonly used passwords to break into your accounts.
However, even if you have a strong password, someone could break into your computer and find all of your passwords stored in your browser or in a file on your desktop. If you do need to store them somewhere, make sure that it’s stored somewhere secure and safe.
Denial of Service
Have you ever visited a website and gotten a denial of service? This means that too many people tried to visit it at the same time, and the website wasn’t built to handle that much traffic.
Because of this flaw, sometimes hackers will load a website so that it overloads the server and doesn’t display the content to people who are trying to visit the website.
When this happens, sometimes it is the fault of the website or company. However, hackers will usually be behind it, as they have many computers and users trying to take down the website all at once.
The attacker may look like they’re coming from IP addresses all over the world at the same time, and it can be difficult to figure out how to stop them so that you get can your website up and running again.
Botnet
Lastly, a botnet attack is when automated users or devices (robots or bots) all join together to collectively accomplish an attack.
One bot by itself won’t be able to do much damage, but when a hacker gets a lot of them together, it can be very dangerous and powerful. Botnet attacks can carry out all kinds of attacks, and they can do it quickly. They’re often used in denial-of-service attacks as well, which can cost businesses millions of dollars.
They’re also used to steal sensitive information, such as passwords. While it might take one person forever to guess a password, a group of bots can nail it down in a fraction of the time.
Bots are also handy for sending out mass amounts of spam or scam calling people.
These are very popular types of attacks because they’re actually really cheap to use, and they’ve proven to be effective.
In order to protect your business or personal computer from botnet attacks, make sure that you have a strong security wall. Having a plain old firewall won’t do anything to stop botnets, and they’ll just climb right over it and take over your device and network.
Learn More About the Different Types of Cyberattacks
These are only a few of the different types of cyberattacks, but there are many more that you could fall prey to.
We know that cybersecurity can be stressful and overwhelming, but thankfully, you don’t have to try and figure it out all on your own. We’re here to help!
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