Technology is ever-changing, and so are the threats. It’s hard to understand the different types of cyber threats that can affect your organization. We’re here to help you expand your knowledge so you can make sure you’re prepared when a cyber attack happens.
What is Ransomware?
A type of malicious software, ransomware either steals or encrypts critical data on a computer to block access to those files by the data’s owner. Aptly named, Ransomware requires a ransom be paid to the attacker in order to regain access to the files.
What should you be on the lookout for?
It’s hard to understand all the different types of cyber threats that can affect your organization. So, we’ve done the work for you. These are the 7 most popular methods cyber-criminals used ransomware to attack organizations in 2018.
1. Advanced Persistent Threat
Cybercriminals typically use an advanced persistent attack to target larger organizations. Often with the objective of soliciting financial information, this type of attack can be executed over a long period of time, and is difficult to detect.
2. Backdoor Trojan
A backdoor Trojan allows cybercriminals to take control of a system without permission. Posing as a legitimate program, a Trojan often spreads though phishing campaigns which fool users into accessing malware through everyday activities such as clicking links. Once the Trojan is installed it opens a “backdoor” to allow the malicious party access to the infected device.
3. Flooding
In this security attack, hackers send a large amount of data to a server or web location. The result is a break in the system’s proper operation due to a utilization of all resources on the victim’s machine, crippling its processing power.
4. DDoS Attack (Distributed Denial of Service Attack)
A DDoS attack is meant to prevent users from accessing specific systems or URLs online. In this attack, a cybercriminal floods a website with large quantities of information requests, which look like legitimate requests from multiple sources. This essentially renders the site inaccessible to legitimate users.
5. Social Engineering
Social engineering uses psychological manipulation to persuade users to perform specific actions or reveal sensitive information. Lies, bribes, extortion and impersonation are often used in this type of attack. This is often considered the most effective attack vector.
6. SQL Injection
SQL injection is where an attacker uses a web application to access data or execute “true” statements on a database. Captured data could be anything contained within the database even if encrypted. By doing this, attackers can impersonate identities, modify or delete data or completely take control of an entire database.
7. Worm
A worm is an attack that has the ability to spread itself indefinitely and self-replicate. By exploiting Operating System (OS) vulnerabilities, this replication happens automatically and does not need human activity in order to spread.
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