Common types of cyber threats
Modern cybercriminals are highly inventive in their attack methods, always striving to find new ways to infiltrate and abuse online resources. Some of the most common types of cyber threat include:
Phishing – This involves sending fraudulent emails purporting to be from reputable companies, which are used to convince people to disclose personal information such as passwords and bank details.
Malware – Short for malicious software, malware is a file, program or piece of code that’s designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorised access to a computer system. Malware can be programmed to perform just about any illegal action that a hacker wishes.
Ransomware – This is a particular type of malware that’s used by hackers to block access to a computer system, or threaten the publication of private data unless a sum of money is paid to the cybercriminal.
Viruses – This is a type of malicious program or code that’s designed to spread from one computer to another. A virus attaches itself to a legitimate program to execute its code and normally harms the system by stealing, corrupting or destroying data.
Trojans – A Trojan is a file or program that appears to be legitimate and safe, but is actually malware used to steal data or spy on victims. Many Trojans will also download additional malware once they’ve been opened or installed.
Adware – This is a form of malware that hides on your device and serves you advertisements. Some forms of adware will also monitor your online behaviour, gather data without your permission and target you with specific ads.
Man-in-the-middle-attack – This involves a hacker secretly intercepting and relaying messages between two parties who believe they are communicating directly with each other. As a type of eavesdropping, this often involves the victim passing sensitive information to the attackers.
Types of Cyber Security
Cyber Security takes many forms and to cover all of its bases, an organisation should develop a comprehensive plan that addresses all of these major types of Cyber Security:
Network security – Network security is a broad term that covers a range of processes and technologies used to defend a network. This involves a set of rules and configurations that are implemented to protect the accessibility and confidentiality of a computer network and its data.
Application security – This is the process of using security software, hardware and best practices to protect computer applications from external threats. Incorporating application security into the life cycle of an app enables development teams to design more secure end products.
Infrastructure security – This is the practice of protecting critical systems and online assets against cyber threats. This typically covers hardware and software, such as end-user devices, data centre resources, networking systems, and cloud resources.
Cloud security – Also known as cloud computing security, cloud security is a series of security measures designed to protect cloud-based infrastructure, applications, and data. Cloud security measures ensure user authentication, data and resource access control, and protect the privacy of data.
Mobile security – Mobile security is the protection of smartphones, tablets, and laptops from threats associated with wireless computing. In a world where many people work remotely, mobile security has become increasingly important. Security measures include multi-factor authentication, data encryption and the ability to wipe or lock stolen devices.
Data security – Data security is the practice of protecting digital information from unauthorised access, corruption, or theft throughout its entire life cycle. An example of data security would be using encryption techniques to prevent hackers from using your data even if it’s breached.