10 Common Types of Cyber Attacks That Could Affect You Personally

March 6 2020 - Phishing, worms, trojans, and theft of your passwords are some of the popular ways in which you can become a victim of a cyber attack.

Cyber attacks aren't partial, they can happen to anyone. It has happened to states, governments, schools, and hospitals to name a few. Hackers are getting more crafty and are using all types of cyberattacks to carry out their malicious intent on their victims.

You may think that what you do on the internet is too insignificant, but, in truth, no matter what you do on the internet and how long you use it, you're at risk.

Here is a look at the most common types of cyber attacks around today.

The Two Broadest Types of Cyber attacks

A cyberattack may be defined as any attack, coming from one or several other computers, against another computer, several other computers or a network.

There are two broad types. First, there are those in which the aim is to cripple the target computer or take it offline. The second are those attacks where the objective is to gain access to data on the target computer. This includes but is not limited to obtaining administrative permissions and privileges.

Now that you know the broadest type of attacks lets take a look at the finer details.

Man in the Middle Attack (MITM)

This happens when a hacker puts themself between a client and a server's communication. The three most common types are session hijacking, IP spoofing, and replay.

Session hijacking means that the hacker interrupts a session between a client and a network server. The hacker's computer switches the IP address of the client and the network server, believing that it's still in contact with the original IP address, continues the communication.

IP spoofing occurs when a hacker leads a system to believe that it is communicating with a trusted and known source. This gives the hacker access to the system. The hacker uses a known and trusted IP source address to send a message to a target host instead of using their IP address.

Replay takes place when the hacker saves old messages so that they can use these later to impersonate anyone they want to.

Phishing

This involves hackers sending you emails from what appears to be a trusted source. Their aim is to obtain your personal information or to get you to do something that will compromise your security.

Spearphishing is more specific and involves hackers gathering information on you. They then send you personalized and targeted messages. These messages will look as if they are coming from authentic sources, such as your bank or your insurance company.

Drive-by Attack

The use of a drive-by attack is a popular way to spread malware. Hackers use insecure websites to create a malicious script in HTTP or PHP code. The script might either install malware on your computer or carry you to a site being run by the hackers.

Drive-bys can take place while users are on websites, reading an email, or closing a pop-up window. It takes advantage of apps, operating systems, and web browsers that have security flaws. These security flaws may be caused by a lack of updates or unsuccessful ones.

Password Attack

Hackers gain access to your password by sniffing around your computer's desktop. They use the connection to the network to obtain your unencrypted passwords. Two types of password attacks are brute-force and dictionary attacks.

Brute-force is guessing passwords randomly, while the dictionary attack is the use of common passwords to try to gain access to your computer. That's why it is important to use encryption as this is the best way to store passwords.

Eavesdropping Attack

This happens by intercepting network traffic.

Through eavesdropping, a hacker can gain access to your passwords, credit card details, and other personal and confidential information.

Cross-site Scripting Attack (XSS)

The hacker via a third party web resource runs a script on your web browser.

They then inject malicious JavaScript into a website's database that you visit regularly. When you use a page from this website, it transmits the page with the malicious JavaScript to your browser, executing the script.

Malware

This is the installation of unwanted software into your system without your consent. It can get attached to a legitimate code, lurk in meaningful applications, and be replicated across the web. Some common types are Trojans, worms, spyware, adware, and ransomware.

The two of the more popular ones are trojans and ransomware. Trojans usually hide their malicious intent in a useful program. They then infect your computer with all types of malicious viruses.

This is why you should be careful about the software you download on the internet.

Ransomware prevents you from accessing your data and threatens to use or delete it if you don't pay a ransom.

Denial of Service

This is the use of a brute-force process to stop online services from working properly. For example, hackers will send excess traffic to a website or excess requests to a database.

It then becomes so overwhelming it makes these systems unable to perform. This renders them unavailable for use.

Final Tips on Cyber Attacks

Given the types of cyber attacks that exist, the dangers are always lurking. Once you use the web you can become a victim of these attacks.

It is important that you protect yourself because nobody is immune. Hackers want your information. When they gain access to this they can steal your identity and use it to rob you or carry out crimes in your name.

It's important to know the types of cyberattacks around, from malware to more complex ones like denial of service, you can become a victim. You must become knowledgeable in order to protect yourself. Failing to do this means that you, those around you and even your business can become a target.

If you would like more tips to improve the quality of your life, please check out the work-life section of the website.

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