In our previous article we explored, what cyber threats are and how in the modern world they are growing in commonality and severity. We also explored just how serious one could be in our own organisations, and on a much larger scale if one was to be sophisticated enough to affect the entire country.
Let’s now explore some of the most common forms of cyber attack that could be the means of targeting your organization, and some of the new threats that are emerging in the ever-evolving tech landscape.
The Most Common Types of Cyber Threats
Malware
Malware is software that is designed specifically to cause carnage, it performs a malicious task on a target device or network.
Phishing
An attack carried out via email, it involves tricking the recipient into disclosing confidential information or downloading Malware by the means of redirection through hyperlink. The idea is to hoodwink the recipient into trusting the attacker, so they willingly click the link.
Ransomware
Ransomware is the process of a cyber criminal encrypting your data and demanding a ransom for the safe return of access again. Ransomware attacks range in severity, some are just low-level nuisances and others can cause industry wide shutdowns.
Denial of Service attack or Distributed Denial of Service Attack (DDoS)
A rarer form of attack, Denial of Service attacks or Distributed Denial of Service Attack (DDoS) is the process of an attacker taking over many, and in some cases thousands, of devices to target a website or system with the intent of causing it to crash due to overload in demand.
Malware on Mobile Apps
Mobile devices are just as vulnerable to Malware attacks as any other computing hardware. Attackers perform the attacks by embedding Malware in many different places, such as mobile websites, or phishing emails and text messages. A mobile device once compromised can give the cyber criminal access to all of your organization’s personal information, location data, financial accounts, and more, all of which jeopardizes the very survival of your business.
Emerging Cyber Security Threats
Cyber threats are constantly evolving, there are millions upon millions being designed and released to the world all of the time. Most of these cyber threats follow the same standard structure, but there are some that are becoming more potent and threatening than others.
For example, take ‘Advanced Persistent Threats’ (APTs), this is the term used to define hackers who get into a network and maintain a term referred to as ‘persistence’, persistence is a connection that can’t be stopped by software updates or by rebooting your computer.
In the following article, we will now explore the different sources of cyber threats and what the best practices are for businesses.
Helping you Improve your Cyber Security
By trusting us with your IT needs we will get your organization ready to succeed in the modern digital workplace. Our experience in working with small businesses in Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area allows us to ensure that you can increase revenue, secure your data, and always operate at peak performance in the most secure way possible. You will also be able to communicate with your clients, colleagues, and suppliers alike. All of this can be achieved to the very highest standard. Contact us now to find out what else we can do to improve your IT landscape and bring you even more benefits from your IT going forward.