How many cyber attacks do you know about? Is it just Ransomware or phishing attacks? These are just two examples of the many different cyber attacks that affect everyone. We have read or heard news of recent cyber attacks on small or large companies since 2020.
According to the Q3 2020 Check Point Research, the number of cyber attacks targeting the Pacific region alone has increased by 168% in the past year. Cybersecurity experts have warned that these digital cyber attacks are far more devastating than before due the advancement and sophistication of hacking tools and software.
Sad truth is that no one is immune to cyber attacks, they can affect anyone whether it is a company or an individual. That is why as a cybersecurity professional or enthusiast, it is important to know the various cyber attacks and how to mitigate them.
This article is an 8 part series that will address the various cyber attacks that affect data, networks, systems and databases.
To start off let us begin with the definition of a cyber attack.
What is a cyber attack?
It is the deliberate attempt to gain unauthorized access to a computer system, database or network with the aim of causing damage. Cyber attacks are intended to disable, disrupt, destroy or take over computer systems or to manipulate, block, delete, alter or steal the data stored in these computing systems or within a network.
Who are responsible for cyber attacks?
A cyber attack can be launched from any location by any individual or group using one or more various attack strategies and tools to execute malicious attacks.
These people are referred to as cyber criminals or hackers. See more details of the different types of hackers.
Reasons for these cyber attacks
Cyber attackers or criminals have different motives. These include the following :
Financial reasons
Most cyber-attacks today, especially those against businesses, are launched by cyber-criminals for financial reasons. Their purpose is to steal sensitive data, such as credit card numbers or employee personal information to steal money or assets using their victims’ identities.
Revenge spree
Cyber criminals launch attacks to create mayhem, confusion or suspicions between companies or business parties for revenge against them. This attacker may have been a previous employee of the company with the aim of publicly damaging the company’s reputation.
Cyber warfare
Governments worldwide are also involved in cyber attacks, as a result of political, economic and social disputes between other countries. These types of attacks can be termed as cyber warfare.
Knowing and understanding how to mitigate these evolving cyber attacks is very important for cyber security professionals.
Don’t miss out on the second part of this series! 😉
Next article : Malware threats
Chelsy Aryeety
Hackhouse.net author