What is a Cyber Attack?
Any attempt to gain unauthorized access to a computer or network to cause damage may be defined as a cyber attack. There are many ways by which cyber-attacks may harm your system: they can disable, destroy or disrupt your system or gain control over the system, making you at risk of data theft.
What are the motives behind Cyber Attacks?
Many possible motives can be behind a cyber attack. Some of the common motives are:
Financial Gain: – This is perhaps the most common motive behind a majority of the cyber attacks that are happening nowadays. The attacker will either steal sensitive data like customer credit card information or personal information, which can be used to gain access to money or valuables using the victim’s identity. Some hackers disable computer systems and demand ransom to return access to the owners.
Disruption and Revenge: – This is generally a type of attack aimed at governments or large organizations to protest by hacktivists. It aims to humiliate the organization publicly or cause disrepute.
Cyberwarfare: – Today, the most valuable resource is data, and governments worldwide have actively been using cyberwarfare covertly or overtly. In addition, many nations design and execute cyber attacks against other countries as part of their ongoing political, economic or social conflict.
What are the different types of Cyber Attacks?
The most common cyber attacks normally involve the following:
1. Malware, through which malicious software is used to infect and attack information systems. Ransomware, spyware, and Trojans are examples of malware. Malware can be used by hackers for theft of sensitive data, blocking access to files, disrupting system operations, or to make systems inoperable.
2. Phishing, in which hackers socially engineer email messages to entice recipients to open them. The recipients open the attached file or click on an embedded link, and the malware contained within gets downloaded.
3. Man-in-the-middle, or MitM, where attackers secretly insert themselves between two parties, such as individual computer users and their financial institution. It is also called an eavesdropping attack.
4. Denial of Service, or DoS, in which hackers bombard an organization’s servers with large volumes of simultaneous data requests, thereby making the servers unable to handle any legitimate requests.
5. SQL injection, is when a newly identified vulnerability in the IT infrastructure of an organization is exploited by hackers.
6. Zero-day exploit, is when a newly identified vulnerability in the IT infrastructure of an organization is exploited by hackers.
7. Domain name system (DNS) tunnelling, a sophisticated attack in which attackers establish and then use persistently available access — or a tunnel — into their targets’ systems.
8. Drive-by, or drive-by download, occurs when individuals upon visiting a website, get their system infected with malware.
9. Credential-based attacks, happen when hackers steal the credentials that IT workers use to access and manage systems and then use that information to access computers to steal sensitive data illegally, and they may even disrupt an organization and its operations.
What were some of the most infamous Cyber Attacks?
India, with a population upward of 1.4 billion of which almost 40% of the people are connected to the internet, has cyberspace vulnerable to all kinds of attacks. Also, our country’s low digital hygiene and lack of awareness concerning cybersecurity make us ideal targets. In the last five years, we have seen many major cyber attacks. Some notable are listed below:
- July 2016 – Union Bank of India Heist
- May 2017 – Zomato Data Theft
- May 2017 – Wanna Cry Ransomware
- June 2017 – Petya Ransomware
- June 2019 – Aadhar Data Breach
What are some countermeasures for Cyber Attacks?
Even though there is no guaranteed method of preventing a cyber attack, there are some industry best practices that may be followed to lower the risk of an attack. They are:
- Setting up strong defensive systems such as firewalls to protect the network and installing anti-virus and anti-malware software for an added layer of protection.
- Setting up strict cybersecurity guidelines and password policies to make sure the factor of human error is minimized. Focusing on awareness campaigns to instil a strong sense of digital hygiene amongst the users.
- Setting up surveillance and detection programs for proactive threat identification and an early warning system.
- Training and educating individuals can be perhaps the most important countermeasure to ensure that people are aware of the possible threats and scenarios and know how they can contribute in protecting their organization.
Partner with ThriveDX
Now your University/ Institute can partner with ThriveDX to offer the Cybint Cybersecurity bootcamp and become a premier hub for cybersecurity education in the country. We offer world-class cybersecurity education and training to equip students with all skills required to remain protected and secure in cyberspace.
