The Web’s Seven Most Common Cyber Attacks

Disaster can strike at any time from any angle and in practically any form. Your network is always crawling with dangers that can compromise your most valuable assets. This includes passwords, business plans, financial information, and practically any other type of sensitive data that you can think of. Whether it’s ransomware, a phishing attack, or any other cyber crime, you should expect to be on your toes at pretty much all times of the day.

These are some of the most popular threats circulating around the web:

Believe it or not, your website has a capacity limit. If too many people are visiting your website at the same time, then it can overload and shut down abruptly. When this happens, there’s a good chance that you are under a DOS attack. This attack is a group effort when multiple attackers get together and visit the same page from different IP addresses. This effort overwhelms the resources of that particular page to the point where service requests will be blocked.

Phishing is a very manipulative tactic. Attackers disguise their identity as someone else, and oftentimes, it appears to be a trustworthy individual. If you get suspicious an urgent email from an authority figure, then be careful when opening it, because chances are that it carries a dangerous link or attachment. These messages usually carry malware or and a variety of other dangerous viruses. If the message asks for you to verify your email address or other contact information, then leave it alone and contact your CIO immediately.

One of the most dangerous forms of cryptography is a man-in-the-middle. MitM attacks occur when communication between two parties is intercepted by unauthorized third-party. This is a very conniving scheme. Attackers are able to read, insert, and modify between a user and its system. The MitM appears to be a trusted agent, who is expected to relay the information to the right source. In reality, though, they are confiscating data for their own personal gain instead. Many times, attackers are actively eavesdropping on the landscape of the web and intercepting sensitive data through network traffic.

Your password is one of the most authentic pieces of data that you should have possession of, but they can be easily seized with brute-force. If your passwords are not protected by encryption software, then they can be easily guessed by unauthorized users. It’s simple logic, just guess word combinations related to the user’s personal life and you’re bound to crack the code at some point. This can be a very tedious approach for someone to gain access to your network. The most effective way to prevent password attacks is to apply account lockout system on your computer.

This is a malicious way to plant malware onto a webpage. Hackers insert scripts into the HTTP code of insecure websites. These scripts install malware traps onto the entire site. When visitors come to the page, they are instantly at risk. Unlike many types of cyber attacks, drive-by threats don’t have to be activated by victims. What this means is that you don’t have to be manipulated into downloading something or click on specific links. The best way to prevent drive-by attacks is to keep your web browsers and operating systems updated. In addition, make sure to limit the number of plug-ins on your computer because the more that are present, the more likely that they can be exploited by drive-by attacks.

Malware is malicious software that is automatically installed on your computer system without your consent. Malware carries a wide range of viruses that are powerful enough to wipe your entire network clean. When malware is installed onto your server, the hacker will be able to take full control of your network, thus enabling them to easily access confidential data. If you suffer a malware attack, then you face a serious risk of losing some of your most valuable assets.

The most notable forms of malware consist of:

• Ransomware
• Trojan horse programs
• Macro viruses
• File infectors
• System infections
• Stealth viruses
• Logic bombs
• Worms
• Droppers

It’s always nice to get a “happy birthday” wish from family, friends, and peers, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. In the world of cybersecurity, “birthday attacks” are some of the harshest algorithms on the web. Birthday messages are the result of a message digest (MD), which is a hash function defect. These cryptographic attacks are rather complex but very dangerous. It’s essentially a math equation and a Madlib given to people who the same birthdays or any other common data points. Victims are manipulated into plugging in information into a questionnaire and this is all orchestrated by a web hacker.