Cybercriminals target individuals as well as organisations. Outlined below are some of the main types of cyberattacks to be aware of.
Malware Attacks
Malicious software attacks are intrusive or hostile files or programs that are specially designed to exploit devices in a way that benefits the attacker but harms the user. There are a range of different types of malware, with the most common being rootkits, trojans, spyware, and ransomware.
Ransomware Attacks
These programs take over a user’s system and encrypt files. They are usually installed when a user opens a fake email attachment or visits a malicious website. Once installed, they then lock files and demand a ‘ransom’ in order to provide the encryption key to restore access.
The cyberattackers will often also threaten to leak data in order to add extra pressure on the victim to pay up.
A number of large organisations have been victims of ransomware attacks, including the NHS and Royal Mail. In 2023, more than 317 million ransomware attacks were recorded.
Password Attacks
Passwords remain the main way of logging in to online accounts. Cyberattackers utilise a number of different methods to obtain passwords, including brute-force attacks, dictionary attacks, social engineering, keylogging and password-sniffing. They may also attempt to breach an organisation’s database of user credentials including passwords.
DDoS Attacks
A distributed denial-of-service attack, known as DDoS for short, is a coordinated effort to compromise/crash a website or server. It does this by sending millions of simultaneous requests. AI is now being used to undertake these attacks.
Web Security Experts
If you feel your website could do with a professional check-up, there are a number of specialists such as etempa.co.uk/website-security-checks/ who can offer various website security checks.
Phishing Attacks
Many people will have seen phishing attempts. They often involve emails purporting to be from banks or other reputable organisations. They will have links in them that are fake, or attachments that contain malware etc. They will usually ask for valuable information such as passwords, credit card details, or even intellectual property.