Types of Cyberattacks To Look Out For | CCT Telecomm

There are plenty of risks associated with running a business, but few are as potentially damaging as a cyberattack. If these threats only came in one form, they would be easy to prevent, but that’s not the case. Unfortunately, there are various types of cyberattacks that all pose a unique danger to your business. Learn about some of the more common types of cyberattacks and how to prevent them to keep your network secure.

What Types of Cyberattacks Should I Know About?

From eavesdropping on your communications to creating backdoors in your network, cyberthreats can be designed to do a variety of things. Similarly, the goals of these attacks vary greatly as well, depending on the intentions of the cybercriminal. That’s why it’s necessary to implement a complete cybersecurity solution that can protect your business from every angle.

For example, CCT Telecomm offers comprehensive managed security services that identify cybersecurity threats before they become a problem. With this service, we proactively monitor your network 24/7, keeping an eye out for suspicious activity. This way, any threat that tries to invade your systems is dealt with immediately.

While investing in a cybersecurity service can greatly boost your security posture, it’s important to know that no solution can guarantee 100% protection. However, you can get pretty close if you use these services while building your own cybersecurity awareness. To help you on your cybersecurity awareness journey, we’ve created a list of some of the different types of cyberattacks you should know about.

Man-in-the-Middle Attack

A man-in-the-middle attack (MITM) occurs when a hacker puts themselves in the middle of communications between a user and a server. The hacker secretly intercepts whatever is being sent to the server. Depending on what’s being discussed, the cybercriminal can steal anything from personal information to login credentials.

Man-in-the-middle attack prevention starts with communication encryption. In fact, MITM attacks have been on the decline ever since most email and chat systems began making end-to-end encryption standard. This prevents third parties from tampering with the data that’s being transmitted across the network. However, it is still a common type of attack

DoS and DDoS Attacks

A denial of service (DoS) attack is a malicious attempt to overwhelm a system’s resources with traffic. It works by interrupting a web property’s normal functions to the point that it’s unable to respond to service requests. A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack is also an assault on system resources. However, DDoS attacks are launched from host machines that have been infected by malware and are controlled by the hacker.

Unlike most other forms of cyberattacks, DoS and DDoS attacks don’t usually provide tangible benefits for the hacker. They’re often carried out simply to disrupt an organization’s online operations. To prevent DDoS attacks, you can boost your transit and server capacity, detect and stop abnormal traffic, and deploy firewalls.

Ransomware

A common type of cyberattack that has made headlines over the last two years is ransomware. This is a type of malware that encrypts your files, applications, or even operating system (OS). As a result, you may get locked out of the programs you need to do your job.

It’s called ransomware because the criminal demands a ransom before they agree to decrypt your system. While you may be tempted to pay the ransom, it’s recommended that you don’t. By paying the hacker, you only encourage them. To prevent ransomware, it helps to have a data backup plan, network monitoring, and an intrusion detection system.

Phishing

One of the most prolific types of cyberattacks is the phishing scam. Phishing is a form of social engineering, meaning that it’s something designed to manipulate individuals. The goal of a phishing scam is to gather sensitive data, such as login credentials, credit card information, and so on.

Phishing is usually done through fraudulent messages masquerading as authentic-looking bulk emails. You can protect yourself from phishing by setting up filters for your inbox and building cybersecurity awareness.

Internet of Things Attacks

Internet of things (IoT) refers to smart technology, devices that have embedded computing devices that are able to share information with other technology. At this moment, IoT devices are generally less secure than most modern operating systems, and hackers are keen to exploit their vulnerabilities. A hacker may target these devices to make them malfunction, or they could be used to launch a large-scale DDoS attack.

A few steps you can take to protect your business from IoT attacks include:

– Changing default passwords
– Using multi-factor authentication
– Establishing strong Wi-Fi encryption
– Regularly updating your software

Cross Site Scripting

A lesser known, but widespread cyberthreat that has been causing a lot of trouble is the cross site scripting (XSS) attack. This type of cyberattack is what’s known as an injection attack, when a hacker creates malicious input and injects it into a program. Once injected, the code is processed, altering the execution of said program. In this case, malicious input is injected into a website, generally in the form of a browser side script, and is sent to the user’s device after the website is visited.

This type of cyberattack is particularly dangerous because it can lead to a variety of problems like data theft/loss, loss of data integrity, denial of service, and a fully compromised system. Thankfully, there are a few ways to protect against cross site scripting, including:

– Filtering code on arrival
– Encoding data on output
– Using appropriate response headers
– Using a content security policy

Protect Your Network From Cyberattacks

Don’t let a cyberattack bring your business down—protect it with cybersecurity from CCT Telecomm. We offer a range of cybersecurity solutions to defend your network from all types of cyberattacks. With us by your side, you can rest easy knowing your IT is secure.

Different Types of Cyberattacks To Look Out For