There are many types of cyberattacks that occur in the modern world. If we know the different types of cyberattacks, it becomes easier to protect our networks and systems from them. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the most common cyberattacks in 2024, which can affect both individuals and large businesses, depending on their scale.
– Virus attacks
This is one of the most common types of cyberattacks. These are malicious software viruses, including network worms, spyware, ransomware, adware, and trojans.
– Phishing attack
This is a type of social engineering where an attacker poses as a trusted person and sends fake emails to the victim.
– Password attack
This is a form of attack where a hacker cracks your password using various cracking programs and tools such as Aircrack, Cain, Abel, John the Ripper, Hashcat, etc. There are different types of password attacks such as brute force attacks, dictionary attacks, and keylogger attacks.
– Man-in-the-middle attack
A Man-in-the-Middle Attack (MITM) is also known as an eavesdropping attack. In this attack, an attacker interferes with two-way communication, i.e. intercepts the communication session between the client and the host.
– SQL injection attack
A Structured Query Language (SQL) attack occurs on a database-driven website when a hacker manipulates a standard SQL query. It is carried out by injecting malicious code into the search string of a vulnerable website, causing the server to reveal important information.
– Denial of service (DOS) attack
Denial of service attacks are a significant threat to companies. Attackers attack systems, servers, or networks and flood them with traffic to exhaust their resources and bandwidth.
– Insider threat
As the name implies, an insider threat is not about a third party, but about an insider. In this case, it could be someone from within the organisation who knows everything about the organisation. Insider threats can cause huge losses.
– Cryptojacking
The term ‘cryptojacking’ is closely related to cryptocurrency. Cryptojacking occurs when attackers gain access to someone else’s computer to mine cryptocurrency.
– Zero-day attack
A Zero-Day Exploit occurs after a network vulnerability is announced; in most cases, there is no solution to this vulnerability. Therefore, the vendor reports the vulnerability so that users are aware of it; however, this news also reaches attackers.
– Watering Hole attack
The victim here is a certain group of organisations, region, etc. In this attack, the attacker selects websites that are frequently used by the target group. The websites are identified either through careful monitoring of the group or through guesswork.
– Spoofing.
An attacker pretends to be someone else to gain access to confidential information and perform malicious acts. For example, they may spoof an email address or network address.
– Identity-based attacks
Identity-based attacks are carried out to steal or manipulate the personal information of others, such as stealing someone’s PIN to gain unauthorised access to their systems.
– Code injection attacks
They are carried out by inserting malicious code into data manipulation software. For example, an attacker inserts malicious code into a SQL database to steal data.
– Supply chain attacks
The use of vulnerabilities in supply chain software or hardware to collect sensitive information.
– DNS tunnelling
An attacker uses the Domain Name System (DNS) to bypass security measures and communicate with a remote server.
– DNS spoofing
A cyber attack in which an attacker manipulates a website’s DNS records to control its traffic.
– Attacks based on the Internet of Things
Exploiting vulnerabilities in the Internet of Things (IoT), such as smart thermostats and security cameras, to steal data.
– Ransomware
Encrypts the victim’s data and demands payment in exchange for it.
– Distributed denial of service (DDos) attacks
Flooding a website with traffic to make it inaccessible to legitimate users and exploit vulnerabilities in a specific network.
– Spamming
Sending out unauthentic emails to spread phishing scams.