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An Overview of Cyber Security
Cybersecurity is a set of processes, best practices, and technology solutions that help you protect critical systems, data, and network from digital attacks.
As data has proliferated and more people work and connect from anywhere, bad actors have responded by developing a broad array of expertise and skills. Every year the number of cyberattacks increases as adversaries continue to evolve their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) and scale their operations.
This ever-evolving threat landscape necessitates that organizations create a dynamic, ongoing cybersecurity program to stay resilient and adapt to emerging risks. An effective cybersecurity program includes people, processes, and technology solutions to reduce the risk of business disruption, data theft, financial loss, and reputational damage from an attack.
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Types of Cyber Security Threats
Malware—like Viruses, Worms, Ransomware, Spyware
Malware is a catchall term for any malicious software, including worms, ransomware, spyware, and viruses. It is designed to cause harm to computers or networks by altering or deleting files, extracting sensitive data like passwords and account numbers, or sending malicious emails or traffic. Malware may be installed by an attacker who gains access to the network, but often, individuals unwittingly deploy malware on their devices or company network after clicking on a bad link or downloading an infected attachment.
Malware is often used to establish a foothold in a network, creating a backdoor that lets cyberattackers move laterally within the system. It can also be used to steal data or encrypt files in ransomware attacks.
Denial-of-Service (DoS) and Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks
A DoS attack seeks to overwhelm a system or network, making it unavailable to users. DDoS attacks use multiple devices to flood a target with traffic, causing service interruptions or complete shutdowns.
Phishing and Social Engineering Attacks
In social engineering, attackers take advantage of people’s trust to dupe them into handing over account information or downloading malware. In these attacks, bad actors masquerade as a known brand, coworker, or friend and use psychological techniques such as creating a sense of urgency to get people to do what they want.
Phishing is a type of social engineering that uses emails, text messages, or voicemails that appear to be from a reputable source and ask users to click on a link that requires them to login—allowing the attacker to steal their credentials. Some phishing campaigns are sent to a huge number of people in the hope that one person will click. Other campaigns, called spear phishing, are more targeted and focus on a single person. For example, an adversary might pretend to be a job seeker to trick a recruiter into downloading an infected resume. More recently, AI has been used in phishing scams to make them more personalized, effective, and efficient, which makes them harder to detect.
Advance Persistent Threats (APTs)
APTs involve attackers gaining unauthorized access to a network and remaining undetected for extended periods. ATPs are also known as multistage attacks, and are often carried out by nation-state actors or established threat actor groups. Their goal is to steal data or sabotage the system over time, often targeting governments or large corporations. ATPs employ multiple other types of attacks—including phishing, malware, identity attacks—to gain access. Human-operated ransomware is a common type of APT.
Business Email Compromise
Business email compromise is a type of is a type of phishing attack where an attacker compromises the email of a legitimate business or trusted partner and sends phishing emails posing as a senior executive attempting to trick employees into transferring money or sensitive data to them.
Ransomware
Ransomware, also known as cyber extortion, is a type of malware that encrypts a victim’s data and demands payment (often in cryptocurrency) to restore access. Cyber extortion can have devastating financial and reputational consequences for businesses and individuals.
There are two main types of ransomware attacks: commodity-based ransomware and human-operated ransomware. Commodity-based attacks are typically automated and indiscriminate, targeting a wide range of victims using mass-distributed malware. In contrast, human-operated ransomware is a more targeted approach where attackers manually infiltrate and navigate networks, often spending weeks in systems to maximize the impact and potential payout of the attack.
Identity Threats
Identity threats involve malicious efforts to steal or misuse personal or organizational identities that allow the attacker to access sensitive information or move laterally within the network. Brute force attacks are attempts to guess passwords by trying many combinations. Credential theft occurs when attackers steal login details, often through phishing, allowing them to login as an authorized user and access accounts and sensitive inform.
Insider Threats
Insider threats come from individuals within an organization who either accidentally or maliciously compromise security. These threats may arise from disgruntled employees or those with access to sensitive information. This can include an employee downloading data to share with a competitor or accidentally sending sensitive data without encryption over a compromised channel.
The Future of Cyber Security
The cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve with new threats and opportunities emerging, including
- AI and Machine Learning:
AI, machine learning, and generative AI are transforming cybersecurity with real-time threat detection, automated incident response, and the ability to predict how potential vulnerabilities could be exploited in an attack. Generative AI enhances these capabilities by simulating attack scenarios, analyzing vast data sets to uncover patterns, and helping security teams stay one step ahead in a constantly evolving threat landscape.
- Cloud Security Challenges and Solutions:
As more businesses migrate to the cloud, they face challenges in securing distributed environments. Solutions like multi-factor authentication, encryption, and access controls are essential for protecting cloud-based assets.
- Supply Chain Security:
Supply chain attacks, such as those targeting third-party vendors, are becoming more common. Organizations must vet their suppliers and implement security measures to protect their supply chains from compromise.
