In the current generation, man has come up with various advancements to make life easier for our day-to-day living.
A good example is the advancement of digital services; the internet has made it very convenient for a man to perform multiple tasks with just a click. But with every advancement, there is a security threat posed. The internet has tried to find solutions to these problems.
However, various types of threats pose a big danger to the security of data and user information on the internet. Most of these threats are referred to as cyber security threats.
A cyber security threat is a threat that has the potential for negative action. These threats can be experienced when they are facilitated by certain vulnerabilities in the computer system. Cyber security threats enable an unwanted impact on an application or the actual computer system.
In the article below, we will list down some commonly used cyber security threats and steps you, as the user, can take to prevent yourself from falling victim. Have you been asking yourself what are the types of cyberattacks? We have listed them for you below.
Table of Contents
What Are The Eight Cyber Security Threats?
- Malware
- Ransomware
- Trojan horse
- Spyware
- SQL injection
- Computer virus
- Phishing attack
- Man in the middle attack.
Main Types Of Cyber Security Threats:
Ransomware
It is a system that limits you as a user by cutting off your access to the system with malware. They then proceed to ask you for a ransom to let you get access to your data. The payment is usually done through a system you cannot track—enabling them to get away with it every time.
Distributed Denial Of Service (DDoS) Attack
You might have been wondering what are the main threats to cyber security. Here is a threat that is mostly experienced by many users. A DDoS attack is a security threat that overwhelms an online service and makes it unavailable by giving it excess traffic and overwhelming it in the process.
The traffic is sourced from various locations. Due to high traffic, the response time of websites could be faster. A large network of devices that are affected creates what is called Botnets by planting malware. A DDoS’s main aim is to act as a distraction while other crimes are committed amidst the chaos.
Spam & Phishing
Spams are messages and e-mails that are unsolicited or unwanted by the final intended user. Phishing, on the other hand, is an attempt at social engineering to attain vital sensitive information regarding the targeted user.
Criminals pretend to be officials or representatives from various organizations to phish your information. They often use links to fake websites to entangle you with their lies. Often, most of the targets end up giving out sensitive private information without even knowing it.
Most sites will appear completely legal and legitimate, but all the information entered goes directly to the criminal’s database. The three mentioned threats are among the most experienced cyber security threats.
Ways To Prevent Cyber Attacks:
Use a VPN
A VPN is a software meant to encrypt your data and render it inaccessible to third-party providers; this makes it harder for cybercriminals to access your data online. It also re-routes all your data through secure servers provided by the service provider. All you need is a credible download link to access a good VPN.
There are various VPN apps available on the internet. VPNs for PC are also available for all PC users. One has to select suitable software and download VPN for the PC on their device. The advantage of using a VPN is that most of the applications are completely free to the users.
Therefore, you do not need to worry about monthly premiums since you can get a free account.
Train Your Staff
The most common way criminals use is manipulating your staff into revealing compromising information. They often achieve this by using fraudulent e-mails and can even further impersonate someone in your organization.
So to ensure your staff has a keen eye when it comes to such situations, you should ensure they undergo rigorous training to ensure they are aware of the various ways cybercriminals.
They should also understand tactics used by scammers to infiltrate so that you can notice when they try these tactics on you or one of their employees.
Keep Your Software And Systems Fully Up To Date
Most cyberattacks occur when companies use outdated software, which is generally easier to infiltrate. Outdated software leaves various weaknesses of which the criminals are fully aware. They exploit these weaknesses and use them to their advantage.
Once they have taken over and gained full access to your network, it will be too late to do anything to salvage your information. To ensure this does not happen to you, you should always keep all your software updated and up to date.
Doing this will reduce your potential chances of falling prey to cybercriminals.
Ensure Endpoint Protection
Endpoint protection is protection meant to safeguard networks connected to other devices like phones, laptops and tablets. Most of the time, these bridged connections act as access paths to cyber criminals.
They consider them as weak links since they are easy to infiltrate. All these devices bridged should be protected with endpoint user software that is specially created for this purpose. Doing this will ensure your system is secure and safe.
Control Access To Your Systems
One of the ways through which they can infiltrate most systems is by physically logging in. A stranger can walk into your premise and plug in a USB drive and gain access to your information or affect it with malware.
So it is essential in your organization to know who has access to your data so that you won’t be affected by such threats. You should ensure a small security circle of trustworthy and loyal employees.
Doing this will help you a great deal in ensuring your information is safe and inaccessible to all cyber criminals.
We hope the above article was helpful and has given you essential highlights on cyber security and how to ensure you are at the top of your game in providing you are safe. We hope you got found the content that you were looking for to help you solve cyber security threats.
Good luck!
