Cybersecurity basics: common types of cybersecurity attacks

In today's digital age, cybersecurity is no longer just a technical issue, but a critical component of our daily lives. As technology evolves, so too do the methods employed by cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities, often focusing on the human element of security. This article outlines several common types of cybersecurity attacks that individuals and organizations should be aware of in order to better protect themselves.

1. Social Engineering

   Social engineering is the art of manipulating people so they give up confidential information. The types of information these criminals are seeking can vary, but when individuals are targeted, the criminals are usually trying to trick you into giving them your passwords or bank information, or access your computer to secretly install malicious software—that will give them access to your passwords and bank information as well as giving them control over your computer.

   
   

   
   

   
   
   More advanced reading:https://phoenixnap.com/blog/social-engineering-examples

   
   

2. Phishing Phishing attacks are the process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Typically carried out through email or instant messaging, it often directs users to enter personal information at a fake website which matches the look and feel of the legitimate site.

More advanced reading: https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/articles/s/the-history-of-phishing/

3. Spear Phishing Spear phishing is a more sophisticated form of phishing, where the attack is tailored and directed towards specific individuals or companies. These emails may appear to come from a trusted source and often incorporate personal information to bypass initial skepticism.

More advanced reading: https://hempsteadny.gov/635/Famous-Phishing-Incidents-from-History

4. Whaling A whaling attack is a form of phishing targeted at senior executives and other high-profile targets within businesses. Here, the content will be crafted to target an upper manager and the message might look like a legal subpoena, customer complaint, or executive issue.

   
   

More advanced reading: https://www.fortinet.com/resources/cyberglossary/whaling-attack

5. Vishing Vishing is the telephone equivalent of phishing. It is described as using voice communication to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The scammer usually pretends to be a legitimate business, and fools the victim into thinking they will profit.

   
   

More advanced reading: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/topics/security/what-is-vishing.html

6. Tailgating and Piggybacking These methods involve an unauthorized person physically following an authorized person into a restricted area. In tailgating, the unauthorized person follows without the authorized person’s knowledge; in piggybacking, the authorized person actually helps the unauthorized one gain access.

   
   

More advanced reading: https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/internet-security/what-are-tailgating-attacks

7. Impersonation: Fake Identities This involves an attacker pretending to be someone else to gain unauthorized access to systems, data, or networks. Impersonation can be as simple as stealing a user ID and password or as complex as creating a fabricated identity to infiltrate an organization.

   
   

More advanced reading: https://www.upguard.com/blog/impersonation-attack

8. Dumpster Diving In this attack, hackers sift through trash bins to find discarded but sensitive information that can be used in further attacks—this could include paperwork containing personal details, passwords, corporate information, etc.

   
   

More advanced reading: https://www.palisade.email/resources-post/understanding-dumpster-diving-a-comprehensive-guide-to-this-cybersecurity-threat

9. Shoulder Surfing This occurs when someone watches you enter sensitive information on a keypad or computer screen. It is a direct observation technique, such as looking over someone's shoulder, to get information like passwords and PIN numbers.

   
   

More advanced reading: https://www.keepersecurity.com/blog/2023/07/26/what-is-shoulder-surfing/

10. Hoaxes and Watering Hole Attacks Hoaxes are messages that trick the recipient into believing something false and often prompt them to part with confidential information or infect their systems with malware. Meanwhile, watering hole attacks target entire groups by infecting websites they are known to use with malware.

More advanced reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus_hoax

Understanding these types of cybersecurity threats is the first step in protecting yourself from them. Awareness, combined with proactive measures and good security practices, can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to cyber attacks.

References

• Human generated text revision by ChatGPT
• Various videos from youtube.com - links provided above
• Cybersecurity articles as linked above