{"id":783,"date":"2024-10-30T04:02:41","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T04:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/?p=783"},"modified":"2024-10-30T04:02:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T04:02:41","slug":"what-is-a-cyberattack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/?p=783","title":{"rendered":"What is a cyberattack?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is a cyberattack?<\/h2>\n

Cyberattacks aim to damage or gain control or access to important documents and systems within a business or personal computer network.<\/p>\n

Cyberattacks are distributed by individuals or organizations for political, criminal, or personal intentions to destroy or gain access to classified information.<\/p>\n

Here are some examples of cyberattacks:<\/p>\n

Malware<\/p>\n

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack<\/p>\n

Phishing<\/p>\n

SQL injection attacks<\/p>\n

Cross-site scripting (XSS)<\/p>\n

Botnets<\/p>\n

Ransomware<\/p>\n

Using reliable software and a solid cyber strategy can lower the chances of a business or personal database being affected by a cyberattack.<\/p>\n

What are the different types of cyberattacks and threats?<\/h2>\n

Cyberattacks come in various forms through computer networks and systems. Malware and phishing are two cyberattack examples used to gain control of sensitive data from businesses and personal electronic devices. Learn about the types of cyberattacks and their effect on recent technology.<\/p>\n

Malware<\/h3>\n

Malware<\/a>, or malicious software, disguises itself as a trusted email attachment or program (i.e., encrypted document or file folder) to exploit viruses and allow hackers into a computer network. This type of cyberattack often disrupts an entire IT network. Some examples of malware are trojans, spyware, worms, viruses, and adware.<\/p>\n

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack<\/h3>\n

A\u00a0DDoS attack<\/a>\u00a0is when several hacked computer systems target a site or network and deny the user experience on that specific website or network. For example, hundreds of pop-ups, advertisements, and even a crashing site can contribute to a DDoS attack on a compromised server.<\/p>\n

Phishing<\/h3>\n

Phishing<\/a>\u00a0is the act of sending fraudulent emails on behalf of reputable companies. Hackers use phishing to gain access to data on a personal or business\u2019 network.<\/p>\n

SQL injection attacks<\/h3>\n

An SQL injection attack is when a cybercriminal exploits software by taking advantage of apps (i.e., LinkedIn, Target) to steal, delete, or gain control of data.<\/p>\n

Cross-site scripting (XSS)<\/h3>\n

Cross-site scripting (XSS) is when a cybercriminal sends a \u201cscript-injected\u201d or spammed website link to your inbox, and it\u2019s opened\u2014releasing personal information to said criminal.<\/p>\n

Botnets<\/h3>\n

Botnets are when multiple computers, normally on a private network, are infected with viruses and other forms of malicious software, I.e., pop-up messages or spam.<\/p>\n

Ransomware<\/h3>\n

Ransomware<\/a>\u00a0is a type of malicious software, or malware, that threatens a victim by destroying or blocking access to critical data or systems until a ransom is paid.<\/p>\n

Recent cyberattacks and trends<\/h2>\n

Cyberattacks are common and a popular topic of interest, especially when being reported by media outlets. Most of these cyberattacks have affected thousands, if not millions, of the general population. This includes cyberattacks on social media platforms, websites that house personal data, and more.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the most recent cyberattacks and trends from the past decade:<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0United States Office of Personnel Management<\/h3>\n

Noted as \u201cone of the most significant data breaches in US history,\u201d the US Office of Personnel Management was hacked in April 2015 costing 21.5M investigations, 19.7M applicants that applied for an investigation, and 5.6M fingerprints to be stolen.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Equifax<\/h3>\n

In 2017, Equifax failed to correct network vulnerability by properly securing their data. This led to over 147.9M customers in the United States, UK, and Canada getting their credit card details and social security numbers stolen by hackers.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Russian cyberattacks<\/h3>\n

Within the past year, over 58% of all cyberattacks observed by Microsoft have been attributed to hackers in Russia. Their hackers have been effective in stealing data from other countries with a 32% success rate in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 CNA Financial<\/h3>\n

Insurance company CNA Financial was hit with a ransomware attack in March 2021, leaving employees locked out of internal systems and resources. The cyber hackers also stole valuable data, reportedly resulting in a USD$40 million settlement paid by CNA Financial.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Colonial Pipeline<\/h3>\n

When the Colonial Pipeline Company was hacked on May 7, 2021, all operations were shut down to contain the attack. In order to restore the computerized system used to manage oil pipelines throughout the southeastern United States, Colonial Pipeline paid the hackers a ransom of 75 bitcoins (equivalent to USD$4.4 million at the time). This cyberattack was the largest in U.S. history to target oil infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Cryptocurrency<\/h3>\n

In March and April 2022, three different lending protocols came under cyberattack. In the span of one week, hackers stole USD$15.6 million worth of cryptocurrency from Inverse Finance, USD$625 million from gaming-focused Ronin Network, and USD$3.6 million from Ola Finance.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is a cyberattack? Cyberattacks aim to damage or gain control or access to important documents and systems within a business or personal computer network. Cyberattacks are distributed by individuals or organizations for political, criminal, or personal intentions to destroy or gain access to classified information. Here are some examples of cyberattacks: Malware Distributed Denial-of-Service […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cybersecurityinfocus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}