Cyber-attacks have become increasingly sophisticated, posing significant risks to individuals and organisations alike. Below, we explore six common types of cyber-attacks, outlining how they operate and some steps you can take to protect yourself against them.
Phishing Attacks
According to the National Cyber Security Centre, phishing is where attackers impersonate legitimate organisations through emails, texts, or websites to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information.
The best defence against phishing is to be vigilant and sceptical of unsolicited requests for personal information.
Malware Attacks
These attacks often occur through infected email attachments, compromised websites or malicious downloads. Once installed, malware can disrupt operations, steal data or provide unauthorised access to the attacker.
To protect against malware, it is crucial to keep all software up to date, use antivirus programmes and avoid clicking on suspicious links.
Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks
A Denial of Service (DoS) attack aims to overwhelm a website or network by flooding it with excessive traffic, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users.
Protecting against DoS attacks involves deploying network security measures such as firewalls and traffic filtering systems.
For those interested in learning more about a website security check, consider a specialist such as https://www.etempa.co.uk/website-security-checks.
SQL Injection
SQL Injection is a web-hacking technique whereby data in a website’s database is altered by inserting malicious SQL code into a query.
Ensuring that your website uses prepared statements and parameterised queries is crucial in defending against SQL injection attacks.
Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks
In a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack, the attackers eavesdrop on the communication between two parties, sometimes impersonating one of them. This is often done on insecure public networks where attackers can hijack sessions and steal sensitive data.
The use of encryption protocols, such as SSL/TLS, and avoiding unsecured public Wi-Fi networks can help protect against MitM attacks.
Password Attacks
Password attacks involve attempts to gain unauthorised access to a system by cracking a user’s password. Methods include brute force attacks, dictionary attacks and credential stuffing.
To avoid these risks, it is essential to use strong, unique passwords, enable multi-factor authentication and regularly update passwords.