Contents
Introduction
Every system administrator is worried about hackers. This is because hackers obtain unauthorized access to their system, stealing critical information, locking some files and leaking proprietary data to the public.
Honestly, it can be a daunting task for companies to try to recover from such attacks. The breaching of data that occurred at Equifax in 2017 is regarded as one of the costly cyber attacks in history, costing the business more than $275 million.
And even though the effects of hacking may not be high in your business, you cannot escape unscathed. Whether it is the loss of crucial information, federal sanctions or damaged reputation, cyber attacks are always destructive.
But there are different types of cyber attacks available today. They use different methods to attain desired ends, and thus different prevention strategies should be used to tame them.
Here are some of the top cyber attacks that you are likely to encounter in 2018.
Cyber Attack #1: Ransomware
Just as its name suggests, ransomware is the new form of digital kidnapping. But how does it work?
A hacker can introduce a ransom file onto your servers. Usually, the hacker will use some phishing methods which will cause a user in your system to receive an email with the ransomed file attached. Of course, the ransomed file does not look malicious at first. It seems legit like the other emails they receive regularly.
When the user finally opens the ransomed file, it locks and encrypts crucial information on their servers or computers. When they try to access these essential files, the hackers send them a message that they must pay a certain amount using untraceable Bitcoin before they are allowed to open them.
This type of cyber attack has been on the rise with statistics showing that it grew up to 2502% in 2017. Hackers target organizations or companies that need quick access to files such as government agencies or health facilities.
Cyber Attack #2: Internet of Things
The Internet of Things consists of all digital items that have never been able to be connected to the internet in the past. We are talking about items like thermostats, cars, and appliances amongst many other items. While these items make our life easier and comfortable, they can also make your business or company more susceptible to attacks.
The unfortunate thing is that these items are riddled with some security gaps which hackers can use without your knowledge. If thousands of IoT devices are coordinated for any attack, then it can create catastrophe and chaos on a large scale.
Cyber Attack #3: Social Engineering and Phishing
Social engineering and phishing are the oldest forms of hacking that still exists today. This is where hackers pose as legitimate instructions to trick users to enter sensitive information.
For instance, a hacker can email all your employees posing as an administrator, requesting them to reset their passwords and other crucial information. A link that is included in this email directs your employees to a page that is almost similar to your password reset pages, including fields for the old password and username.
This type of cyber attack will continue to thrive because people do not change .Hackers will devise ways of deceiving people to give sensitive information, no matter how many prevention strategies we try to introduce.
Cyber Attack #4: Cracking
This is where hackers make use of high-powered software to enter millions of potential passwords hoping that they will find one that will be easier to crack.
And we understand that most people use simple passwords to sign in to their system. While system administrators are encouraging people to develop complex passwords, cracking cyber attacks will still be there for people who use simple passwords.
Cyber Attack #5: Man in the Middle
This type of cyber attack occurs when one of your employees conducts business in a place that has
an unsecured wireless network. Hackers may be able to get some of the sensitive information that the employee is sending from his laptop or computer.
How to prevent Cyber Attacks
There are several precautions you can take to ensure that your data is safe such training your workers on security basics regularly, encourage employees to use VPN on their devices or purchasing the latest security-related software.
If you want to safeguard your company, then you are going to use available techniques such as
chroot user separation, malware scanning amongst other restoration processes when there is a breach.
If you want to learn more about cyber attacks, then visit this site https://pagely.com/blog/cyber-attacks-in-2018/ for more information.
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