What are the Different Types of Threats to Computer Security?

In today's world, information technology security is substantially important. We spend most of our time on the internet using smart devices. So how do you know if your sensitive data is secure?

That's the reason why using the tools available from top cybersecurity software systems is extremely important. It never hurts to hear security expert advice, which is why we have jotted down this article to arm you with the most useful knowledge for your business or personal information security online.

Security damage in a computer is described as a risk that can potentially harm a company's entire computer system. The reasons could be physical, for instance, stealing vital data from a computer. Or it could be non-physical, for instance, a virus attack. 

If you don't take security measures to keep your computer safe, you and your computer could become a target of cyber security threats. Cybercrimes are those situations when attackers or hackers access your computer for malicious reasons.

You can be the victim of cyber attacks whenever you use an unsecured computer, get a deceptive email stating there is an “urgent situation” regarding your account or just web surfing. 

They might be looking for sensitive data or personal identification information stored on the system, such as personal account logins or credit card numbers they use for financial scams or to access your online services for fraudulent purposes. Or they could seek your computer's resources, involving your internet connection, to enhance their bandwidth for damaging other computer systems. This also permits them to hide their actual location as they launch malware attacks. 

The more computers an attacker hides behind, the more difficult it becomes for law enforcement to find his location. If the criminal can't be located, he can't be stopped. 

There are several security threats to your computer's safety and plenteous of ways a hacker could try to infect your computer by stealing your data. The most famous threats are viruses, Trojan, Rootkit, adware, hackers, Malware, and many more. 

• Computer Virus

A virus is a malicious program that replicates itself, damages the programs and files inside your PC, and makes them non-function. Antivirus software can be an effective way to block known viruses and defend against threats that may come to a system in the form of a virus.

• Scareware

Scareware is malware that tricks people into buying software by displaying false virus notifications. Scareware harmed PC may receive pop-ups for offensive malware threats, and to eliminate those, users are propelled to buy a fake anti-malware program.

• Computer worms

It’s a self-replicating software that disperses malicious codes. Computer worms use your network to send replicas of the original codes to other PCS. It can send/ transfer documents using the email of the computer user.

• Rootkit

A rootkit is thought extremely dangerous as they look legitimate files, but they are files with malicious links to deceive the users. It masks worms and viruses and makes them look like important files from a legitimate user. They are extremely difficult to get rid of, and only an anti-rootkit or antivirus security program can remove them.

• Keylogger

This is also called a keystroke logger. It can track the real-time activity of a computer user on his computer. It runs in the background, stores all keystrokes made by a legitimate user, and broadcasts the hacker to steal private data and banking details.

Common security threats can be theft of intellectual property, software attacks, information or equipment, identity theft, information extortion, and sabotage. "Threat," as the name says, can be anything that can take leverage of a vulnerability to break security and harm, erase or negatively change objects or sensitive data. 

In recent years, many high-profile cyber-attacks have led to sensitive data being breached.

For instance, the 2017 Equifax breach lost the personal information of almost 143 million clients, including addresses, birth dates, social security numbers. Marriott international disclosed in 2018 that some malicious insiders gained unauthorized access to its servers and ripped off the information of roughly 500 million clients. 

In both cases, the cybersecurity threat was enabled by the company's lack of knowledge of cybersecurity protocols or their failure to implement the protocols or other technical strategies such as firewalls, authentication, and encryption.  Cyber attackers can use a company’s or a person’s sensitive data to gather information or gain unauthorized access to their financial data, among other potential risks, which is why cyber security professionals are important to keep private data protected. 

Cyber security professionals must have an in-depth understanding of these 7 types of cyber security threats and there are security software to help protect computers, devices, and more.

1.     Malware – Malware is a malicious program, for instance, ransomware, spyware, worms, and viruses. Malware runs in a system when a user clicks on some malicious link or document, which results in dangerous software installation.

According to Accenture, the average cost of a malware attack is USD 2.6 million. 

Cisco stated that malware after activation can:

• Install extra dangerous software
• Block access to core components of the network
• Under-cover obtain data by broadcasting information from the hard drive
• Cut off individual parts, making the system non-active

2.     Denial of Service – a DoS (denial of service) is a form of cyberattack that floods a network or computer so it can't respond to the commands. A broadcasted DoS (DDoS) does the same, but the attack starts from a computer network. Attackers usually use a flood attack to interrupt the “handshake” procedure and execute a DoS. 

Many other techniques might be used, and some cyber attackers use the time when a network is disabled to launch newer threats/ attacks. A botnet is a form of DDoS in which millions of systems can be damaged with malware and controlled by an attacker. Botnets are also known as zombie systems that target and overpower a target's processing ability. Botnets are in multiple geographic locations and are extremely difficult to trace.  

3.     Emotet – the CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) explains Emotet as “a modern, modular banking Trojan that mainly functions as a dropper or a downloader of other banking Trojans. Emotet keeps on being among the most destructive and expensive.

4.     Phishing – Phishing attacks use false communication, such as a document, an email, to deceive the receiver into unfolding it and executing the instructions inside, such as giving a credit card number. The objective is to steal sensitive information like login information and a credit card or install spyware or malware on the user's machine.

5.     Man in the middle – a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack happens when attackers inject themselves into a two-party transaction. After cutting off the traffic, they can steal data and filter, as stated by Cisco. Man-in-the-middle attacks usually occur when an outsider uses an unsafe public Wi-Fi network. Hackers add themselves between the network and the visitor and then spyware/ malware to install a program and use information maliciously.

According to Netcraft, 95% of HTTPS servers are vulnerable to MitM. 

6.     Passwords attacks – with the correct password, a hacker or cyber attacker has unauthorized access to a wealth of data. Social engineering is a form of password attack defined as a strategy hackers/ attackers use that depends strongly on human interactions and usually includes playing tricks on people into breaking standard security measures.

7.     Phishing – Phishing attacks refer to a method of social engineering to collect sensitive information such as credit card numbers, usernames, passwords. The attacks usually come as phishing emails or instant messages to appear from a legitimate user. The recipient of the mail is tricked into opening the malicious link, resulting in malware on his computer. It can also collect personal data by broadcasting an email that seems to be sent from a bank, asking to enter your private details for verification.

According to Stealth Labs, Phishing attack accounts for over 80% of reported cyber incidents and more than 71% of targeted attacks involve the use of spear phishing. 

8.     SQL Injection – an SQL (structured query language) injection is a form of cyberattack that happens because of inserting malicious code into a server when using SQL.

Stealth Labs asserts that SQL injection accounts for nearly 65.1% of all web application attacks.

When damaged, the serve leaks data. Injecting a malicious code can be as simple as getting entry into a susceptible website search box. 

A security threat is an everlasting vulnerability or risk in your system that attackers can use to harm the system or data. This involves susceptibility in the software and server connecting businesses to clients also a business network and people.

A susceptibility that hasn’t been worked is a vulnerability that hasn’t been used yet. These are the three most common security threats of internet security issues and some essential steps you can take for data and business protection through hardware and software security systems.

1.     Ransomware Attacks

The objective of a ransomware attack is to get exclusive control of essential data. The attacker encrypts and holds your information and then demands a ransom payment to exchange for the decryption key you require to access the files. The attacker can also download your information and threaten you to leak sensitive details publicly if you don't pay the amount by a particular deadline. Ransomware is a form of attack you're most likely to see reported in big news media. 

The user must have a frequent and thorough backup of crucial information in a safer location to prevent ransomware attacks. The attackers no longer have the leverage with a strong backup and effective recovery plan, permitting you to erase and reinstall the affected data. This is why the best tool for security testing is leveraging several systems and controls together to defend against all known threats.

2.     Insider Threats

Deceiving from the inside can affect your computer on various levels. A trusted contractor or employee can harm your system, sabotage team unity, and even collect sensitive information. The hacker doesn't even need to be a part of your company. They could be anybody you trust, like a client or a delivery driver. Just like social engineering, you cannot rely on your ability to assess character to keep yourself protected. 

To get rid of this threat, beyond background confirmation and initial vetting of any new contractor or employee, you can further secure yourself by limiting users' access within the company. Only allow those effective systems for assigned tasks and only the least level of access needed to complete the assigned task.

Accountability is also crucial. A malicious insider like an attacker or hacker prefers to be undiscovered. Don't use shared logins for any task. Don't give a compromised insider your CMS login. Rather, create a particular key only for them with proper permissions. Disable the logins when they are not needed. The team should also stay active on security controls. Lock workstations in your office, block access of unauthorized users. Disable automatic updating of external disk drives.

3.     Data Breaches

A data breach happens whenever an unauthorized user gets access to your data. They might not have any copy of the information or control over it, but they can go through it and possibly modify it. You may not even know if there’s any violation of privacy immediately. For instance, the attacker may have an admin account password but hasn’t used it to make any modifications yet.

According to Verizon's 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), 86% of cybersecurity breaches were financially motivated, and 10% were motivated by espionage. 

This internet security problem can be difficult to address as an attacker at this level is usually takes careful steps to stay hidden. Many systems will print connection data from your prior session when you log in. Be careful of this data where available; pay heed to the activity that isn't familiar.

Stealth Labs predicts that over 50% of all global data breaches to occur in the United States by 2023.

Most mainstream open-source applications and content management systems offer these alerts natively through plugins to avoid such security incidents. Other plugins monitor and automate the procedure of surveying your website files on an alteration or addition. The more you know about these tools, the more mindful you'll be about any potentially suspicious activity. Early security settings give you the perfect solution for prevention and cleanup.

Cybersecurity is the procedure of implementing various security measures to secure your network, cloud infrastructure, computer systems, and sensitive online data from cyber threats. Cyber-attacks are targeted to steal personal data such as passwords, credit card data, social security numbers, or other sensitive information. The term cybersecurity presents both personal and business devices connected to the web. 

Cybersecurity aims to protect your computer from hackers and attackers, insiders, and outside the network. It uses several techniques to prevent malicious software or other data privacy violations from happening. A firewall is one of the top known layers to protect your network, which acts as a protective shield between your network and the untrusted, external network connections. A firewall blocks access and allows traffic to a network based on security settings.

As phishing attacks are the most common type of cyberattacks, a network's security should be aimed at email security. Email security might comprise a program made to scan incoming and outgoing messages to identify potential phishing attacks.

• Application Security

This is the process of securing sensitive data at the app level. These security measures are recommended to be implemented before the app is deployed. App security might involve tactics like setting up a strong password from the user. It might also ask for activating two-step authentication by setting security questions and other protective measures to ensure that users are who they said they are.

• Cloud Security

Cloud-based data storage has become a significantly popular option because of its enhanced privacy over the past few years. Even though cloud storage is more secure, you must still protect it by using a software program that observes activities and can notify you if anything suspicious happens with your account. 

• Network Security

Protect your internal network against outside security threats with improved network security. Common examples of network security involve firewalls, antivirus programs, monitored internet access, and antispyware programs. To guard your network, it's also essential to have secure passwords and extra logins that you reset from time to time. 

• Operational Security

The term stands for risk management procedure for all internal cybersecurity. This form of management often employs many risk management offices to make sure there's a backup plan if a user's data becomes compromised. Operational security involves ensuring that employees have taken security awareness training to implement best practices for keeping their personal and professional data secure.

Keeping your data secure should be a priority for your business. So, these are the three most common security measures that you can adopt for your business and even yourself!

1.     Set up a firewall.

To protect your network, the firewall can play a major role. They are a must-have for any business, as they control the internal traffic entering and exiting your network.

2.     Set up strong passwords.

The first measure is extremely easy to put in place. You must make a password by combining low-case and capital letters, symbols, and numbers to create a strong password. The more characters you use, the more difficult it would be for the attacker to decode. With that, you must not use your personal information, such as your birthday, and change the password accordingly.

3.     Install anti-virus program.

Anti-virus and antimalware are help in the indispensable protection of data. They are made to monitor, detect, isolate and remove viruses, trojans, and worms from your system. 

As dependency on digital technologies grows every day, cyber-attacks have become too common. Thus, businesses that rely on outdated cybersecurity strategies are susceptible to a potential security threat. To prevent these cyberattacks, businesses must refine their cybersecurity settings. An efficient cybersecurity program can help companies disrupt attacks as they happen, mitigate future threats and minimize recovery time.