Technology is constantly changing, and new threats to our privacy come with it. The discussion around these issues has become more important than ever as technology evolves at such a rapid pace nowadays. With the improvement in technology, hackers have not been sitting idle as well and have found new and innovative ways over the years to compromise digital security.
An internet hack or cyberattack can be bad news for both individuals and organizations in many ways. Your personal information can be stolen, and held for ransom. It’s been estimated that by 2025 the cost of cyberattacks will amount to $10.5 trillion. Here’s a rundown of the five of the most common types of cyberattacks you can fall victim to.
- Phishing or Installing Malware
The most common type of cyberattacks both individuals and organizations face today is malware or phishing attacks which are commonly referred to as ‘virus attacks’. Phishing and malware are programs and software specially designed to steal files or infiltrate your computer.
Some can make your computer slow by making it laggy, hijack your GPU for crypto mining, record keystrokes, etc. If you find yourself wondering why is my computer so slow? It might very well be due to malware or a virus. The best solution to counteract these problems is to install dependable antivirus software to protect your device.
- Bait and Switch Attack
A more recent phenomenon, bait and switch attacks are a part of an ingenious effort by hackers to avoid suspicion altogether. In this style of cyberattack, hackers use trustworthy digital marketing methods to spread out malware-infused links that are clicked on by unsuspecting users who think it’s just an advertisement.
This allows hackers to avoid the problem of trying to bypass antivirus and other cybersecurity measures by tricking you into directly downloading the virus. Once downloaded, the virus or malware infiltrates or infects your computer.
- Stealing Credentials
Another common cyberattack that hackers like to direct toward individuals and businesses alike is identity and credential theft. Instead of trying to externally infiltrate a network or device, hackers try to steal a user’s credentials in a network or a particular device. This allows them full access to all your information and data effortlessly.
This technique is also commonly used to steal financial information. Hackers usually steal credentials by tricking you into entering your credentials to fill in a form or updating your bank info through emails. These emails look authentic unless you inspect them closely, so always be careful about emails that ask for your credentials.
- Internet Session Hijacking
A fairly new type of cyberattack, hackers can now hijack your internet session and gain access to your digital credentials. They do this by hijacking your session ID and then making requests to your internet server using that ID to gain access to your browsing history and other digital footprints.
The most common techniques used for this type of cyberattack are cross-site scripting attacks. If you are privy to confidential business and financial information, the risk of this type of cyber threat increases significantly.
- Install Keyloggers
Keyloggers are a very irritating type of cyberattack that’s very hard to detect. Instead of trying to steal your credentials through the methods mentioned above, hackers send a simple malware that neither slows down your computer nor raises any red flags.
Once this malware installs itself on your device, it records your keystrokes on the keyboard/touchpad and transmits them to the hackers who parse through the keystrokes and figure out important information from them.
Prevention
There are a couple of ways you can smartly protect your device from cyberattacks. Antivirus software is the most commonly available cybersecurity solution but in most instances, they don’t provide complete protection. You need to keep your device’s firewall active at all times and install updates on a regular basis.
If you still feel like your computer has suffered from a cyberattack after taking all the proper precautions, you can easily consult with an IT expert to see if that’s actually the case.
Always Exercise Caution
Cyberattacks can be quite problematic and irritating, but fortunately, there are a lot of ways to keep your device protected from them. Just don’t make the usual mistake of relying on your device’s antivirus to take care of cyberattacks, as they’re not a complete solution. The best thing to do is scan your device frequently.
