Cyber-attacks New Trends and Types

Every year, cybercrime rises dramatically as attackers become more efficient and sophisticated in attacking critical data. Cyber-attacks can take many forms and happen for a lot of different things. When an attacker tries to achieve illegal access to an IT system for the purposes of theft, blackmail, disruption, or other illegal activity, this is known as a cyberattack. There are new trends and types of cyberattacks every year.

Cyber-attacks common types:

While an attacker can access an IT system with a variety of techniques. Some of the most common types of cyber-attacks are listed here.

• Malware

  Malware is a type of code created by attackers with the purpose of causing serious damage to data and systems or gaining unauthorized access to a network. Malware is often distributed via email as a link or file, requiring the user to click on the link or open the file in order to run it.

• Phishing

  Phishing is a type of social engineering technique that is frequently used to obtain sensitive information from users, such as login credentials and credit card details. It happens when an attacker presents as a trustworthy entity and convinces a victim to open an email, instant message, or text message. The receiver is then tricked into clicking on a link, which can result in malware installation, system lockdown as part of a ransomware attack, or access to sensitive information.

• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack

  A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assault is a cyber-attack in which the attacker attempts to render a computer or network resource unavailable by disrupting the services of a host connected to the Internet for a period of time.

• Man-in-the-middle attack (MITM)

  A man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack occurs when an attacker intercepts communication between two users with the purpose of spying on the victims, stealing personal information or credentials, or altering the dialogue in some way. MITM attacks are becoming less common as most email and chat services employ end-to-end encryption, which prevents third parties from altering data sent across a network, regardless of whether the network is secure or not.

• IP spoofing

  IP spoofing is the process of altering the source address of Internet Protocol (IP) packets in order to isolate the sender's identity, represent another computer system, or both. It's a method that cybercriminals frequently employ to launch Dos attacks against a target device.

• Drive-by attack

  Drive-by download attacks are similar way for malware in technique. Attackers check for unprotected websites and insert a malicious script into the HTTP or PHP code on one of the pages. The script could directly install malware on the computer of a visitor to the site, or it may redirect the user to a site controlled by the attackers. Drive-by downloads can occur when browsing a website, receiving an email message, or viewing a pop-up window.

• Eavesdropping attack

  Unauthorized access to computer networks is used in eavesdropping attacks. Eavesdropping can gather passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal information that a user may be sent over the network. Eavesdropping can be done in two ways: passively or actively.

• Password Attack

  Obtaining passwords is a common and effective attack approach since passwords are the most commonly used mechanism for authenticating users to an information system. By examining a person's computer, visitors can find out what their password is.

Cyber-attacks new trends:

Cyberattacks have been ranked as the fifth most important risk in 2020. This dangerous business is anticipated to develop even more in 2022, with IoT cyberattacks alone expected to increase by 2025.

• Social engineering attacks getting smarter

  Attackers have an opportunity to find those who connect to their employer's network from home. In addition to regular phishing attempts on employees, whaling attacks against upper organizational leadership have increased.

• Mobile cybersecurity becoming front and center

  Mobile dangers are growing and evolving. The rapid implementation of 5G technology also presents possible security flaws that will need to be patched when they become identified. The mobile threats include Spyware specifically developed to monitor secure messaging apps, attackers taking advantage of serious security flaws in Android devices, and mobile malware including a variety of different applications, including DDoS attacks, SMS spam, and data theft.

• Growth in cloud services and cloud security threats

  The rapid and widespread implementation of remote working following the pandemic increased the need for cloud-based services and infrastructure significantly, causing security risks for businesses. Mobility, efficiency, and cost savings are all advantages of cloud services. They are, nevertheless, a prime target for attackers. Cloud settings that have been misconfigured are a major source of data breaches, illegal access, insecure interfaces, and data theft.

• Ransomware attacks

  Ransomware isn't a new enemy; it made history in 2020. It has been there for twenty years. However, it's becoming more common. There are approximately 120 different kinds of ransomware now, and attackers have been quite good at masking malicious scripts. Ransomware is popular because it is a relatively simple technique for attackers to profit financially. The Covid-19 outbreak was another factor. Many firms' rapid automation, combined with remote working, has created new ransomware targets. As a result, the number of attacks and the size of demands increased.

To find more about cyberattacks' new trends in 2021 here is a mid-year report by Check Point research. Click here.