Common Types of Attacks
(and how best to mitigate them!)
There are a plethora of different attack vectors – all with different functions and varied approaches – so how do you protect your business from so many different types of attacks?
Some Common Types Of Attacks
1. Social Engineering Attacks
Social engineering attacks are centred around human interaction, whether through email, phone calls, text messages, or in-person interactions.
Attackers use various tactics to manipulate victims, such as:
- Deception: Presenting themselves as legitimate individuals or organisations.
- Urgency: Creating a sense of urgency to pressure victims into making quick decisions.
- Fear: Exploiting fear of consequences to coerce victims into compliance.
- Authority: Impersonating authority figures to gain trust.
- Scarcity: Creating a sense of limited opportunity to encourage immediate action.
Phishing attacks are one of the most common forms of social engineering. They involve sending fraudulent emails or messages that appear legitimate. Victims may be tricked into clicking malicious links, downloading malware, or sharing login credentials.
There’s no one formula or tactic that can easily be identified with social engineering – the continuous refining of attack strategies means that continuous Cyber Security Awareness Training is essential for all users to avoid falling prey.
2. Compromised and Weak Credentials
Weak or stolen credentials remain one of the most exploited vulnerabilities in cybersecurity. Attackers target user IDs, passwords, and authentication tokens to gain unauthorised access. Once inside, they can impersonate legitimate users, escalate privileges, and move laterally within a system to access sensitive data.
Credential theft can occur through phishing, malware, or data breaches and the consequences can be devastating. Beyond immediate data breaches, attackers can install backdoors, conduct identity theft, or sabotage operations. To counter this, organisations should enforce strong password policies, implement multi-factor authentication (MFA), and continuously monitor for unusual login patterns.
3. Insider Threats
Insider threats pose a unique challenge because they originate within the organisation. These threats can be intentional or accidental and are carried out by employees, contractors, or partners who have legitimate access to systems and data. Malicious insiders may act out of revenge, greed, or coercion, while negligent insiders might inadvertently expose vulnerabilities through poor security practices.
Examples of insider threats include data theft, espionage, and sabotage. A disgruntled employee might leak sensitive information to competitors, while a careless worker could fall victim to a phishing attack, unknowingly granting access to external attackers. Compromised insiders, whose accounts are hijacked, add another layer of complexity as there is a component of “unknown” or “unpredictable” behaviour.
Mitigating insider threats requires a combination of monitoring, access control, and education. Organisations should implement least privilege principles, conduct regular audits, and foster a culture of cybersecurity awareness to minimise risks.
4. Security Misconfigurations and Vulnerabilities
When systems, networks, or applications are not set up or configured correctly or securely, it leaves them vulnerable to attacks. These errors often result from carelessness or even a lack of security awareness by networking teams – such as the use of default settings, incomplete configurations, or maintenance not being carried out – such as overlooked updates. Even minor misconfigurations can provide attackers with entry points to sensitive systems.
To prevent such vulnerabilities, organisations must adopt stringent configuration management practices. Regular system audits, adherence to security guidelines, and automated vulnerability assessments are critical for identifying and rectifying misconfigurations.
5. Ransomware
Ransomware has become one of the most prominent cyber threats, targeting organisations across all industries – and it isn’t going anywhere! In fact, it is evolving and becoming more of a threat than ever before.
Attackers often deliver ransomware through phishing emails or malicious ads. Once inside, ransomware spreads rapidly, locking files and sometimes entire systems. High-profile incidents have disrupted critical sectors such as healthcare, government, and education, leading to financial losses and reputational damage – but it is also a risk for any organisation, large or small!
Organisations can combat ransomware by maintaining regular data backups, implementing endpoint protection, and educating employees about security awareness.
6. Malware
Malware encompasses a wide range of malicious software designed to harm, exploit, or disrupt systems. Cybercriminals use malware to steal data, monitor activities, or establish unauthorised network access.
Common types of Malware include viruses, which attach themselves to legitimate programs; ransomware, which locks data; and spyware, which secretly collects information. Trojans disguise themselves as legitimate applications, while worms replicate themselves to spread across networks. These are simply a few of the many versions of Malware. The increase in mobile malware has also broadened the attack surface.
To reduce malware risks, organisations should use strong antivirus software, limit downloads, and implement network segmentation to contain breaches.
7. Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks
Man-in-the-middle attacks involve intercepting communications between two parties to steal sensitive information or manipulate the exchange. Attackers position themselves between the victim and a legitimate entity, often without either party’s knowledge.
These attacks are commonly executed through fake Wi-Fi hotspots, DNS spoofing, or SSL stripping. For instance, an attacker might intercept login credentials during an online banking session or alter payment details in real-time.
Preventing MITM attacks requires secure communication protocols, and organisations should also educate users about avoiding untrusted networks and verifying website authenticity. Ideally, web browser security should be deployed to protect from these attacks.
8. Brute Force Attacks
Brute force attacks rely on trial-and-error techniques to guess credentials or encryption keys. Automated tools enable attackers to test thousands of combinations in minutes, targeting weak passwords or poorly secured systems.
These attacks often exploit default credentials or predictable password patterns. Once access is gained, attackers can install backdoors, exfiltrate data, or escalate privileges.
To mitigate brute force attacks, organisations should enforce strong password policies, limit login attempts, and implement MFA. Network detection and response solutions such as MXDR, can also detect and block unusual login activities.
9. Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks
DDoS attacks overwhelm networks or servers with excessive traffic, rendering services unavailable.
The consequences of a DDoS attack include disrupted operations, financial losses, and reputational harm. Even though most DDoS attacks don’t result in data breaches, the downtime and recovery costs can be significant.
Organisations can defend against DDoS attacks by using traffic filtering, scaling resources dynamically, and deploying dedicated DDoS mitigation services.
Ultimately, effectively mitigating attack vectors requires a multi-faceted and layered cybersecurity strategy. This is referred to as “Defence in Depth”.
One of the most effective ways to do that, is to ensure the basics are done well!
Things such as:
- Patching and system updates are kept up to date
- Robust access control and User Identity Protection is in place
- An effective EDR solution is in place on all endpoints
- Employee Security Awareness Training is conducted regularly and phishing campaign exercises are run for your team.
- Cloud Systems are monitored for threats and misconfigurations
- Comprehensive Policies and Procedures are in place to address security.
- Backups are in place – with immutable copies in case of ransomware
In addition, a proactive strategy for network security should be in place – one that integrates real-time threat intelligence, continuous monitoring, and adaptive security measures is essential for reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing the business’ overall resilience.
It is important to note that cybersecurity is an ever evolving and ongoing commitment that cannot be overlooked. Navigating the Cyber Security landscape can be overwhelming at times – and a costly exercise for many organisations.
One of the best ways to stay ahead of the curve is to partner with a trusted security service provider – an expert that can give you visibility, continuous monitoring and incident response, letting you get on with your core business while still having peace of mind that your data is secure.