Different Cybersecurity Threats Explained

Acceptance and adoption of cloud services has exploded over recent years. For many valid reasons. The cloud offers Small to Medium businesses operational advantages, including increased flexibility, scalability, and cost-efficiency. However, it can be argued, as equally dramatic has been the rise of cybercrime, supercharging the potential of IT security risks.

While the risk of cybercrime has always been with us, it’s our awareness and education that is accelerating. As the saying goes – Knowledge is power.
While we applaud this growing awareness, we do understand some of the terms and descriptions are new to most. So here are some different types of cybersecurity threats and terminology that businesses need to be aware of.

Data Breaches

One of the most prevalent types of cybersecurity threats is data breaches. A data breach occurs when sensitive, confidential, or personal data is accessed or stolen. This typically happens when a cybercriminal gains access to a company’s systems and steals customer data. Data breaches can have devastating impacts on businesses, causing reputation damage, financial damage, and we are seeing more and more placing negative impact on staff moral.

Malware

Malware is a type of malicious software that is designed to impair or disable computers. It can come in the form of viruses, worms, Trojans, and spyware. Malware can be used to steal sensitive data, destroy data, or disrupt business operations.

Denial of Service Attacks

A denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) is a type of cyber attack that prevents legitimate users from accessing a system or service. DoS attacks are usually carried out by flooding the target system with requests, overwhelming it, and causing it to crash. This type of attack can be very destructive, causing businesses to lose revenue and customers.

Phishing

Phishing is a cyber-attack that attempts to fool people by using email or other electronic communications which appear to be from a trustworthy source. These attacks try to get sensitive information such as passwords or credit card numbers. Phishing attacks can often look authentic and it can be hard to tell that you’re being attacked.

SQL Injection

SQL injection is a type of cyber attack that attempts to inject malicious code into a database. This can be done by exploiting vulnerabilities in the website’s code. SQL injection attacks can be used to steal sensitive data or to damage databases.

Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

A man-in-the-middle attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker eavesdrops on or alters the data being exchanged between two parties. MITM attacks can be difficult to detect and may have serious consequences for businesses.

Distributed Denial of Service Attacks

A distributed denial of service attack (DDoS attack) is a type of cyber attack that uses a large number of computers to flood the target system with requests, overwhelming it and causing it to crash. DDoS attacks are usually much more powerful than DoS attacks and can cause extensive damage to businesses.

Password Attacks

Password attacks, a type of cyber attack that uses guessing or brute forcing passwords to attempt access to systems or data, can be difficult to detect and have severe implications for businesses.

Insider Cybersecurity Threats

Insider threats are a type of cyber security threat that comes from within an organization. They can be caused by employees, contractors, or even business partners. Insider threats can be very difficult to detect and can have serious consequences for businesses.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is a type of cyber attack that uses psychological techniques to trick people into revealing sensitive information or doing something that they shouldn’t. Social engineering attacks can be very difficult to detect and can have serious consequences for businesses.

So, these are just some of the different types of cybersecurity threats that businesses need to be aware of. Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field, and new threats are constantly emerging. For example, I have not mentioned the elephant in the room with advancements in AI exploding so quickly.

Small to Medium Businesses, particularly need to stay up-to-date on the latest cybersecurity threats and trends in order to protect themselves. The do not have the luxury (or budget) where the big end of town has full time internal teams looking after their IT security.

Cybersecurity services can help businesses protect themselves from cyber-attacks. A cybersecurity service provider can help businesses identify and remediate vulnerabilities, implement security controls, and monitor for threats. They can provide education for your staff empowering them to help protect the business IT health, you want humans that are defending your organization 99% of the time and plan for the 1% of the time that they fail.

Tech Precision’s focus is working with small to medium businesses to deliver quality IT services. If you would like help protecting your business against cybercrime or simply to build your knowledge in this space, just ask.

To find our more about cyber security threats, read our article about the different types of hackers you should be aware of.

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