Technology penetration has increased tremendously over the last decade and with it, various activities have evolved alongside it.
Fintech, Edtech, insurtech, and others have been areas of application. A lot of personal information is now stored online or preferably in the cloud. The issue of remaining safe while accessing these activities is paramount.
Cybersecurity, also called information technology security, is the act of protecting internet-connected systems and data from unauthorized access that poses danger to us. These dangers are called cyber threats.
Cyber Security Threats encompass any activity done to undermine or compromise information stored in internet-connected systems or any other devices.
Cybersecurity threats are perpetrated due to different reasons, money, to invoke fear, to establish supremacy among other twisted reasons.
The threats can be carried out by individuals working alone, corporate spies, and criminal organizations.
There are different types of cybersecurity threats and each is harmful and annoying when it gets hold of our devices.
The major types of Cybersecurity threats include:
Malware
This is one of the commonly used threats, malware is simply malicious software, and as the name implies it is software that is created with the sole aim of invading a device to cause disruptions.
This malware is often sent either as a download or as an email attachment, once the unsuspecting user clicks on the link or downloads, the software infiltrates the device. There are different types of malware.
There is spyware that secretly monitors and stores every information or activity that happens on any device in which it has been downloaded, the cybercriminal can then use the information as they please. This information can be passwords, credit card details.
The virus is another commonly used malware, this program self-replicates and then is spread throughout the device corrupting the stored files. Other malware includes Trojan, Ransomware, Adware, and Botware.
Any malware once installed paves way for the installations of other harmful software and can go as far as making the system have operations problems unless detected in time.
Emotet
This cybersecurity threat is classified as separate from malware because of its sophistication and deadliness, otherwise it is just an improved trojan.
Emotet easily gets through a weak password, that’s why using unique and strong passwords is recommended.
Phishing
This cybersecurity threat is one of the highest threats as the cybercriminals mimic and send beguiling emails as though from reputable companies or organizations to get sensitive information from the email recipient.
Phishing is usually done to dupe and hack people, one can be protected from this threat by filtering emails thoroughly and avoiding sharing of sensitive information over emails until they are certain of the source.
Structured Query Language (SQL) injection
SQL is used for database management, so this SQL injection is an attack on the SQL using an SQL statement. If successful they can access the information stored in the database.
Man-in-the-middle attack
This cybersecurity threat usually gets to people who use unsecured WiFi connections. The cybercriminal intercepts the communication and tries to siphon information, or the attacker can use malware for the attack once they have been able to intercept the communication.
Social engineering
This is one of the oldest cybersecurity threats and surprisingly it still works. The cybercriminal gets close to the unsuspecting online user and can subsequently get valuable information from them.
Social engineering can also be perpetrated by impersonation of someone the unsuspecting online user is familiar with, they can send malware and urge the person to click it. Either way, they get the information from the online user.
Denial-of-service attack
The Denial of Service is a type of cybersecurity threat that works by overwhelming a device or network that it cannot respond to instructions. When it is in this state the cybercriminal launches an attack on the device primarily by installing malware.
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