Protect your Business Data with Cybersecurity
Cyber-attacks are launched from one computer from another computer where the aim of cyber-attacks is either to disable the target computer to gain access to the target computer’s data and gain admin privileges to manipulate this data.
One such attack was carried out on the database of online banking company Capital One. The credit card applications of hundreds of thousands of people were exposed and this included personal information like birth dates and Social Security numbers.
To achieve these ends, cybercriminals deploy a number of methods. Some of these are:
1. Malware: Any malicious software that is designed to cause damage to a single computer, network, or server. Worms, viruses, and trojans are all various types of malware. They can either make a system inoperable or enable the attacker to control the system remotely. Malware has actually been around since the 1970s, attacking individuals and organizations with the end goal of causing as much damage as possible to individuals and organizations.
2. Phishing: Phishing is the technique of using email channels to launch and perpetuate a malware attack. Here, the attacker uses email as a disguised weapon. The victim is sent out an email and is tricked into clicking on a link or downloading a page that is actually a malware designed to steal personal data. The attackers masquerade as a trusted entity or organization and the recipient is tricked into thinking that the email sent is something that is of interest to them.
3. Ransomware: It is a type of malware that locks down the victim’s data instead of stealing it and demands a ransom for restoring access to the said data. Cybercriminals in such cases typically deal in Cryptocurrency. Attackers can use phishing spam for delivering the ransomware as an attachment to an email. Once the victim opens this attachment, they can then take over their computer, gain administrative access, and encrypt some or all of their files. Once this is done, the victim gets a message informing them that their file has been locked and can only be accessed once the victim makes a payment of the said amount. The payment is done in Bitcoins and is often untraceable.
4. Denial of service: Here, cybercriminals hamper the functioning of a website by routing a lot of traffic and loading it with multiple requests. The attacker typically floods the bandwidth of said application with requests. This in turn overwhelms the database systems of the target website making its services unavailable to genuine users. This type of attack is typically targeted against businesses so that they lose out on genuine consumer traffic.
5. Man in the middle: It is a method by which cyber criminals place themselves secretly between the user and web service and steal any personal information including bank records that the user shares. The attacker secretly eavesdrops on the conversation between two parties and in the process steal valuable data that can later be used for identity theft, illicit fund transfer, etc.
6. Crypto-jacking: Here, a cybercriminal installs malware in the victim’s computer and gets it to generate cryptocurrency for the attacker. Simply put, Crypto hackers use other people’s systems to mine cryptocurrencies without their consent. They can be used to validate transactions and later on update the blockchain ledger. Often the victim has no idea if their system is used to this end.
7. SQL injection: SQL injection is a means through which an attacker can exploit the vulnerabilities in a victim’s computer to take control of its database. The attacker here often makes use of mistakes made by programmers to send commands to the database that a website or web application communicates with. This allows the attacker unhindered access to its database which the attacker can then exploit to modify the data or extract it. This can result in the loss or theft of confidential data and can cause immense harm to people and businesses.
8. Zero-day exploits: It refers to vulnerabilities in a network or system that is yet to be fixed.
Understanding the Importance of Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity today is a global concern as high-profile cyber-attacks could endanger the global economy. With increased digitization, companies are going that extra mile to secure their networks and systems. Cybercrimes are unlikely to slow down and the danger of security breaches will only increase in the future. Having cybersecurity professionals on board in such situations becomes imperative. Companies should have the ability to fend off cyberattacks on a regular basis if they are to survive in an interconnected world and keep their data secure. Cybersecurity practices such as a layered security access model, data encryption, etc are necessary to efficiently and safely operate a business. For achieving this, businesses need to create a culture of cybersecurity in their organization. Just adding security software is not enough. Protecting data and securing networks requires a concerted effort from the management and cybersecurity professionals.
Give such an increase in career opportunities, many tech professionals are looking to jump onto this lucrative field. Their journey can be aided by many certificate programs and online courses for cybersecurity available on the web today. A career in Cybersecurity can be deeply rewarding and immensely satisfying both in monetary terms and in terms of job satisfaction and overall career growth.
