Top 6 Cybersecurity Threats

Cybersecurity threats are attacks against an organization that can be intended to achieve various cyber security consultants objectives. A cyberattacker may attempt to steal an organization’s sensitive information, disrupt its ability to provide services, or perform other actions that harm the business in some way.

Companies face cyber threats from multiple sources ranging from unsophisticated cybercriminals, commonly called “script kiddies”, to highly sophisticated threat actors backed by nation-states or organized crime. Cyberattacks can be extremely profitable to an attacker, provide access to valuable information, or enable an attacker to carry out political goals.

Types of Cybersecurity Threats
As companies become increasingly reliant on their infrastructure, their exposure to cyber threats expands. The introduction of cloud computing, mobile devices, the Internet of Things, and other devices has created numerous potential vectors by which a cyber threat actor can attack an organization.

As a result, the threat landscape has expanded significantly. The main types of cybersecurity threats that companies face today include malware, social engineering, web application exploits, supply chain attacks, Denial of Service attacks, and man-in-the-middle attacks.

Malware
Malware is malicious software that can be used to achieve many different goals on an infected system. Some of the most common types of malware include:

Ransomware: Ransomware encrypts files on an infected device using an encryption key known only to the attacker. The ransomware operator then demands a ransom from the victim in exchange for the encryption key needed to restore their data. In recent years, ransomware emerged as one of the most visible and expensive cyber threats that companies face.
Trojan Horse: Trojan horse malware pretends to be something else, like a free version of valuable software. Once the victim downloads and runs the trojan on their computer, it executes its malicious functionality.

Remote Access Trojan (RAT): RATs are a type of trojan designed to serve as an access point for follow-on attacks. Once the malware is running on the infected computer, it provides the attacker with remote access and control, enabling them to download other malware, steal sensitive data, or take other actions.

Spyware: Spyware is malware designed to spy on and collect information about the user of an infected computer. Spyware may be designed to steal user credentials, financial data, and other sensitive and potentially valuable information that the attacker could sell or use in future attacks.

Cryptojacking: Proof of Work (PoW) cryptocurrencies use a computationally expensive process called mining to create new blocks on the blockchain. Cryptojacking malware performs mining operations on an infected machine, using the victim’s computational power to create blocks and earn cryptocurrency for the attacker.