We are living in an the era of hyper-advancement but it is not all rainbows and sunshine. There is a dark side to this cool advancement i.e. the cyber-attacks that continue to grow in numbers. This cybercrimeIt threatens the security of our data online and harms individuals and businesses alike.
According to IT Governance USA, 6,845,908,997 records were breached in the US, in 2024. However, these are just the incidents that were made public. Imagine the incidents that were not reported. This is how serious cybercrime is becoming.
Therefore it is important to know all you can about the way cybercrime can harm you or the people around you. Only then can you get into protecting yourself from such threats.
We are listing some of the most common types of cyberattacks in 2024 below:.
1. Social Engineering
Social engineering is a common cyberattack, with 98% of cybercriminals using it in 2024.
It plays with the human psyche to get unauthorized access. It is a pretty common type of cyber- attack as it is easier to trick a human than to hack into a system. In social engineering attacks, hackers pretend to be someone the victim knows or trusts to collect information or get access into a system.
Social engineering attacks are further divided into different techniques used.:
- Phishing
If you haven’t heard about it already, phishing scams are the most popular type of cyberattacks. These are carried out through planned email and text message campaigns, sent to the possible victims. The hackers pretend to be someone from a legit organization and their message is designed to create fear or a sense of urgency in the victims.
This compels them to act on the message, which might be clicking on a malicious link or sending personal information. This allows the hHackers can then to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Phishing scams often result in the loss of money or sensitive financial information.
- Scareware
Scareware scams involve are when false alarm messages appearing on clueless victims’ personal devices. These messages usually indicate something is wrong with their system and they need to solve it. This tricks them into installing secretly malicious software which serves as an entry point for the hackers to get into their system.
An example of a sScareware scam is the shady pop-ups that appear on your screen. These pop-ups display messages like ‘Looks like your PC is infected with a virus. Click here to get rid of it.’ These messages can cause any victim to panic, leading them to click on it.
- Baiting
Who doesn’t like big discounts? Hackers also know internet users like free such stuff. They use this human psyche to trick victims into clicking on malicious links. Pop-ups like “click here to get an American Eagle 75% discount coupon for free” appear on possible victims’ screens. These pop-ups are usually too lucrative for people to ignore.
Another example of a baiting scam is hackers leaving malicious flash drives in public places. The unsuspecting victims take it as a free flash drive. But when they plug into their computer, it allows hackers to gain access to their system.
2. Ransomware
Ransomware attacks are a more sophisticated form of cybercrime. These attacks usually target people and organizations with sensitive data. Ransomware malware acts by denying the user access to their own data or system. The hackers force the user to pay a hefty amount to get access to their own data. It forces the victim in a position where paying that ransom is the only way forward. This kind of cybercrime has brought major organizations to their knees.
There are two kinds of ransomware attacks:
- Crypto Ransomware
This kind of malware locks important data such as documents, pictures, and other files on the victim’s system. It denies access to the user by encrypting the data. In easier terms, it converts all the data into code which is not understandable to the human eye. This hinders the victim from doing their work and essentially makinges their system useless. After that, the hackers offer a decryption key (which allows victims to understand their data) for a hefty price.
- Locker Ransomware
This malware does not affect the files but instead affects the victim’s entire system. It locks the basic computer function, making it impossible for the victims unable to access their desktop or use their mouse and keyboard. The only thing victims can do on their system is pay the hacker the money they demand. This kind of ransomware is usually unable to negatively impact the data on the system.
3. Insider Threats
This kind of cyberattack comes from insiders in an organization or a person trusted by the victims. Such individuals misuse their authorized access to hijack or sell sensitive information to hackers. Insider threats are most difficult to avoid because they emerge from people whom victims already trust. The motives behind these attacks are usually greed, malice, or revenge against the organization.
There are two different types of insider threat attacks:
- Malicious Insider Threats
These come from bitter current or former employees of an organization who harbor negative feelings towards the organization. They misuse their authorized access for revenge against the organizations. In some cases, their goal is financial gains, while in others, they are appointed by outsiders to harm the organization.
- Compromised Insider Threats
In the case of a compromised insider threat, the login credentials of an employee are stolen and misused by an outsider. These threats emerge from within the organization, but the perpetrator is an outsider. The main cause of these are negligent employees who are careless with their credentials.
Bonus Tips to Stay Safe From Cyberattacks
- Install a VPN to secure your interaction with the Internet. Tunnel Bear is an easy and effective VPN to use, especially for beginners.
- Invest in an internet connection with advanced WiFi security. Spectrum Internet offers advanced AI-enabled protection.
- Use strong passwords that have a combination of numbers, letters, and characters.
- Always be mindful of clicking on links sent in emails or messages. Even if those are from the people you trust.
Also, read – How to effectively improve customer service quality in contact center with Comarch telco?