Top 17 Cybersecurity Threats & How to Avoid


Cyber Attacks are frequently used to gain access, change, or delete critical information, extort money from users, or disrupt normal corporate activities.

Because there are more devices than humans nowadays, and attackers are becoming more innovative, putting in place effective cybersecurity measures is very difficult.

Table of Contents

What Is Cybersecurity?

The practice of protecting critical systems and sensitive information from digital attacks is known as cybersecurity. threats to networked systems and applications can come from both inside and outside an organization, and cybersecurity measures are designed to combat them.

17 Security Threats & Solutions

Here are the top 17 Cybersecurity threats that most employees and organizations are facing today:

  1. Phishing
  2. Weak Passwords
  3. Insecure Internet Connection
  4. Unencrypted Files Transferring
  5. Personal Devices
  6. Trojan Viruses
  7. Drive-By Threat
  8. Water Hole Attack
  9. Cryptojacking
  10. Ransomware
  11. MitM Threat
  12. SQL Injection
  13. Zero-Day Exploits
  14. Cross Site Attacks
  15. DDoS
  16. Traffic Interception
  17. Malware

[1] – Phishing

Phishing techniques are the most dangerous threats for remote employees. Phishing techniques involve a person or entity misrepresenting a genuine source and tricking a victim into supplying personal login credentials or sensitive information, which can be used to hack into accounts, steal more sensitive information, commit identity fraud, and more.

How To Prevent Phishing?

Training Employees to recognize and avoid phishing emails can considerably reduce the danger of phishing emails compromising firm data security. Implement a comprehensive cyber security awareness training program from the moment new employees walk in the door to create a comprehensive cyber security awareness training program.

[2] – Weak Passwords

Another typical risky practice that hackers take advantage of is using the same password over and over. Hackers will try to access additional accounts using the same password once they have cracked the password for one account. Employees who use the same password for personal and work accounts are more likely to have their work accounts compromised. Weak Passwords are easily cracked by hackers.

How To Make Passwords Strong?

  1. Make your Password as long as possible.
  2. Numbers, Symbols, and Uppercase and Lowercase letters should all be included.
  3. Do not use personal information as passwords
  4. Use a password manager instead of reusing passwords.
  5. Do not use same password many times.

[3] – Insecure Internet Connection

Many businesses have firewalls in their offices to monitor network traffic and block harmful activities, but their employees don’t have one to protect their home networks. While some routers have hybrid router-firewalls, these firewalls aren’t very secure, which could make remote employees easily target network security breaches.

How To Secure Internet Connection?

Updating your router’s software when new versions become available, any existing security flaws are instantly corrected before a hacker can take advantage of them. Try to see if your router has any encryption options that can be turned on. Wi-Fi with a secure firewall is also the best option.

[4] – Unencrypted Files Transferring

Companies frequently encrypt data that is stored on their network, but they may not encrypt files from one location to another.

On a regular basis, remote employees transfer so much sensitive information, from client account information to files and more. if important firm information is intercepted by a hacker then it may cause identity fraud, ransomware attacks, theft, and other problems.

How To Transfer Files Safely?

When sending sensitive information by email or phone, it should be encrypted. Many platforms provide email and other data encryption services that transform plain text to scrambled cypher text that can only be decrypted by the receiver who has the key.

[5] – Personal Devices

Most people don’t consider encrypting their devices, especially when dealing with data as banal as voicemails. However, if work is done on a personal smartphone, such as phone calls and logins to company accounts, hackers may be able to access this information unless the phone is encrypted.

Hackers can take advantage of security flaws in printers to gain access to data stored on them. When remote workers print company papers on their own printers at home, this can be a security risk.

How To Make Personal Devices Safe?

Simple actions, such as activating a strong Passcode on the phone, can readily protect data on personal devices, but other measures can also be performed.

Encryption can be activated in the security settings of Android phones. You can enable a feature on iPhones that wipes the phone after a specified number of failed access attempts.

[6] – Trojan Viruses

Trojan malware disguises itself as legitimate software in order to deliver its payload. An “alert” that a user’s system had been compromised by malware, recommending a scan, but the scan actually delivered the malware, was one technique used.

How To Avoid Trojan Viruses?

Avoid downloading programs or executables from unknown vendors or websites that try to alarm the user into fixing a serious problem.

[7] – Drive-By Threat

In a drive-by attack, malicious code is transmitted to a system or device. The difference is that the user does not need to take any action on their end, whereas they would normally need to click a link or download an executable.

How To Prevent Drive-By attacks?

Suspicious websites should not be used for any activity. Compromised websites are typically flagged by search engines and anti-malware software.

[8] – Water Hole Attack

Water hole attacks, which are commonly used to target organizations, occur when a group infects websites that a specific organization frequently visits. The goal is to load a malicious payload from the infected sites, similar to a cross-site attack.

How To Make Devices Safe From Water Hole Attacks?

Antivirus software can detect malicious scripts in the background. If your company suspects an infection, turn off website scripts by default.

[9] – Cryptojacking

Cryptojacking is an attempt to infect a computer with malware that forces it to engage in “crypto-mining,” a popular method of obtaining cryptocurrency. This virus, like others, can infect unprotected computers. It is used because crypto-mining requires a lot of hardware.

How To Prevent Cryptojacking?

Make sure all security apps and software are up to date, as well as the firmware on all smart devices. Most unprotected systems can be infected by cryptojacking.

[10] – Ransomware

Ransomware is a nasty type of malware that infects a user’s computer or network. It blocks access to certain features until a “ransom” is paid to third parties after it has been installed.

How To Avoid Ransomware?

Once installed, removal is difficult. The best current prevention methods are keeping anti-virus software up to date and avoiding malicious links.

[11] – MitM Threat

A Man-in-the-Middle attack occurs when a third party hijacks a session between a client and a host. The hacker usually hides behind a spoofed IP address, disconnects the client, and then asks for information. Attempting to log into a bank session, for example, would allow a MITM attack to steal user information related to their bank account.

How To Prevent MitM Attacks?

To avoid this threat, encryption and the use of HTML5 are recommended.

[12] – SQL Injection

An SQL attack is data manipulation that is used to gain access to information that isn’t supposed to be there. By manipulating SQL “queries,” malicious third parties can obtain sensitive information.

How To Avoid SQL Injection?

The most effective method is to create coding that detects unauthorized user inputs.

[13] – Zero-Day Exploits

An exploit is a targeted attack against a system, network, or program that occurs following the discovery of a “zero-day vulnerability.” This attack makes use of a security flaw that has gone unnoticed, with the goal of causing strange behavior, data destruction, and information theft.

What Are The Techniques To Avoid Zero-Day Exploits?

Stopping exploits is difficult because it relies on the vendor detecting the flaw and issuing a patch. Until a fix is published, users must maintain excellent safety habits.

[14] – Cross Site Attacks

A third-party hacker goes after a vulnerable website, usually one that isn’t encrypted. The dangerous code is loaded onto the site once it has been targeted. When a regular user visits a website, the payload is delivered to their system or browser, resulting in undesirable behavior.

How To Avoid These Attacks?

On the host’s side, encryption is usually required. Additionally, the ability to disable page scripts is critical for preventing the activation of a malicious payload.

[15] – DDoS

Malicious parties target servers and overload them with user traffic in a distributed denial-of service attack. When a server is unable to handle incoming requests, the website goes down or lags to the point of becoming unusable.

How To Prevent Systems From DDoS Attacks?

Depending on how many malicious IPs are used to distribute the attack, this could take some time. The majority of the time, servers must be taken offline for maintenance.

[16] – Traffic Interception

When a third party “listens” to information exchanged between a user and a host, this is known as “traffic interception.” The type of information stolen varies depending on the traffic, but it is frequently used to steal log-ins or sensitive data.

How To Overcome Traffic Interception?

Proactive defense is to avoid compromised websites (such as those that do not use HTML5). Another preventive measure is to encrypt network traffic, such as by using a VPN.

[17] – Malware

Malware is when an unwanted piece of software or programming is installed on a target system and causes strange behavior. This can include denying program access, deleting files, stealing data, and spreading to other systems.

How To Avoid Malware?

Organizations should install the most recent anti-malware programs. It’s also crucial to recognize suspicious links, files, or websites, as these can be used to spread malware.

How To Maintain Cybersecurity for Remote Employees?

Here are some tips to improve security and make data safe from intruders:

  1. Make a data security policy and stick to it.
  2. Give your employees the tools and technology they need to succeed.
  3. Update your network security systems on a regular basis.
  4. Personal devices should be regulated.
  5. Implement a “Zero Trust” strategy.
  6. Make Sure that all internet connections are safe.

What Should Management Do To Reduce the Cyber Security Threat?

Senior management must consider three facts of cybersecurity to reduce the threat:

  1. The expansion and virtualization of the workforce are the triggering factors for much cyber risk.
  1. With a defined endpoint, cyber risk is not an issue.
  1. Humans (i.e., employees) are the weakest link in the security chain of every firm.

Conclusion

Companies must provide the best security features like stronger firewalls, secure internet connections, and two-factor authentication in order to protect the company’s data. They should also give training to their remote workers to know the phishing schemes and avoid other frauds to protect their sensitive data from hackers. They should apply the best techniques to reduce these threats.

Firas Sameer

This is me Firas Sameer the founder of Dealing With Windows, I am a computer and telecommunication engineer with over 14 years of experience, I love helping people and I love spending some of my free time posting useful articles for free about Microsoft windows.

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