Types of Cyber Attacks – Hacking Attacks and Techniques

Cyberattacks hit the internet every day and this is high time to learn about them.

These attacks are launched into the computer or network by malicious criminals to exploit the system and breach valuable data. Cyberattacks come in different forms depending on the methodology used and the motivation behind the attack.

So, let us get started and deep dive into the various types of cyberattacks.

What is a Cyber Attack?

Cyberattacks are malicious attacks done by internet frauds or criminals. Cyberattack is done with the negative intent of destroying valuable data or disrupting the operations performed on the network. The notion of such attacks can be to expose sensitive data, delete data or demand ransom.

Types of Cyber Attacks

Cyberattacks occur in 2 forms :

1. An attack in the Web

These types of attacks are launched into the web application.

2. An attack in the System

These attacks target a particular node (computer in a network) and try to exploit it.

The major types of cyberattacks are:

• Malware
• Phishing
• SQL injection
• Man in the Middle(MITM) Attack
• Denial of Service(DOS) and Distributed Denial of Service(DDoS)
• DNS spoofing
• Cross-site scripting(XSS)
• Backdoors
• Formjacking
• Password Attack
• Insider Threat
• Zero-Day Exploit
• Drive-by Download
• Eavesdropping Attack
• Session Hijacking
• Credential Reuse
• Birthday Attack
• Dictionary Attack
• File Inclusion Attack
• DNS Tunneling
• Cryptojacking
• AI-Powered Attack
• IoT-Powered Attack
• Watering Hole Attack

Let us look into the various types of cyberattacks in detail.

1. Malware

Malware is an application that installs malicious software in the user’s system. The software monitors the user’s actions and keystrokes silently and collects all confidential user information. There are a few types of malware software as listed below.

a. Virus – It is a self-replicating program code that spreads throughout the computer files without the user’s knowledge. It inserts the replicated copy of itself into the other computer programs during the time of execution.

b. Worm – Worms are very similar to viruses. It is a replicating code that comes via emails that appear legitimate.

c. Trojan horse – It is a malicious program that claims to be genuine and misleads users of its true intent. It runs in the background and tries to gain access to users’ systems.

d. Ransomware – It is malware that locks and blocks access to the user’s native system and threatens them to pay a ransom to restore access.

e. Spyware – This software gains access to the system and steals internet usage data and sensitive information without the knowledge of the user.

f. Bonet – They infect a network of a huge number of interconnected devices. They are used to send spam or even perform DDoS.

g. Backdoors – Attackers gain higher-level access without authorization by bypassing the loose ends in security.

h. Bots – It is an automated software application that performs malicious tasks in remote locations when commanded by the attacker.

2. Phishing

This type of attack attempts to steal confidential information from the user presenting themselves as a genuine entity. They often come in the form of emails, trying to trick a user to handle sensitive data like credit card numbers or passwords.

3. SQL Injection

A structured query language(SQL) injection is a type of attack that targets the database of a website. It tricks the server into providing access to modify the data by unauthorized criminals.

4. Man in the Middle(MITM) Attack

The attacker intercepts the communication between two-party transactions. The attacker eavesdrop and steals the credentials of the user. Usage of public wifi can pave the way to a MITM attack.

5. Denial of Service(DOS) and Distributed Denial of Service(DDoS)

DOS attack overloads the traffic on the server. Genuine requests go unattended. DDOS employs multiple compromised devices to target victims to flood the network traffic and exploit system resources. This crashes the system leaving the legitimate service requests unattended.

6. DNS Spoofing

It is a type of security hacking that corrupts the Domain name system. The attacker presents fake data to the DNS cache. DNS cache in turn makes the server return an incorrect IP address. The DNS spoofing helps the attacker to divert traffic to the false website placed by the attacker.

7. Cross-Site Scripting(XSS)

It is a similar approach to SQL injection. The only difference is that the SQL injection infects the database but the XSS infects the user who visits the webpage. This is done by sending infected code to the dynamic web page. Sometimes it may also redirect users to a false website.

8. Backdoors

Backdoor is a program that provides remote access to the target’s PC. The attacker gains root-level access and exploits the data.

9. Formjacking

It exploits the form pages of a website by using javascript to steal information from the form.

10. Cryptojacking

The attacker tries to access the target’s system to mine cryptocurrency. The access is gained from online ads on websites that are coded in javascript.

11. Password Attack

Attackers try to crack the password of a user by brute force(trying out all possibilities) or using tools. Password cracking tools like John the ripper, hashcat aid the criminals for the same.

12. Insider Threat

Individuals within the organizations, knowingly or unknowingly modify or delete the data.

13. Zero-Day Exploit

This type of attack follows right after the announcement of network vulnerability. The attacker notices the vulnerability and uses this span of time to exploit a huge number of nodes in the network.

14. Drive-by Download

It is a malicious code that takes advantage of your computer’s security flaws and auto-downloads a malicious code. This code hijacks your device and compromises your code.

15. Eavesdropping attack

Hacker eavesdrops on the data communications flowing in the unsecured network. This type of attack is also known as sniffing or snooping.

16. Session Hijacking

Hacker captures the unique session id provided by the server to your computer. They use it to login as a legitimate user and gain access to the user’s information.

17. Credential Reuse

Criminals take advantage of the fact that people use common passwords for different websites. The hackers reuse credentials from a breached website to access details on other sites.

18. Birthday Attack

This attack relies on finding two random messages with matching message digest when processed by a hash function. Once the hacker decodes the message digest, he replaces the user’s information.

19. Dictionary Attack

A dictionary attack tries to crack the password or key of encryption by trying a list of commonly used user passwords.

20. URL Interpretation

In this type of attack, the parameters of the URL are altered keeping the syntax intact. Using this the attacker retrieves information beyond his level of authorization.

21. File Inclusion Attack

In a file inclusion attack, the attacker exploits the bad input design of a web server. He tries to access unauthorized confidential files and executes malicious code on the server.

22. DNS Tunneling

DNS tunneling attack alters the queries and responses directed to the DNS. A malware is inserted into the communication medium to enable the attacker to access the target.

23. Cryptojacking

In Cryptojacking, cybercriminals hack into a user’s computer and utilize it to mine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins.

24. AI-Powered Attack

The attacker makes use of artificial intelligence to launch complex attacks on the slave machine. The AI-powered software learns and identifies network and software vulnerabilities. It launches DDoS attacks and convincing phishing attacks.

25. IoT-Powered Attack

It exploits the fact that IoT devices have less secure network infrastructure. The targeted IoT devices are compromised and are used to launch large-scale DDOS by the attackers.

26. Watering Hole Attack

The attacker targets a group of an organization or people belonging to a certain region. Power corrupts the website used by the target and tries to steal personal information.

Preventive Measures for Cyberattacks

• Update operating system and install Antivirus software.
• Set strong alphanumeric passwords and change them regularly.
• Use Intrusion detection systems and firewalls to protect your system in the network.
• Set up backups for important information.
• Use VPN to encrypt your device in the network traffic.
• Avoid opening emails from unidentified sources.
• Do not use public Wifi and secure your Wifi.
• Conduct awareness training for employees
• Mobile devices require the same level of security as any computer. Install apps from only trusted sources.
• Use multi-factor authentication for accessing important information.

Conclusion

Thus a cyber attack is an attack done by the cybercriminals on the user’s system or on the network they are connected to. We have seen the various types of cyberattacks(both web-based and system-based) and how they attempt to gain access to the user’s data.

Knowing about the various attacks helps us in safeguarding the user from malicious activities.