Cybercriminals use attack vector methods to exploit the system and gain sensitive information, personal data, and other valuable things. Thus, it is highly recommended to take strong steps to keep your enterprise safe.
You need to understand the weaknesses and threats, and solutions to minimize the cybersecurity risks and fight off the bad guys.
Read this blog till the end to get thorough knowledge about successful cyber attack initial vectors, their common types, and how to prevent them. So let’s get into it!
The attack vector is a pathway a hacker uses to illegally invade and access the system to steal information and sensitive data. In this method, the attacker makes frequent attempts to attack the vulnerable points of the network, causing data breaches, and stealing the login credentials of the system.
This complex process is done by an intelligent hacker or a group of threat actors who analyze the target, look into its security weakness, and launch attack vectors to wreak havoc on the network of the computer.
All three terms are often mixed, but it is highly important to know the correct meaning to take necessary cybersecurity steps. Here’s the meaning:
Now that you’re introduced to these terms, let’s go ahead and see the way attackers exploit the attack vectors in the following section.
Well, the hackers have many ways in their arsenal to exploit the targeted system. However, passive and active attack diagram are the most commonly used ones:
Active attacks are directly made to alter the system and disrupt the functioning of the network. It includes malware, domain hijacking, email spoofing, and ransomware.
In this, the hackers enter through third-party services, identify, security systems, create tools to exploit them, or install malicious code to steal the data.
This is another type of attack method in which the hackers make attempts to gain data and information without disturbing the computer network. It includes typo squatting, phishing, and social engineering attacks.
As you have cleared all the basics, let’s go ahead and take a look at all the types of successful cyberattack vectors and methods to prevent them in the next part of this article.
Here we have discussed the types of threat vectors and how you can fight and prevent them. Read carefully to gain an understanding.
Usernames and passwords are the most common targets by which hackers steal the data. These can be lost, stolen, and easily altered with malware and phishing. The credentials give administrative access to devices, and the insider information can be compromised by the intruder. This commonly occurs when unaware individuals become victims of phishing scams and input their login information on fraudulent websites.
Cybercriminals can act as third-party service representatives, security consultants, and software vendors to invade the data and infiltrate the network with viruses. The rise of outsourcing has given birth to cybersecurity risks via third-party channels.
Weak algorithms in encryption can lead to data leakage, broken authentication, and insecure sessions. Encryption is one of the crucial security layers that needs to be maintained. It includes protection of cookie attributes, bypassing authentication, session timeout, and logout functionality.
It is a type of malware that locks the victim’s personal data and removes all access. These are advanced malware that uses advanced crypto viral extortion techniques to steal sensitive user information without damaging the network.
Phishing involves an attacker pretending to be a trustworthy entity or individual in an email or other communication, intending to commit fraud. Attackers often utilize phishing emails to send out harmful links or attachments that can steal login credentials, account numbers, and other personal data from victims.
Deceptive phishing is a common form of cybercrime because it is simpler to deceive someone into clicking a malicious link in a seemingly authentic phishing email than to bypass a computer’s security measures.
Malware, also known as malicious software, refers to any harmful program or code that can damage systems. The reasons for creating malware can vary. Malware can aim to profit from you, hinder your work, make a political statement, or simply show off.
It can harm the actual physical components of systems or network gear. It is capable of pilfering, encrypting, or erasing your information, changing or taking control of essential computer processes, and monitoring your computer usage without your awareness or consent.
Unpatched software consists of identifiable security vulnerabilities within its computer code. These are flaws that can be exploited by attackers using malicious code due to a known security bug that has not been fixed. When software vendors discover application vulnerabilities, they create additional code called patches to fix these weaknesses and improve security.
Hackers constantly look for vulnerabilities to send attack vectors and tame the network.
Security misconfiguration happens when security settings are not properly established during the configuration process or are kept and implemented with default settings. This could affect any level of the application stack, cloud, or network. Data breaches are primarily caused by improperly configured clouds, resulting in significant financial losses for organizations.
Many ex-employees hold grudges against the company and cause internal harm to the software system if they hold the credentials or data. Also, they can send attack vectors to the systems and expose sensitive and private data to the public to defame the individual or organization.
A DDoS attack is an intentional effort to interrupt the regular flow of traffic to a specific server, service, or network by inundating it with a large amount of internet traffic.
These attack vectors target numerous compromised computer systems and steal the data. All types of computers and IoT devices can be exploited with DDoS attacks.
SQL injection (SQLi) is a type of web security flaw that lets a hacker disrupt the database queries made by an application. This enables a hacker to see information that is typically inaccessible to them. It involves information belonging to other users, or any data accessible by the application. In numerous instances, malicious code can alter or delete this information, resulting in lasting modifications to the application’s content or functionality.
It is a popular attack method in which hackers try to crack passwords illegally and gain access by guessing usernames and passwords. Despite sounding complex, brute force techniques remain highly effective and are responsible for most of the harm on web applications.
Manual brute force attacks are carried out by some attackers, whereas the majority of hackers utilize automated tools and scripts. This simplifies the exploits of common password combinations to bypass authentication procedures or gain access to encrypted data by locating the correct session ID. The first thing hackers target for is API keys and SSH logins.
Trojan viruses are a type of malware that gets into the system in disguise. They act as legitimate programs and are usually spread by infected email attachments and software programs.
These malicious programs mislead the user and target all types of devices.
XSS is the short form for Cross-site scripting, which is a type of web security flaw that enables a hacker to manipulate how users interact with a susceptible application. It enables a hacker to bypass the origin policy and instead of affecting the site, it preys on the website’s visitors. Often, cross-site scripting vulnerabilities allow a hacker to pretend to be a victim user, execute the same actions as the user, and copy the user’s data.
It generally tracks the visitors, monitors their online activities, and steals their data.
Session hijacking or cookie theft is a type of attack that targets the usernames and passwords of the system by monitoring it for a long time. They steal the IP address, then hijack the cookie to track all the activities and save all the credentials.
Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks occur when a hacker positions themselves between a client and server, usually a user and a web application, to take data. The process begins with an interception, in which a criminal either hacks into a susceptible Wi-Fi network or sets up a fake website or harmful Wi-Fi hotspot. After that, hackers begin a decryption stage where they observe and collect communication information, like user logins.
This attack works against the cryptographic protocol and negotiates parameters between client and server, causing severe harm.
As you know, cyberattackers are clever and will try hard to break into your system. However, you protect yourself by building a strong foundation of security. Here we have laid down some important tips to mitigate the cyberattacks:
By following these types, you’ll have successful cyberattack vector prevention in your system.
So this was all about attack vectors, their types, and methods to prevent them. We hope this blog will help you understand your vulnerabilities and imply all the necessary steps required to safeguard your data. Share this valuable information with your friends and company members to educate them as well.
Banks are more prone to ransomware, phishing, spoofing, and Trojans. Therefore, banking institutions use some of the strongest security solutions to shield their systems.
A cyber attack is an unauthorized attempt to steal data and misuse of the information gained from a computer or network.
Phishing emails, malware, and unpatched vulnerabilities are the three common types of attack vectors used by cybercriminals in stealing data from a computer.
Defending attack vectors is a multi-layer approach. One has to implement multiple layers of security control to safeguard their systems, networks, and data.
The term is used for individuals or groups of people who intentionally cause harm to computer networks to steal and misuse the system’s data.
