As we spoke about the various facets of IT Security in the first part of our blog, here we will delve deeper into the cybersecurity threats and some preventive measures to arm ourselves with, for protection from colossal losses.
Threats to IT security
A security threat is a foul act that causes loss or stealing of important data of any organization’s systems or the entire organization. To protect any type of data or system, the first and foremost thing to do is to identify security threats. Reasons for occurrences of threat could be intentional, accidental, or caused by natural disasters.
In a broad sense, there are two types of major threats – physical and non-physical threats. The type of threats that any organization usually undergoes is termed as cybersecurity threats that are categorized under non-physical threats. Cybersecurity threats will continue to evolve and become more prominent until IT becomes more alert and aware when it comes to protecting their data and networks. But to perform security measures, an organization should have complete knowledge of all types of cybersecurity threats.
Following are major types of cybersecurity threats:
1. Denial-of-Service Attack (DoS)
Sometimes a situation occurs wherein one keeps on refreshing a site again and again. Eventually, a message pops up stating “Service Unavailable,” indicating that the server is overloaded. Thus, Denial-of-Service attack (DoS) takes place when a website gets overloaded with traffic that leads to the crashing of the site. Too much traffic leads to the unavailability of the content to visitors.
A DDoS attack or distributed denial-of-service attack is more powerful then Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack. It’s propelled from a few PCs, and the number of PCs included can extend from only several of them to thousands or significantly more.
Since almost certainly, not all machines are like the assailant, they are undermined and added to the assailant’s system by malware. These PCs can then be circulated on the whole globe, and this system of traded off PCs is known as a botnet. Since the assault originates from such a significant number of various IP addresses at the same time, to find and protect against a DDoS attack is considerably harder for the unfortunate casualty.
2. Malware
Malware that comes from ‘Malicious Software’ is the most common type of attack that includes n-number of unwanted programs that can harm or manipulate the regular programs. There are a couple of key classes, for example, viruses, which try to duplicate and spread, as generally as it could reasonably be expected. Trojans gain passage to systems by camouflaging themselves as authentic applications, and spyware, which hopes to screen a representative’s use to accumulate delicate information.
Shielding against this massive number of dangers is no simple errand, which is the reason having reliable antimalware software is essential. There are many tools out there professing to offer insurance. Yet, firms need to guarantee that the arrangements they pick can distinguish the obscure malware beforehand by recognizing their key attributes.
3. Phishing
Phishing is to obtain sensitive or confidential data such as passwords, usernames, and credit card numbers without user consent. This type of attack is often received in the form of messages or phishing emails that are made to appear legal.
With some catchy headline, the user is made to click the mail that leads to the installation of malware on the recipient’s computer. Some forms of email seem like it has been sent from a bank to obtain personal information by asking to provide some identity proof.
4. Ransomware
When a ransomware attack takes place, the user is completely banned from using the computer. The computer gets locked, thus not allowing the user to access the data or use the information present on the device.
To recover access to the device or information, the user needs to pay the programmer a ransom, commonly in virtual money, for example, Bitcoin. Ransomware can be spread through a malignant email attachment, infected programming applications, external storage devices, and compromised websites.
5. Spamming
Spamming is to send unwanted messages in bulk to all the end-users at once. From a sender’s point of view, spam is the best method to send messages across the network in less time. Though spam can be termed as harmless, some may contain links that can give entry to malicious software into the system.
To not let these malicious spam emails enter your system, avoid clicking on unrecognized email addresses. Also, if the email is being addressed generically, for example, “Hey there” or “Dear Customer,” avoid clicking on it. Know about the installed connections and check if they have an odd URL by hovering over them to see where it needs to guide you and if the goal URL coordinates the goal site you anticipate.
Measures to prevent threats
The above-mentioned cybersecurity threats projected very briefly how important it is for any organization to take logical security measures into account. Following are some of the measures that can be acted out to keep cybersecurity threats away –
Protection against Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks can be ensured by intrusion-detection/prevention systems. Other measures can also be taken into account to avoid Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks.
Anti-virus software like Quick-heal can be used to protect any system against viruses, Trojans, worms by an organization. Not only this, but blocking of unwanted sources from entering into any system and ensuring control measures on the usage of external devices will help in the prevention of cyberattacks.
The implication of authentication methods to prevent unauthorized access to the computer system can again prove to be beneficial. These authentication methods can appear in the forms of user ids, strong passwords, smart cards, or even biometrics, etc.
Final call
Knowing what is going on in the IT security industry is extremely necessary to make an organization work strongly in terms of security. A little leverage can lead to big damage; thus, a look at all the terms of IT security for sure will help to stay aware, find preventive measures, and cure the breaches in the IT security sector. For more relevant content on IT Security and cybersecurity, you can download our latest whitepapers on Security
