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Types of Cybersecurity Threats

There are multiple types of cybersecurity threats that can impact your online experience.

There are multiple types of cybersecurity threats that can impact your online experience.

There are multiple types of cybersecurity threats that can impact your online experience. In order to protect yourself online, it’s important to be well versed in cybersecurity. Examples of cybersecurity threats include malware attacks, social engineering attacks, ransomware, phishing, insider threats, man-in-the-middle attacks, and several others. There are things you can do to protect yourself from security attacks.

In network security, it’s necessary to be aware of different types of cybersecurity threats and how easily your information can be stolen. Become familiar with your cybersecurity provider and what services they provide to assist you in case a threat were to fall upon you. If you do not use a cybersecurity service, highly consider getting one to ensure you have some form of protection.

Many of the services offer alerts when there’s a threat to your online information. They can also assist if you become aware of your information being stolen by a cyber attack. If you use a company computer, phone, email, etc. also become familiar with your Information Technology department. They may offer cybersecurity training services to help expand your knowledge and awareness of cyber attacks and techniques on how to avoid falling into their traps.

Some of these attacks are types of attacks in network security as well, so it is important to notify the correct people quickly if you believe your cyber safety has been compromised. Some of these traps are easy to fall into, such as a hacker asking you to click a link by pretending to be someone within your organization. Others take a little more thought to avoid, such as ensuring you’re in an enclosed, private network to prevent advanced persistent threats or man-in-the-middle attacks.

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Types of Security Threats

Among the numerous cybersecurity threats, there are also several types of security threats that can allow for cyber attacks to occur. According to the University of Georgetown, the top 10 cybersecurity threats are technology with weak security, social media attacks, mobile malware, third-party entry, neglecting proper configuration, outdated security software, social engineering, lack of encryption, corporate data on personal devices, and overall inadequate security technology. This reflects on the top 10 cybersecurity threats 2021 was plagued with. It is possible to predict that this will continue to be on the top of the list of top cybersecurity threats 2022 is affected by and will likely bring about big changes in the technology industry to help increase cybersecurity and stop the continuously evolving trend of cyberattacks.

While many systems have systems in place to filter out potential scam emails or phishing attempts, they are not foolproof and can still sneak by the system. It is important to be vigilant and keep an eye out for these attempts. Some good practices are to read emails thoroughly and check who they are from before responding or clicking anything. Never click on suspicious links because they can easily be worms or trojans trying to infiltrate your network. Contact your IT department if something looks off. If it appears to be from someone you know, contact them via text or phone call to confirm they sent you the email.

If someone does gain access to your computer or network, report it immediately. Do not give them any further information or money to try to regain access. This ransomware is designed to make you give in so that you have to provide them with funds to get your information back. However, it’s still not a guarantee that you will get anything back, so be cautious of everything you see online.

Types of Cyber Threats

The majority of threats to cyber safety revolve around the lack of both technology and information regarding the importance of cybersecurity. These types of threats include a lack of updated cybersecurity software, misinformation regarding cybersecurity, social engineering by hackers, and cloud vulnerability. The sources of cyber threats vary, but most come in the form of an individual or group of hackers attempting to gain access to an individual or business’s network.

These threats most commonly pinpoint particular individuals or businesses that could potentially be “easy targets”, such as lower-class citizens or small-to-medium size businesses. This is due to the likelihood that these people will have lower funds to create a secure network environment to have protection from cyber threats. Current cyber threats such as the previously mentioned ransomware, man-in-the-middle attacks, phishing, social engineering, and cloud vulnerabilities are rising almost daily.

To help divert these potential threats, it’s important to scan unusual activity on your network, use strong passwords and two-factor authorization when possible, lower the use of unfamiliar websites, and maintain up-to-date antivirus software. Keep updated on what major events are happening in cybersecurity and what trends are on the rise so you can adequately prepare for them if they were ever to happen to you. Again, never give any information to anyone you don’t know and trust. If you have concerns, contact your IT department or security service provider immediately. Finally, never ever offer to pay or give money to anyone holding your information hostage. It’s likely you will be left with nothing but a valuable lesson.

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Internet Threats

Internet threats fall into the same scope as cyber threats, however, are specifically targeted at websites and social networks for their attacks. You may have heard horror stories about folks who have fallen for a person messaging them on a social networking site about money or saying that they need help and for them to send them their banking information or something similar. We have all heard of the dangers of this and probably think that we would never fall for anything like that. Catfishing only happens to older people who don’t know any better and aren’t as well-versed online. That’s entirely false. Cybercrime can happen to anyone at any time, no matter how young, old, experienced, or inexperienced they are. Among the top 10 internet threats are injection attacks, botnet, computer worms, brute force attacks, and adware programs.

The answer on how to prevent computer threats is similar to previous examples explained here. Check everything. Look for misspellings or grammatical errors on the website’s URL or page. Look for low-quality images for clues on the reliability of the site. If you think something looks weird, don’t click on it. Perhaps a friend posted a link to something on their Facebook profile and is encouraging others to look at it. This is an example of a watering hole attack, where hackers will use a popular site to lure large numbers of people into their trap.

Hackers may also spoof their identity to gain access to your information by hiding their true identity. Spyware has also become a key player in this game because hackers will use it to track your keystrokes, website visits, etc. It’s possible to avoid these, but how? To avoid computer threats, try to avoid public Wi-Fi networks, scan for malware on a regular basis, create backups of everything, use multi-factor authentication, and keep all your software, programs, etc. up to date.

Types of Cybersecurity

Thankfully, there are several types of cybersecurity to help prevent cyber attacks and decrease the chances of your important information being taken away from you. With all of the types of security threats to organizations, it’s important to make sure you and others within your organization are aware of different types of cybersecurity. Make sure you know how to contact your IT department and where they are located. Also, participate in any and all training that’s provided to you about cybersecurity. Consider taking a workshop if your workplace or organization doesn’t offer training.

If you don’t work at a large company, you may ask yourself, “If an IT department isn’t going to be able to help me, what is?” Security attacks are always preventable, and that is important to recognize. It’s pivotal to acknowledge the amount of computer security threats and solutions that can help prevent those attacks from occurring or reoccurring in the future. Many of these strategies have already been listed, however, there are still others to consider. Use techniques such as application security, network security, cloud security, endpoint protection, Internet of Things (IoT) security, and threat intelligence.

Always rely on trusted sources and question anything that seems even the slightest bit off. Create strong passwords with multiple letters, numbers, and symbols where permitted and change them often. Also, keep in mind that hackers and attackers can try and get to you through texts, calls, emails, and the internet. Keep on the lookout for red flags anywhere you surf the web. You can also invest in a vulnerability scanner tool that allows businesses to check their current security for vulnerabilities, such as the one we supply. You can check it out and even schedule a demo with us here.

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