A Cyber attack is an assault launched by cyber criminals using one or more computers against a single or multiple computers or networks. A cyber attack can maliciously disable computers, steal data, or use a breached computer as a launch point for other attacks. Cyber criminals use a variety of methods to launch a cyber attack, including malware, phishing, ransomware, denial of service, among other methods.
Why do Cyber Attacks happen?
They can have various objectives, including the following :
Financial gain : Most cyber attacks today, especially those against commercial entities, are launched by cyber criminals for financial gain. These attacks often aim to steal sensitive data, such as customer credit card numbers or employee personal information, which the cyber criminals then use to access money or goods using the victims’ identities.
Disruption and revenge : Bad actors also launch attacks specifically to sow chaos, confusion, discontent, frustration or mistrust. They could be taking such action as a way to get revenge for acts taken against them. They could be aiming to publicly embarrass the attacked entities or to damage the organizations’ reputation. These attacks are often directed at government entities but can also hit commercial entities or non-profit organizations.
Nation-state attackers are behind some of these types of attacks. Others, called hacktivists, might launch these types of attacks as a form of protest against the targeted entity; a secretive decentralized group of internationalist activists known as Anonymous is the most well known of such groups.
Cyber Warfare : Governments around the world are also involved in cyber attacks, with many national governments acknowledging or suspected of designing and executing attacks against other countries as part of ongoing political, economic and social disputes. These types of attacks are classified as cyber warfare.
How can you prevent a cyber attack?
– There is no guaranteed way for any organization to prevent a cyber attack, but there are numerous cybersecurity best practices that organizations can follow to reduce the risk.
– Reducing the risk of a cyber attack relies on using a combination of skilled security professionals, processes and technology.
Best practices includes
– Implementing perimeter defenses, such as firewalls, to help block attack attempts and to block access to known malicious domains;
– Using software to protect against malware, namely antivirus software, thereby adding another layer of protection against cyber attacks;
– Maintaining a monitoring and detection program to identify and alert to suspicious activity;
– Training and educating individual users about attack scenarios and how they as individuals have a role to play in protecting the organization.
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