How To Prevent the 7 Most Common Cybersecurity Threats

You've likely heard of businesses getting hit by cyberattacks. A cyberattack is a malicious and deliberate attempt by an individual or organization to breach the network or another individual or organization. Cyberattacks are often depicted in movies as obvious, well-planned attacks that can bring down a company in one blow but, in reality, they can be much more subtle. In fact, you might not even realize you've been a victim of a cyberattack until it's too late.

The surge of cyberattacks continues to rise as we spend more time online. Governments worldwide saw a 1,885% increase in ransomware attacks in 2021. Hackers find new ways of breaching personal and business networks every day, so it's essential to stay aware of the common cybersecurity threats that your business may face. By understanding what they are, you can learn how to prevent them and use that knowledge to develop a sound cybersecurity strategy.

What Are the 7 Most Common Cybersecurity Threats?

Before we dive into the exact methods of hackers, let’s first explore the difference between network security attacks and wireless security attacks. Each poses a unique threat to the vulnerabilities in your business's network.

Network attacks are any attempts to exploit a vulnerability or weakness in your network. The goal of a network attack is to steal, modify, or remove valuable data from your business. Vulnerable areas include your servers, firewalls, computers, routers, and printers — to name a few. 

Wireless attacks involve going after a specific device connected to your business’s WiFi network. This could be a laptop, smartphone, tablet, or any other internet of things (IoT) device.

Now, let's take a look at some of the most common cybersecurity threats that hackers may present to your business in their efforts to break through its cyber protection. 

1. Malware

Malware is a term used to describe generally malicious software, including spyware, ransomware, viruses, and worms. Malware can breach your network through a single vulnerability and can wreak havoc on your business operations. Malware typically makes its way into a network when a user clicks on a dangerous link or email attachment, or installs risky software.

2. Phishing

If you've ever gotten a strange email addressed to you from your “boss,” even though it clearly wasn't, you were likely the victim of an attempted phishing attack. Phishing is the practice of sending fraudulent communications — usually through email — that appear to be from a credible source. The goal of these emails is to steal sensitive data, such as credit card information, social security numbers, or your network login information. 

3. Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack

A MitM attack, or an eavesdropping attack, occurs when a hacker intrudes on a two-party transaction so they can interrupt network traffic and steal data. For example, suppose your remote employees are logging in from an unprotected public WiFi network. An attacker could interpose themselves between one of their devices and the network, giving them full access to your network's data without your employees’ knowledge or consent. Given the popularity of wireless devices, MitM attacks are extremely common cybersecurity threats.

4. Denial-of-Service Attack

A denial-of-service attack floods a system, server, or network with traffic to exhaust resources and bandwidth. As a result of the sudden overload, the system can’t fulfill legitimate user requests that are submitted.

5. Structured Query Language (SQL) Injection

An SQL injection occurs when an attacker inserts malicious code into a server that uses SQL and forces the server to reveal information it normally wouldn’t. Creating an SQL injection is as easy as submitting malicious code into a vulnerable website’s search query field. 

6. Zero-Day Exploit

A zero-day exploit targets a specific time of network vulnerability. Typically, these attacks occur after a network vulnerability is announced but before a patch or solution is implemented. Attackers will target the disclosed vulnerability during this window of time, so these attacks are often swift and discreet. 

7. Domain Name System (DNS) Tunneling

DNS tunneling utilizes the DNS protocol to communicate non-DNS traffic over port 53. DNS tunneling can be a legitimate protocol, but it can also be used for malicious attacks as well. Attackers use virtual private networks (VPNs) to disguise outbound traffic as DNS, concealing data that is typically shared through an internet connection. Malicious DNS requests are manipulated to exfiltrate data from a compromised system to the attacker's infrastructure.

Protect Against These Cybersecurity Threats

Now that we have listed some common cybersecurity threats, it's time to discuss how to stop hackers in their tracks. Staying proactive in your cyber resiliency can prevent a hacker from getting into your network before they try. 

Firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, web filtering, and antivirus/antispyware are common defenses against hackers, but they can be costly. GTA's Multi-Threat Security Bundle is a cost-effective solution that comes with all of these managed services as well as other cloud-based services.

Outside of the proper security, you need to ensure that you have a secure network provider with strong cyber resilience to protect your business from these and other common cybersecurity threats. 

Cyber Resiliency From the Island's Most Trusted Network

At GTA, we understand the importance of safeguarding your business’s digital property. We design our managed cybersecurity services to evolve with technology so they grow stronger as new threats emerge. Reach out to our team to learn how we can help your business build up its cyber resilience and keep your data secure.