Learn the different cybersecurity threats examples.
What are Cybersecurity Threats?
Cybersecurity threats are the different methods through which cybercriminals can gain access to a network and attack it. These threats include malware, phishing, and keyloggers. Moreover, the best way to prevent these threats is to inform your employees of them and implement firewall systems.
Cybersecurity Threats Examples
What is a Firewall?
A firewall is a security system that protects internal networks from outside threats. It consists of a line of defense and a detection system. Firewalls can be hardware-based, software-based, or a combination of both.
What is Malware?
Malware is a general term for malicious software, including viruses, spyware, trojans, and worms. These programs damage or destroy data on computers. There are different ways that malware can infect a computer.
For example, the most common way is through email attachments, downloads, and torrents. Hence, cybercriminals will use different methods to try and trick users. For instance, into downloading their malicious software so they can gain access to their computers.
Perhaps, they may start by sending an email requesting some information. There may be an attachment in an email that looks legitimate but it contains malware. After opening the attachment a popup may then be informing you that your system does not have enough space for the file and you need to download another application to open it. So this is another trick cybercriminals use because if you follow their instructions, you will end up downloading more malware on your computer.
What is Trojan?
A Trojan horse is a piece of software that installs harmful files on your computer without your knowledge so that cybercriminals can gain access to your system and steal confidential information such as bank details or personal information.
Moreover, it is one of the oldest forms of malware in use by cybercriminals because it isn’t detectable by antivirus programs and most users don’t know how to check their system for Trojans because they’re not even sure what they are or what they do. A Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless.
In most cases, it looks like a useful program or game. Besides, it is often in disguise as something else, such as a photo or audio file. It may also be disguised as an email attachment.
When you open the program, it runs a program hidden in the code. So this is the reason why some Trojans are difficult to detect because they don’t install themselves on your computer until you open them and run the harmful code.
Moreover, when you click on an infected link in an email, you could be taken to a website that is infected with malware which could then infect your computer without you even knowing.
What is Phishing?
Phishing is a type of online fraud that uses email, social media, and other types of communication to trick users into giving their personal information such as bank details, passwords, and credit card information. Cybercriminals will send out emails pretending to be a company or institution and ask you to give them some confidential information.
They may claim that you have won something or that your account has been compromised so they need your account information to prevent any further complications. You will be asked to open an attachment or click on a link within the email and fill in a form with your information. In some cases, cybercriminals will create websites that look like genuine sites such as banks where you can log in and access your account.
So make sure to ask yourself the following questions before you enter your personal information on a website or open an attachment:
- Is it from a reputable company?
- Does the email address look legitimate?
- Are there spelling mistakes in the email?
- Do they mention other companies or specific people in the email?
Also, check to see if the email is from a generic email address, such as [email protected], and that there is no contact telephone number. You should also be aware that some banks do not send any of their emails from generic email accounts.
Conclusion: Cybersecurity threats examples
Cybercriminals are always coming up with new ways to trick users into giving them their personal information. So make sure to be careful when you’re online and don’t open any attachments or click on any links in emails that you’re not sure about.
