An attack is a deliberate action, targeting an organisation’s digital system or data.
Threat
A threat is an incident or an action which is deliberate or
unintended that results in disruption, down time or data loss.
Internal & External Threat
Internal Threat = caused by an incident inside an organisation
External Threat = caused outside the organisation
Cyber Security
Cyber Security refers to the range of measures that can be taken to protect computer
systems, networks and data from unauthorised access or cyber-attack.
Unauthorised Access
This refers to someone gaining entry without permission to an
organisation’s system, software or data. This achieved by exploiting a
security vulnerability
Social Engineering
is a set of methods used by cybercriminals to deceive individuals into handing over information that they can use for
fraudulent purposes
Shoulder Surfing/Shouldering involves the attacker watching the victim while they provide sensitive information
Phishing is an attack in which the victim receives an email disguised to
look as if it has come from a reputable source, in order to trick them into
giving up valuable data. The email usually provides a link to another
website where the information can be inputted.
Pharming is when a victim redirects the user from a genuine website to a fake
one.
Blagging/Pretexting is an attack in which the perpetrator invents a scenario in order to convince the victim to give
them data or money. And it also happens on Calls and Emails! Even on TV ads
Tailgating/Piggybacking Trying to gain access to a secure room or building. E.g. a common type of this taking
place is pretending to be a delivery driver and asking an authorised person to hold the door so they can enter the
building
Baiting Cyber criminals make a promise of goods to get the information that they need. Eg. promise free
downloads to a film for login details
Hackers
A hacker is someone who seeks out and exploits peoples data
A Black Hat Hacker is someone who tries to inflict damage by compromising security systems
A White Hat Hacker is someone who works with organisations to strengthen the security of a system
A Grey Hat hacker is someone who does it for fun and not with malicious intent
Types of Threats
Malware
Malicious Software is designed to harm a digital system, damage
data or harvest sensitive information.
Trojan Horse are users that are tricked into downloading it to their computer. Once installed the Trojan works undercover to carry out a
predetermined task.
Ransomware encrypts files stored on a computer to extort/demand or steal money from organisations.
Spyware is secretly installed to collect information from someone else's computer
DDoS Attack is a person flooding a website with useless traffic to inundate and overwhelm the network
Keyloggers are spyware that records every keystroke made on a computer to steal personal information
Botnet is bots take control of a computer system, without the user’s knowledge. A botnet is a large collection of malware-infected
devices (zombies). An attacker (‘bot herder’) chooses when to ‘wake’ the zombies to perform an attack.
Adware is Automatically shows adverts such as popups. Most adware is harmless but some contain spyware such as
keyloggers
Virus is a piece of malicious code that attaches to a legitimate
program. It is capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of
causing great harm to files or other programs on the same
computer
Worms get around by exploiting vulnerabilities in operating systems and
attaching themselves to emails. They self replicate at a tremendous rate,
using up hard drive space and bandwidth, overloading servers.