24 May What is a Cyber Attack?

Cyber Attack: What Is it and How to Protect Yourself Online

A cyber attack is basically an attack done by an individual or an organization on a computer or an entire network for a number of reasons. It can be to breach a network’s security and access sensitive and confidential data, alter or manipulate certain information inside a database, or simply disable or destroy the target computer or network.

Regardless of the purpose, cyber attacks have been an increasing problem that continues to evolve at a rapid pace. A report by RiskBased Security revealed that cyber security attacks have accounted for more than 7.9 billion records being exposed back in 2019 alone. This figure is 112% higher than the recorded breaches back in 2018.

This staggering number explains why companies employ several strategies to secure their network, one of which is employing cyber insurance services.

The Most Common Types of Cybersecurity Attacks

Cyber attacks are pretty varied depending on their intended purpose. Let’s have a look at some of the most common types of cybersecurity attacks recorded so far:

● DDoS attacks – Probably the most common form of cyber attacks today, DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks are designed to overwhelm a target system’s resources, preventing that system from responding to service requests and basically disrupting its performance. This type of attack is often common among websites and other online services.

● PoD attacks – PoD (ping-of-death) is a form of cyber attack designed to target older operating systems. To make it work, a computer attacker will send a ping network packet which is way above the maximum network packet size that a computer can handle – which is at 65,536 bytes. The target computer gets overwhelmed by the packet’s large size, causing it to freeze or even crash.

● Phishing – Phishing is a relatively simple form of web attack, but its simplicity is also the main reason why it’s so effective. Basically, hackers trick their victims by sending a legitimate-looking email prompting them to take action. It can be to either enter their sensitive information into a phishing website or download malware that looks like a legitimate document.

How to Protect Yourself from Cyber Attacks

Luckily, there are ways you can protect your system from these malicious attacks. However, with how fast some of these evolve, there’s only so much you can do to enhance your security. Still, these tips should help you immensely when it comes to your system’s security:

1. Keep your antivirus software updated at all times. It can be pretty useful to protect against malware which adds a nice layer of protection to your system.
2. Regularly update your operating system. Windows, in particular, rolls out updates from time to time designed to improve a system’s security and protection. Just keep in mind that the longer you keep your device outdated, the more prone it will be to security threats.
3. Use separate passwords for all your accounts. It’s not a good practice to use a single password for all of your accounts since a single breach on one of your accounts would mean a breach to all of them. It’s also best to use a strong password that uses a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters.

Keeping Yourself Protected at All Times

We can’t really tell how or when a cyber attack happens. Therefore, as much as possible, make sure that your computer or network has solid protection in place.

Cyber Guard is dedicated to bringing their clients the most comprehensive cyber insurance policies on the market. Contact them today