Criminals always find their way to hack institutions or organizations by different means. It is very much needed to protect the organization from such attacks. Here in this tutorial, we learn about common system-based cyber-attack. By knowing these you will be aware of different cyber attacks. In this tutorial, we also discuss the symptom of cyber attacks.
What is Cyber Attack?
“The malicious activity that tends to breach the security of the system to gain proper access to the organization information.”
Types of Cyberattack
- System Based
- Web-based
System-based attacks
These attacks harm the entire computer system as well as the computer network.
The following are the common system-based cyber attacks:-
- Worm
- Virus
- Trojan
- Bots
Worm
A worm is a kind of malicious software program. Its main function is to infect other computers while remaining active on infected systems. It is a kind of self-replicating malware that duplicates itself to spread to uninfected computers. Worms often use parts of an (OS) Operating System that are invisible and automatic to the user.
Also Read- What is Dark data? Where it is used?
How computer worms spread?
A computer worm infection spreads without user interaction. The necessary thing is a computer worm to become active in an infected system. Worms were spread through infected storage media like diskettes, floppy, etc which, when attached on a computer system, would infect other storage devices connected to the victim system. Moreover, USB drives are still a general vector for computer worms.
How do computer worms work?
Computer worms rely on their actions of, and vulnerabilities in, networking protocols to circulate. For example, the Wanna Cry Ransomware worm exploited a vulnerability in the first version of the Server Message Block (SMBv1) resource-sharing protocol implemented in the Windows operating system. When a freshly infected computer is active, the Wanna Cry malware initiates a network search for new potential victims: systems that respond to SMBv1 requests made by the worm. And the worm can continue to circulate within an organization in this way. When our device (BYOD) is infected, the worm can spread to other networks, giving hackers even more access.
VIRUS
It is a kind of malicious software program that spread right through the computer files without the knowledge of a user. It is one of the self-replicating malicious computer programs that replicates by inserting copies of itself into other computer programs when executed. It can execute instructions that cause damage to the system.
Also check: classification of embedded systems
How does a computer virus work?
Even if we are careful, we can pick up computer viruses through normal Web activities like:
- Visiting an infected website
- Installing software applications without thoroughly reading the license agreements
- Opening spam email or an email attachment
- Sharing of photos, files, or music with other users
- Downloading of media players, toolbars, free games, and other system utilities
Some computer viruses are programmed to damage your computer by harming programs, reformatting the hard drive or deleting files. It floods a network with traffic, making it impossible to perform any internet activity. Some harmful computer viruses can extensively disrupt your system’s performance, sapping computer memory and causing frequent computer crashes.
Also Read- 4 Common System based cyber attack | Symptoms of cyber attack
What are the symptoms of a computer virus?
Your computer system may be infected if you identify any of these symptoms
- Frequent computer crashes
- Unexplained data loss
- Erratic computer behavior
- Slow computer performance
Trojan
- A Trojan is a type of malicious code /software that looks convincing but can take manage of your computer. A trojan is considered to harm, disrupt, steal, or in general inflict some other harmful action on your network or data.
- The trojan horse acts like an authentic application or file to trick you. It seeks to mislead you into loading and executing the malware on your device. Once installed, a Trojan can perform the action it was planned for.
- A Trojan is sometimes called a Trojan horse virus, but that’s a misnomer. Viruses can execute and repeat themselves. A Trojan cannot. The user has to execute Trojans. Even so, Trojan malware and Trojan virus are frequently used interchangeably.
- Whether you prefer calling it Trojan malware or a Trojan virus, it’s smart to know how this double agent works and what you can do to keep your devices safe.
How do Trojans work?
Following is an example to show how it works:-
- We might think we’ve received an email from someone we know and click on what looks like a legal attachment. But do you know it a way of fooling us . The email is from a cybercriminal, and the file we clicked on — and downloaded and opened — has gone on to install malware on your device.
- When we execute the program, the malware can spread to other files and damage our computer.
- Because the Trojans are designed to do different things. But we’ll probably wish they weren’t doing any of them on our device.
Also Read- 5 Common Web-based cyber attacks| Types of cyber attacks
BOT
- “Bot” is derived from the word “robot”. It is an automated process that interacts with other network services. Bots often automate tasks and provide services or information that would otherwise be conducted by a human being. The bots are used to collect information either from web crawlers, or they can also interact automatically with Instant Messaging, Internet Relay Chat or other web interfaces. The bot may also be used to interact dynamically with websites.
- it can be used for either good or malicious intent. A malicious bot is a self-propagating malware that is designed to infect a host. it is also connected back to a central server/servers that act as a command and control (C&C) center for an entire network of compromised devices, or “botnet.” With the help of a botnet, attackers can launch broad-based, ,” flood-type, “remote-control attacks against their target(s).
- bots can include the ability to log keystrokes, gather passwords, capture packets and analyze it, gather financial information, launch DOS (Denial Of Services) attacks, open back doors, and relay spam on the infected shot. Bots have all the advantages of worms, but are usually much more all-around in their infection vector and are often modified within hours of publication of a new exploit.
Symptoms of a Bot attack
- Your computer takes a long time to shut down, or won’t shut down properly.
- Programs are running very slowly.
- You cannot download operating system updates.
- You cannot download antivirus software updates/visit vendors’ websites.
Conclusion
Seeing today’s scenario, there is a dire need for security. There is a different kinds of cyber attacks. Attackers can either attack the system or on the web. In this tutorial, I have discussed system-based cyber-attacks which are system based specifically and we also discuss the symptom of cyber attacks. If you’re having any doubts, ask me freely in the comment box.
Also, Read- Difference between Virus and Trojan Horse|Virus vs Trojan
