Open Access Research Article
CYBER ATTACKS AND IT’S COUNTERMEASURES
Published Paper
Article Details
CYBER ATTACKS AND IT’S
COUNTERMEASURES
AUTHORED BY - MITALI VASISHTHA & SHIVANGI
SINHA
Abstract
Nowadays,
the majority of international relations, commerce, economics, culture, social
contact, and government at all levels—involving individuals, non-governmental
organizations, governments, and governmental institutions—take place online.
Cyberattacks and the risk associated with wireless communication technology
have become major issues for several government agencies and commercial
businesses worldwide in recent times. The modern world relies heavily on
electronic technology, and safeguarding this information against cyberattacks
is a difficult problem. The intention of cyberattacks is to financially damage
businesses. Cyberattacks may also serve political or military objectives in
other circumstances. Computer viruses, knowledge gaps, data distribution
services (DDS), and other attack vectors are a few examples of these harms. To
this goal, different companies employ different strategies to stop the harm
that comes from cyberattacks. Cybersecurity keeps up with the most recent IT
data in real time. Researchers from all across the world have so far put out a
number of strategies to stop cyberattacks or lessen the harm they inflict.
While some of the approaches are at the study stage, others are in the
operational stage. This study aims to analyse the difficulties, shortcomings,
and strengths of the suggested approaches as well as to evaluate and thoroughly
review the standard advancements in the field of cyber security. Various new
descendent attack kinds are thoroughly examined. The history and
first-generation cyber-security techniques are covered together with standard
security frameworks.
Introduction
Several digital gadgets
and the internet that powers them have made life much more comfortable in
today's world. Like anything wonderful, there is a dark side to modern
technology. This is also true with digital. Although the internet has improved
our lives, safeguarding your data has become much more difficult as a result of
it. Cyberattacks are a result of this.
Cyber-attacks are when
someone gains illegal access to a system or network. Hackers or attackers are
those who carry out cyberattacks.
Hackers can do harm in a
number of ways. Data loss or manipulation may arise from the execution of an attack
that results in data breaches. Businesses suffer reputational harm, financial
losses, and deterioration of consumer confidence. We employ cybersecurity in
order to stop cyberattacks. Keeping computers, networks, and their parts safe
from unwanted online access is known as cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity has
suffered because of the COVID-19 problem as well. Interpol and the World Health
Organization report that the COVID-19 epidemic has resulted in a substantial
rise in cyberattacks.
Types Of Cyber Attacks: -[1]
1.Malware
attack
One of the most typical kinds of
cyberattacks is this one. Malicious software viruses, such as worms, spyware,
ransomware, adware, and trojans, are referred to as "malware". The
trojan infection poses as trustworthy software. Whereas spyware is software
that secretly collects all of your private information, ransomware prevents
access to the network's essential components. Adware is software that shows
banner ads and other forms of advertising on a user's screen. A vulnerability allows
malware to infiltrate a network. When a person uses an infected pen drive or
clicks on a risky link, an email attachment is downloaded.
Now let's examine ways to stop a
malware attack:
Employ antiviral protection. It has
the ability to defend your computer against malware. Among the well-known
antivirus programs are Avast, Norton, and McAfee.
Utilize firewalls. Traffic that may
reach your device is filtered by firewalls. The built-in firewalls that come
pre-installed on Windows and Mac OS X are called Windows Firewall and Mac
Firewall, respectively.
Remain vigilant and refrain from
clicking on shady links.
Regularly update your browsers and
operating system.
2. Phishing Attack
Phishing attacks are among the most
well-known and often occurring categories of cyberattacks. This is a kind of
social engineering assault in which the perpetrator poses as a reliable contact
and sends fictitious emails to the target.
Unaware of this, the victim opens the
email and opens the attachment or clicks on the malicious link. Attackers are
able to obtain account passwords and private data in this way. Via a phishing
attempt, they may potentially install malware.
The actions listed below can help
avoid phishing attacks:
Examine every of the emails you get.
Significant flaws, such as misspellings and formatting variations from reliable
sources, are included in the majority of phishing emails.
Use a toolbar that blocks phishing
scams.
Frequently change your passwords.
3. password attack
It is a type of attack where a hacker
uses programs and password-cracking tools such as Aircrack, Cain, Abel, John
the Ripper, Hashcat, etc. to break your password. Keylogger, dictionary, and
brute force assaults are a few of the several kinds of password attacks.
A few strategies to stop password
assaults are given below:
Make secure, distinctive
character-filled alphanumeric passwords.
Never use the same password on more
than one website or account.
You may reduce your vulnerability to
a password assault by updating your passwords.
Don't leave any password clues
visible.
4. Man in the middle
Eavesdropping attacks are often
referred to as Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks. This attack involves the
interception of a communication between two parties by an attacker, who then
takes control of the session between the client and the host. Hackers pilfer
and alter data in this way.
It's evident from the image below
that the hacker is acting as a middleman in place of the client-server
connection.The following procedures can be used to stop MITM attacks:
Keep in consideration the website's
security while you browse it. Employ encryption on all of your gadgets.
Avoid utilizing WIFI networks that
are open to the public.
5. SQL Injection Attack
When an attacker modifies a
conventional SQL query, a database-driven website is subjected to a Structured
Query Language (SQL) injection attack. The method of carrying it out involves
inserting malicious code into a search box on a vulnerable website, forcing the
server to divulge important data.
Consequently, the hacker gains access
to the databases' tables for viewing, editing, and deleting. This can also
provide attackers administrative privileges.
A SQL injection attack can be avoided
by:
Detect unwanted network access by
using a system for intrusion detection, which is intended for this purpose.
Validate the data that was provided
by the user. It takes the user input under control using a validation
procedure.
6. Denial-of-Service
Attack
One serious danger to businesses is
the Denial-of-Service Attack. To use up all of the resources and bandwidth
available to them, attackers flood servers, networks, and systems with traffic.
It is at this point that the servers
are unable to handle the influx of requests and the website they host either
crashes or experiences a slowdown. The rightful service requests go unanswered
as a result.
When attackers employ several hacked
systems to initiate this assault, it is also known as a DDoS (Distributed
Denial-of-Service) attack.
Now let's examine defence strategies
against DDoS attacks:
To find malicious traffic, do a
traffic analysis.
Recognize the warning indicators,
such as sporadic website shutdowns and sluggish networks. The company has to
act quickly in these situations to take the appropriate action.
Create a checklist, ensure that your
staff and data centre are prepared for a DDoS assault, and develop an incident
response strategy.
Contract out the defence against DDoS
attacks to cloud service providers.
7. Insider Threat
Insiders pose a threat to others, as
the word implies, but they do it from within. Under these circumstances, it can
be someone who works for the company and is well-versed in its operations. The
potential for enormous harm from insider threats is present.
Since small firm employees have
access to several accounts containing data, insider threats are common there.
This type of attack can be caused by a variety of factors, such as
recklessness, avarice, or malice. Insider threats can be problematic since they
are unpredictable.
To stop the assault by an insider
threat:
There should be a strong security
awareness culture within organizations.
Businesses need to restrict employee
access to IT resources based on their job functions.
Employees must be trained by
organizations to recognize insider risks. This will make it easier for staff
members to recognize when an attacker has altered or trying to abuse data
belonging to the company.
8. Crypto Jacking
The word "crypto jacking"
has a tight connection to cryptocurrencies. The act of hackers breaking into
another person's computer to mine bitcoin is known as crypto jacking.
By tricking the target into clicking
on a malicious link or infecting a website, access is obtained. They do this by
using JavaScript code in web advertisements. The only indication victims may
notice is a pause in the execution of the crypto mining code, which operates in
the background and is invisible to them.
The following actions can be taken to
stop crypto jacking:
Since crypto jacking may infect even
the most vulnerable computers, update all of your security programs and
software.
Employees should get training on crypto
jacking awareness since this will enable them to recognize potential risks.
Ads are a major source of crypto
jacking programs, so install an ad blocker. possess add-ons like as Miner Block,
which detects and prevents cryptocurrency mining programs.
9. Zero-Day Exploit
When a network vulnerability is
announced, a Zero-Day Exploit occurs; often, there is no fix for the issue.
Hence the seller discloses a flaw so that consumers are aware; unfortunately,
the information also reaches the perpetrators.
The vendor or developer may need some
time to address the vulnerability before a solution is provided. The revealed
vulnerability is the attackers' focus in the meantime. They take care to take
advantage of the vulnerability even prior to the implementation of a patch or
other fix.
One way to stop zero-day exploits is
to:
Organizations must to have clear and
concise procedures for managing patches. Automate the processes by utilizing
management solutions. Deployment delays are therefore avoided.
To assist you in handling a
cyberattack, create an incident response strategy. Maintain a zero-day
attack-focused approach. Damage can either be minimized or prevented entirely
by doing this.
10. Watering Hole
Attack
Here, a certain group inside an
organization, area, etc. is the victim. Websites that are often visited by
those who are being targeted are the focus of this type of assault. Websites
are found by guesswork or by keeping a close eye on the group.
Following this, the attackers use
malware to infect these websites and the PCs of the victims. In an instance
like this, the spyware goes for the user's private data. Here, the hacker may
also be able to access the compromised machine remotely.
Now let's examine how to stop the
watering hole attack:
To lessen the chance that an attacker
may take advantage of vulnerabilities, update your software. Always remember to
check for safety updates.
To identify watering hole attacks,
make use of your network security tools. When it comes to identifying such
questionable activity, intrusion prevention systems (IPS) perform admirably.
It is recommended that you keep your
internet activity hidden to avoid a watering hole assault. Use a VPN for this
as well as the private browsing option in your browser. With the help of a VPN,
you may securely connect over the Internet to another network. It serves as a
barrier for the web browsing you do. One excellent VPN is NordVPN.
11. Spoofing
To get access to private data and
carry out destructive actions, an attacker assumes the identity of someone or
something else. They can, for instance, mimic a network address or an email
address.
12. Identity-Based Attacks
These involve using someone else's
PIN to gain unauthorized entry to their systems or stealing or manipulating
their personal information.
13. Injection Code Exploits
carried out by introducing malware
into a software program in order to alter data. For instance, to steal data,
the attacker inserts spyware into a SQL database.
14. Attacks on the Supply Chain
Take advantage of weaknesses in
hardware or software supply chains to obtain private data.
15. DNS Tunnelling
An attacker can interact with a
remote server and get around security measures by using the Internet's Domain
Name System (DNS).
16. DNS Manipulation
cyberattack in which the perpetrator
modifies a website's DNS records in order to regulate traffic.
17. Cyberattacks with IoT
Take advantage of holes in devices
connected to the Internet, such as security cameras and smart thermostats, to
steal information.
18. Crypto-attacks
Demand money in return for encrypting
the victim's data.
19. Distributed Denial of Service
(DDos) Attacks
These attacks aim to take advantage
of network weaknesses by flooding a website with traffic, rendering it
unavailable to authorized users.
20. Direct Message
Distribute phony emails to propagate
phishing schemes.
21. Hacked login credentials
Are used by Commercial Account
Takeover (CATO) hackers to get access to other people's bank accounts.
2. Cash Out using Robotic Teller
Machine (ATM)
In order to take massive cash
withdrawals from ATMs, hackers gain access to the financial institution's
computer networks.
23. Attacks using Whale Phishing
Employ advanced social engineering
strategies to target prominent people, such as CEOs or celebrities, in order to
get private data.
Target certain people or groups
inside an organization using spear-phishing attacks (24). To obtain private
information, attackers employ social engineering strategies.
25. Deciphering URLs
An attack in the URL decoding process
is achieved by a web browser interpreting a Uniform Resource Locator, or URL,
and requesting the associated web page.
26. The Hijacking of Session
Using the user's session ID, the
hacker gains access to the web application and uses it to take over the user's
session and authenticate it.
27. Utilizing brute force techniques
Through a series of guesses until the
right one is discovered; an attacker gains unauthorized entry to a system. When
used to weak passwords, it may be rather successful.
28. Web-Based Assaults
It aims
to incorporate SQL injection, file inclusion, and cross-site scripting (XSS)
into websites.
29. Trojan Horses
malware that seems like a trustworthy
application but is really made of harmful code. It can carry out harmful tasks,
such as taking over the machine and stealing data, once installed.
30. Uninvited Visits
By accessing its hacked website, the
user's computer becomes infected with malware, which is then installed on it
without the user's awareness by taking advantage of flaws in other
applications.
31. Scripting attacks on the
cross-site (XSS)
Unauthorized code is inserted into a
trustworthy website by an attacker in order to obtain user credentials and
credit card information, among other sensitive data.
32. Violations of Eavesdropping
To gain access to private data, an
attacker eavesdrops on a conversation between two people.
33. Birthday Assault
A hash function collision is accessed
using a cryptographic attack that takes use of the birthday paradox. To obtain
the identical output hash value, the attacker is able to correctly produce two
inputs. This can be leveraged to get around access restriction measures.
34. Attacks Based on Volume
To prevent authorized users from
accessing a system, the attacker overwhelms it with large amounts of data. As an example, DDoS assaults cause a website
to fail by flooding it with traffic from several infected machines.
35. Protocol Attacks
These attacks take advantage of holes
within network protocols to access a system without authorization or interfere
with its normal operations. The Internet Control Communication Protocols Flood
attack and the Transmission Control Protocol, or TCP, SYN Flood attack are two
examples.
36. Attacks at the Application Layer
Attempts to take advantage of holes
in web servers or apps by targeting the programming layer of a system.
37. Dictionary Assaults
An attacker uses a list of frequently
used terms in an effort to figure out a user's password. Because so many people
use simple or weak passwords, this attack is successful.
38. A virus
Malicious software has the ability to
replicate and propagate to more systems. Viruses have the power to destroy
files, steal data, seriously harm systems, and more.
39. Worms
In contrast to viruses, replicate
themselves and spread to other computers without the need for human contact.
40. Rear access doors
Because to this vulnerability,
attackers can access a system or network without authorization and avoid
regular authentication procedures.
41. Automatic
Automating network or internet chores
is what these software tools do. Distributed Denial of Service, or DDoS,
assaults are one malevolent usage for them.
42. Business Email Compromise (BEC)
This type of email compromise targets
companies and organizations. In order to deceive the victim into sending money
or private information to them, the attackers assume the identity of a reliable
source.
43. XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)
Incursions
It intends to carry out unlawful
assaults or steal confidential data by inserting harmful code into a website
that is susceptible to vulnerability.
44. Attacks Using AI
Get beyond conventional security
measures with the help of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
45. Root-kitting
Grant special access to the victim
machine for attackers. In addition to being difficult to find and eliminate,
rootkits may be used to conceal additional infections, such as malware or
keyloggers.
How Can
Cyber Attacks Be Prevented?[2]
Even though we looked at a number of
strategies to stop the various kinds of assaults we covered, let's review and
take a look at some individual strategies you may use to completely prevent a
cyberattack.
1.
Use
strong, difficult-to-crack alphanumeric passwords and change them on a frequent
basis. Avoid using excessively complex passwords that you could find difficult
to remember. Never use the same password more than once.
2.
Update
your apps and operating system on a regular basis. This is the main defence
against any cyberattack. Vulnerabilities that hackers frequently take advantage
of will be eliminated. Make use of reputable and authentic antivirus software.
3.
Make
use of firewalls and additional network security solutions, such as application
security, access control, intrusion prevention systems, and so on.
4.
Refrain
from opening emails from senders you are not familiar with. Look closely for
any gaps or serious mistakes in the emails you receive.
5.
5.Utilize
a virtual private network. Encrypting the traffic between your device and the
VPN server is ensured by doing this.
6.
Take
frequent data backups. It is recommended by many security experts to have three
copies of your data on two distinct types of media and an additional copy
off-site (cloud storage). That means you may delete all of the data on your
machine and use a recent backup to restore it, even in the midst of a
cyberattack.
7.
Principles
of cybersecurity should be known to staff members. They have to understand the
different kinds of cyberattacks and how to defend against them.
8.
Employ
multi-factor or two-factor authentication. Users must authenticate themselves
using two distinct factors when using two-factor authentication. Multi-factor
authentication is the phrase used when you are prompted for more than two authentication
methods in addition to your password and login. This turns out to be a crucial
step in keeping your account safe.
9.
Protect
your wireless networks and stay away from public WIFI if you can't get a VPN.
10.
Protect
your smartphone, as they are a target for cyberattacks as well. Make sure your
smartphone is updated and only install apps from reputable and trustworthy
sources.
Conclusion
You now
have a thorough understanding of cyberattacks thanks to this essay on their
many forms. You've read about the definition of a cyberattack, the 10 most
common kinds, and how to defend yourself from one. Knowing about cyberattacks
and network security measures is important given the rise in cybercrimes in the
modern world. We should take measures to keep our information protected, there
are also various preventive ways in which we can assure full security to our
systems.
[1] Tietsort,
J.R. (2023a) 17 most common types of cyber attacks & examples (2024), RSS.
Available at: https://www.aura.com/learn/types-of-cyber-attacks (Accessed: 17
January 2024).
[2] 4 things you can do to keep
yourself cyber safe: CISA (2024) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security
Agency CISA. Available at: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/4-things-you-can-do-keep-yourself-cyber-safe
(Accessed: 17 January 2024).
Article Information
CYBER ATTACKS AND IT’S COUNTERMEASURES
Authors: MITALI VASISHTHA, SHIVANGI SINHA
- Journal IJLRA
- ISSN 2582-6433
- Published 2024/02/01
- Issue 7
About Journal
International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis
- Abbreviation IJLRA
- ISSN 2582-6433
- Access Open Access
- License CC 4.0
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