In 2016, search engine and email giant organization Yahoo had their system compromised by a data breach, resulting in stealing the information of about 500 million users.
Yahoo isn’t the only victim of a security breach. Other examples include Equifax, eBay, Home Depot, Target, and Adobe.
These are all huge, household names. Yet, hackers still found a way into their systems. Staying ahead of hackers and knowing the most common security breaches is an effective way to protect yourself from a future attack.
Unfortunately, there’s more than one type of attack. Here are the 10 most common security and data breaches to expect in 2019.
The Most Common Security Breaches
There are many types of security and data breaches and each has its own purpose.
Here are attacks to look out for in 2019.
1. Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack
A MitM attack is one of the hardest attacks to recognize. That’s because a hacker first compromises a client’s system to attack your server.
There are different ways they can do this. They can sneak through a connection you have with a client, such as an email.
They can also steal a client’s IP address, successfully disguising as them so you can potentially guide the hacker to valuable information or even funds.
2. Denial-of-Service (DoS) and Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks
Many businesses recognize a DoS as the stereotypical you’ve-been-hacked scenario.
The hacker compromises your entire system and you cannot respond or reset your server. A DDoS attack is similar, except it stems from malicious software that compromises a whole host of systems.
This is why this attack is out to destroy the main responsibilities of your business — don’t be surprised if this attack comes from a competitor.
3. Drive-By Attack
Hackers can easily find a weak website and insert malicious script into the HTML or PHP code.
When visiting a malicious website, this code does one of two things:
- Directs the website visitor to a specific site
- Downloads malware directly on the visitor’s computer
This is why Google is making HTML5 the main code for web pages — for many reasons, but mainly the security benefits.
4. Phishing and Spear Phishing
Have you ever received an email from a trusted name (such as Amazon) but something about the email seemed off? This is a tactic called phishing.
Hackers send an email from a trusted or major-name website or company, but the emails come off as forceful or just odd.
The email usually entices users to perform an action, such as clicking a link or downloading something. From there, the web user’s system is usually compromised.
Spear phishing is similar, except it targets a specific user. Phishing usually sends out mass emails, without a specific target.
5. SQL Injection Attack
Database-driven websites are becoming more popular. Unfortunately, this leaves your website at a higher risk for an SQL injection attack.
This is when a malefactor executes an SQL query to your database.
SQL commands are inserted to run predefined SQL commands. This helps read sensitive data, executes operations, modify data, and issues commands.
This is a common way for hackers to gain sensitive data and your customers’ data.
6. Password Attack
Did you know that 86% of passwords are terrible and can easily be hacked? This is why a password attack is a convenient way for hackers to hack into just about anything.
More companies, such as banks and other websites hosting sensitive data, are cracking down on password security. But for other websites? Many website users settle for the easiest password, such as 12345!
There are other ways for hackers to gain your password. This includes searching their network connection and using social engineering.
7. Eavesdrop Attack
An eavesdrop attack is an attack made on the interception of network traffic. This is done by what’s called “eavesdropping.”
Similar to overhearing a conversation, eavesdropping in the tech world means the hacker is using your behavior on your network to track credit card numbers and other confidential information.
There are two different types of eavesdrop attacks: active and passive.
An active attack means the hacker is disguising themselves as a “friendly” server to send queries to the transmitters. A passive attack listens to information through the transmission network.
8. Cross-Site Scripting (XXS) Attack
The process is a little difficult. The victim visits a website and the network translates the website with the attacker’s HTML. When the website reaches the victim’s browser, the website executes the malicious script.
This attack is done to steal cookies, capture screenshots, log keystrokes, collect network information and even remotely access the victim’s computer.
9. Malware Attack
There are many different types of malware attacks. These include:
- File infectors — viruses that attach themselves to code on files.
- Macro viruses — viruses that infect major applications.
- Polymorphic viruses — viruses that conceal themselves through encryption and decryption.
- Systems or boot-record infectors — a virus that attaches itself to your hard disk.
- Trojan or Trojan Horse — a program that hides on your computer, specifically for malicious scripts.
- Stealth viruses — viruses that take over your system and can be easily concealed.
- Worms — self-proclaimed programs that populate across computers and even networks.
- Logic bombs — malicious software that’s triggered by a specific condition, such as a date and time.
- Ransomware — blocks access to the victim’s sensitive data and doesn’t retrieve the information unless the victim pays a specific amount of money.
Whether for your personal or business use, your computer can be a victim of any of these attacks.
Are You Looking for Security Services?
Now that you know the most common security breaches, are you looking for security services? Contact us today.