Cyber threats, or cybersecurity threats are any possible malicious attacks on data or an organization's IT equipment that aim to gain unauthorised access to data. Attacks can be random or they can be targeted, organized and may originate from individuals or from a variety of entities, including terrorist groups, hostile national states, criminal organizations, hackers, but can also come from within an organization from disgruntled employees or corporate spies.
What are the most common cyber threats?
- Ransomware (Data encryption)
- Malware (Malicious software)
- Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
- Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks
- Phishing – a type of social engineering attack
- Identity theft
- Data leaks
- Web-based attacks
- Web application attacks
- Botnets (Networks of infected computers)
- Physical theft, loss, or damage of devices
- Insider threats
- Spam and phishing emails
- Exploits and vulnerability attacks
- Data breaches
- Cyber espionage
What Cyber Threats Can Do
- Attackers can steal sensitive data and use it to access additional information
- Attackers can access financial accounts to steal money or cause financial harm to the business
- Attackers can obtain personal information and use it to target employees or customers
- Attackers can steal valuable intellectual property or trade secrets
- Data loss or corruption can lead to long-term damage, and in severe cases, even threaten the survival of the business
Why Understanding Cyber Threats Matters
- Identifying threats is the second step in a cybersecurity risk assessment
- Along with your key assets and vulnerabilities, it helps you pinpoint potential risks
Maintaining an overview of cyber threats is essential for risk management
- Information security risk management requires that you have an understanding of the cyber threats from which the risks arise
- Creating a list of cyber threats is therefore one of the inputs for risk analysis. Take a look how you can create your computer catalogue Threats
