It is no secret to anyone that the world has been experiencing a great technological revolution in recent years. Therefore, all sectors are being digitized, from agriculture to industry, tourism and commerce, for example. Which, just as it has brought notable benefits, It has also caused the increase in the number of computer attacks.
That is why, today, computer attacks or “cyberattacks” They are considered as one of the most powerful threats out there. Since, over the decades, they have evolved to such an extent that They have become the main concern of people and companies when surfing the net.
Above all, because just as new technologies have emerged, so too there have been numerous that affect both private individuals and entire companies, organizations or societies. So it’s worth knowing what are these types and how to safeguard against them.
What is a computer attack and what is the intention of these on our computers?
Basically, a cyber attack consists of take advantage of any failure, damage or weakness in the software, hardware or member of a computing environment, to carry out malicious actions in order to obtain a benefit designed by cybercriminals. That is, it is defined as an attempt to alter, destabilize, destroy or remove something from a computer system or network.
In this way, digital hackers operate to make money, cause a negative effect on the security system or carry out espionage actions. without the prior consent of the victim. Therefore, any deliberate exploitative offensive maneuver to take control of a computer system or damage it, can be classified as a cyber attack.
To do this, computer criminals make use of certain malicious tools, mechanisms and code that have the ability to cause any breakdown or disadvantage in the equipment or systems of the victims in order to achieve their objectives. Taking into account that, in such a way, they corrupt the private data and algorithms of the same to generate consequences that violate the security of said computer systems effectively.
What are the most common computer attacks to which we are exposed?
However, unfortunately, there is not a single computer attack in the digital environment, since there are numerous types of cyberattacks that have different characteristics and purposes. Therefore, it is really difficult to define in a general way this class of threats present in the network. Consequently, it is important to list each and every one of the most common computer attacks to which Internet users are exposed day after dayin order to know what they are called and what they consist of.
Next, we proceed to point them out:
Computer virus
It is a software that deals with altering the standard operation of any type of computing device, without the prior consent of the user and with this, it hopes to achieve malicious purposes on said equipment. In this way, they usually replace executable files with other infected ones to intentionally destroy data stored on a machine. One of the advantages of this type of attack is that the software remains inactive until a user runs it.
So, from that moment on, even though he appears harmless, it starts infecting the files until it spreads throughout the computer or device. Among their infection methodswe find: Downloading programs or applications from the Internet, false advertisements, messages through social networks, email attachments, USB insertion, CD or DVD with viruses, suspicious websites, etc.
malware
It consists of the abbreviation of “malicious software” and refers to a type of harmful program intended to access a device inadvertently and for illegitimate purposes. Who often manages to gain access to the equipment via the Internet or via email. It is even found in toolbars, music files, free subscriptions, etc.
For its part, a key indication to recognize that you have been a victim of malware is to notice that your computer or mobile device runs slowly. Likewise, if it shows you Frequent popups or crashes, you may also suspect that it is some kind of malware. It should be noted that this attack may include spyware, adware, viruses, browser hijackers, etc..
Phishing
Unlike the other cyberattacks mentioned, the Phishing It is not a software, but it is about a spoofing technique used in computing environments to acquire private or confidential information of victims, especially, passwords or bank security data. This, making use of social engineering to deceive users with psychological manipulation.
Thus, specifically, phishing is based on sending emails impersonating banks or companies recognized by the user, that is, they show the same appearance of trusted sources. However, with this they only intend trick the recipient into stealing their confidential information more easily. Whereas, in addition to emails, “pshishers” they use phone calls or mobile messaging to achieve their goal.
Spyware
It refers to a spyware that focuses on stealing information from victims and, as its name implies, it usually does silent work because it operates as a kind of computer spy. That way, manages to collect information about the habits of the attacker, mainly about your personal information or your browsing history. Assessing that, it is a type of malware difficult to detect.
Typically, this kind of computer attack is included within other software and it also comes from downloads from file-sharing sites, for example, from where you download music for free. Besides this, also its presence has been evidenced in attachments contained in emails. A sign of this malware is that new icons appear in the taskbar of the screen.
Ransomware
Thanks to the fact that it is one of the most modern and sophisticated computer threats that exists so far, It is estimated to be the most common today. Basically, ransomware is defined as a class of malware that prevents users from accessing your system or personal files normally and, in return, requests a ransom payment to regain said access.
Therefore, what it does is hijack data through encryption to prohibit its access or handling and thus, benefits economically. Generally, said payment is requested in BTC (bitcoins) which is one of the main cryptocurrencies and they do this to avoid tracking and tracing. Due to its magnitude of gravity, It is one of the most feared cyberattacks today.
adware
This is another type of unwanted software that is carefully designed to display banner ads to victims through new browser windows, pop-ups or banners. Being this, its main objective to manage to collect information about users and thus transmit your data, in order to study behavior and better target advertising later.
This means that adware is not a program dedicated to causing damage to computers, but rather only intends to spy on victims in a certain way. With this, it generates benefits for its developer by automatically displaying ads in the user interface to attract their attention and carry out any type of unauthorized task, on future occasions.
trojan virus
Also They are known as “Trojan horses”. and they refer to a type of malware that disguises itself as a legitimate program and fulfills some relevant function for the user, but in reality it focuses on create unauthorized access paths to the system in order to take control of the computer. In other words, hackers usually use this type of malware to attempt to break into victim systems.
For it, use some kind of social engineering to trick people into loading and running such software on their systems. So, once the Trojan is installed, will proceed to spy on them and steal their confidential data. Among its main consequences, we locate the following: Blocking, deletion, modification or copying of informationlike disruption in machine performance.
computer worms
With regard to cyberattacks, a worm or “worm” is a program that makes a copy of itself and spreads them over the network, once it infects the computer in question. Which, basically, can be transmitted by browsing the Internet or through email, that is, they do not need any backup means or the intervention of the victim to attack.
Thus, its main objective is crash computers and computer networks to prevent the work of usersThey even have the ability to easily extend to other computers. Therefore, they tend to spread and disturb as many devices as possibleusing social engineering techniques related to famous topics.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
They are mostly known as and they occur when a large number of computers interact with the same server, in order to collapse. In other words, they are in charge of carrying out a drastic increase in traffic so that network performance drops to the point of saturation and erratic performance.
Consequently, they are very common computer attacks and, unfortunately, they are difficult to avoid because their complexity is absolute. Thus, they are considered highly feared cyberattacks in the computer environment and their effectiveness lies in the fact that they can easily bypass the security measures that protect a server to penetrate its interioruntil you manage to block it. For that, generally use botnets which are computers infected with trojans and worms.
Tips to protect ourselves from computer attacks and navigate safely
While it is true, most viruses or malware take advantage of existing holes in operating systems to infect devices and attack its potential victims. like of the failures that there are in your online browser. Therefore, it is essential activate automatic updates both in your OS and browser as well as in other applications. Well, as a countermeasure, manufacturers have taken care of correcting the programs through updates.
Here are some tips:
Use a quality antivirus
Before browsing the Internet, downloading or installing programs, it is really important to have the services of an antivirus that can analyze the constant operation of your computer or mobile device. Since they can…
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