The-Accountant-Jan-Feb-2018

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Types of Cyber Attacks
Cyber-attacks can be categorized into
two distinct categories depending on the
approach employed by the perpetrator;
non-technical attacks and technical
attacks.
Non-technical attack – The person
with the malicious intent of committing
cybercrime uses some type of ruse to reel
in the victim who is oblivious (Turban,
2008). Through persuasion and nasty
tricks they cause a person to divulge
information that compromises their
online security; they use the acquired
data against the person.
Technical Attack – When it comes
to the technical approach of cybercrime,
the offenders use software and highly
skilled expertise to perform the offense.
Technical attack has many sub-categories,
some are listed below;
1. Denial of Service (DOS) attack
A person under such an attack may
be unable to access admittance to use
a resource like a webpage because of
overloading. An attacker uses software
that generates numerous data packets
that are used on a targeted computer
network hindering the access.
2. Server/Webpage Hacking
Hackers gain access to a server and then
once infiltration is complete, they’ll
configure the technology to redirect
unsuspecting people to scamming sites
(Turban, 2008). The illegal access may
also be for harvesting of data to use later
when they can monetize this information.
3. Malicious Code
This constitutes viruses, worms, and
Trojan horses. Malicious code is
commonly referred to as malware and
may be classified according to how it
spreads. Any form of malicious code
threatens PC performance and can
spread to other devices connected to
the infected computer. This form of
attack is usually meant to destabilize or
completely incapacitate the target.
4. Phishing
A phishing attempt usually involves
tricking on-line users into providing
private information such as credit card
numbers. This could be through sending
spam email that alerts the target to a
problem that requires information to
fix. Phishing has developed into other
sub-groups; spear phishing, vishing
and smishing - that is the use of sms to
infiltrate the system.
Phishing is among the types of
attacks that boast of an upward positive
graph over the years (Zappa, 2014). It
is a key contributor to the demerits of
cybercrime.
Cybercrime has become a subject of
immense interest worldwide since almost
every facet of life is digitalized (Zappa,
2014). Social media and world spread of
information has helped the crime advance.
Institutions and governments alike have to
work at combating the act so as to avoid
further losses that are predicted to rise even
higher in coming years. It is paramount to
keep ahead of the criminals and ensure
internet security is upheld. An aggressive
approach should be sponsored to develop
a strategy that will combat cyber-crime
and reduce the effects it imposes on the
country and the world as a whole.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2018 47