Cyber attacks are malicious attacks on computer systems and networks for damaging data or disrupting operations. Common types of cyberattacks include:
- Malware attacks
- Ransomware
- Phishing
- Man-in-the-middle attacks
- Zero-day attacks
- Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
- SQL injection attack
In order to effectively against cyberattacks, it is important to understand the purposes and motivation behind all the attacks. Even though the methods and purposes of cyberattacks are varied, the major motivations can be categorized into 6 types as shown below:
To Make A Political Or Social Point: Hackers can attack for expressing their criticism of everything from governments, politicians, society, big brand companies, and current affairs. They tend to attack their targets, such as crashing their website, when they disagree with them. Compared to other types of attackers, they are less technical and tend to attack their targets with pre-made tools.
Radical Hackerism: This group of people is usually formed by boring teens who seek a surge in adrenaline or try to vent their anger or frustration with institutions (such as schools) or with people they believe to be wrong. In addition, some people are just seeking attention and respect from peers. Radical hackerism is largely ignored by companies because their purpose does not involve financial affairs.
For Financial Gain: This is the most likely reason an organization gets attacked. Nearly three-quarters of cyberattacks are essentially for financial gains, such as stealing money directly from financial accounts, stealing credit card information, causing data breaches, demanding ransom, and etc. Many companies went offline after refusing to pay the ransom and succumb to the threat of blackmailers.
For Intellectual Challenge: Similiar to radical hackerism, this group of people commit cyberattacks for seeking attention and respect from peers through challenging network security. This type of hacker plays to the stereotype of the socially awkward loner who lives in a virtual world and turns to hack for both the intellectual challenge and the adrenaline rush of breaking into a network.
Business Competition: DDoS attacks are increasingly being used as a competitive business tool. Some of these attacks are designed to prevent competitors from participating in major events, while others target the complete shutdown of online businesses for months. In either case, the idea is to cause disruption and encourage competitors’ customers to flock to own side while causing financial and reputation damage.
Cyberwarfare: It is a war on the Internet and information flow. State-backed cyberattacks are being used as a means of suppressing government critics and internal opposition, as well as undermining important financial, health and infrastructure services in enemy countries. These attacks are backed by nation-states, which means they are well-funded and well-planned activities performed by tech-savvy professionals.
In order to help your organization defend against all types of cyberattacks, LIFARS’ Cyber Threat Hunting service proactively investigate potential compromises, detect advanced threats, and improve cyber defenses. Our experts orchestrate an exhaustive and iterative process with purpose-built tools to conduct manual and semi-automated series of searches for Indicators of Compromise (IOC) and Initial Vectors of Compromise (IVOC).
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Credits:
https://www.fico.com/blogs/why-do-hackers-commit-cyber-attacks
https://bigdata-madesimple.com/cybersecurity-the-motivation-behind-cyber-hacks-infographic/
