Denial Of Service Attack:

 

“DoS Attack”

 

 

 

An assault on a network that floods it with so many requests that regular traffic is either slowed or completely interrupted.  Unlike a virus or worm, which can cause severe damage to databases, a denial of service attack interrupts network service for a long period of time.

 

Distributed Attack:

 

“DDoS Attack”

A distributed Denial of Service attack can employ hundreds or even thousands of computers that have previously been infected.  The computers act as “zombies” and work together to send out bogus messages, thereby creating huge volumes of phony traffic.

Botnet:

 

Also called “Zombie Army”.

 

 

 

A network of a large number of private computers infected with malicious software.  They are then controlled as a group, without the owners’ knowledge.  They are usually used to generate spam, relay viruses, or flood a network or Web server with excessive requests to cause it to fail (see “Denial of Service Attack“).

The individual computers are compromised via a Trojan that often works by opening an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channel that waits for commands from the person/organization in control of the botnet.

There is a thriving botnet business selling lists of compromised computers to hackers and spammers.

Spear-Phishing:

 

A targeted email scam with the sole purpose of obtaining unauthorized access to sensitive data.

 

 

 

Unlike phishing scams, which case broad, scatter-shot attacks, spear phishing hones in on a specific group or organization.  The intent is to steal intellectual property, financial data, trade or military secrets and other confidential data.

 

Victims are 4.5 times more likely to fall for spear-phishing email scams than normal phishing scams.  

 

This Is How It Works:

An email arrives, apparently from a trustworthy source, but instead it leads the unknowing recipient to a bogus website full of malware.  The malware infects that person’s computer.  If that person is connected to a network, or server, the CyberCriminals that sent the email now have access to the server and/or network, and all it’s information and data it/they contain.

These emails often use clever tactics to get victims’ attention.  For example, the FBI has warned of spear phishing scams where the emails appeared to be from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Many times, government-sponsored hackers and hacktivists are behind these attacks.  CyberCriminals do the same with the intention to resell confidential data to governments and private companies.  These CyberCriminals employ individually designed approaches and social engineering techniques to effectively personalize messages and websites.  As a result, even high-ranking targets within organizations, can find themselves opening emails they thought were safe.

 

One of the main entry points for Advanced Persistent Threats.

How To Stop It:

Traditional security often does not stop these attacks.  They are so cleverly customized, and are becoming more and more difficult to detect.

To fight spear-phishing scams, employees need to be aware of the threats.

Employees need to be aware of the possibility of bogus emails landing in their inbox, and what to look for.  

One employee mistake can have serious consequenses for businesses, financial institutions, governments, and even non-profit organizations.  With stolen data, CyberCriminals can reveal commercially sensitive information, manipulate stock prices, or commit various acts of espionage.

Spear-phishing attacks can deploy malware to hijack computers, organizing them into enormous networks called botnets that can be used for denial of service attacks.

Technology that focuses on email security is an absolute necessity.