Unit -1st

What is Cyber Crime?

Cybercrime refers to illegal activities involving computers, networks, or the
internet as a tool to commit offenses. These crimes include:
 Identity Theft – Stealing personal information to commit fraud.
 Financial Fraud – Online scams, fake transactions, and credit card fraud.
 Cyberbullying – Harassment or threats through digital platforms.
 Phishing Attacks – Deceptive emails or websites tricking users into
revealing sensitive data.
 Hacking – Unauthorized access to systems and data breaches.
 Malware Attacks – Spreading viruses, ransomware, and trojans to damage
or steal data.
Cybercriminals target individuals, businesses, and even government systems,
leading to significant financial losses, data breaches, and security threats.
Types of Cyber Crime
Cybercrime includes a wide range of illegal activities that exploit computers,
networks, and the internet. These crimes can be categorized into two main
types:
1. Cyber Crimes Targeting Computer Networks or Devices
These crimes involve direct attacks on computers, servers, or digital
infrastructure to steal data, cause disruption, or damage systems. It involves
different threats like- viruses, bugs, etc. and (DoS) denial-of-service attacks.
 MalwareAttacks: This kind ofcyber threat relates to malware viruses, wor
ms, Trojans, etc. for interfering, damaging,or unauthorized
access to computer systems.
For example, ransomware encrypts files and then later demands
ransom for decryption.
 Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks: Here, the attackers focus on a system and
flood it with high traffic, hence making it inaccessible to the users. Another
dangerous variant of DoS is DDoS, wherein many compromised systems
target one, thus, much difficult to defend against.
For example, A DDoS attack crashes an e-commerce website by overwhelming
its server with traffic.
 Phishing Attacks: These are masqueraded e-mails or messages claiming to
be from a formal web but only request that the user grant access to sensitive
information like password points for an account or credit card
numbers. Phishing can be described as an outstanding one of the most
common cyber threats.
For example, A fake PayPal login page that steals your credentials.
 Botnets(ZombieNetworks): A number of hijacked computers can become
a “botnet” of malware that can be used by an attacker for coordinated attacks
or spamming.
For example, Hackers use botnets to send millions of spam emails in a single
day.
 Exploits and Vulnerabilities: The typical area through which cyber-
thieves exploit software weakness is the application or operating
system vulnerability in order to access it illegally.
For example, Exploiting an outdated banking app to steal user financial details.
2. Crimes Using Computer Networks to Commit Other Criminal Activities
These types of crimes include cyberstalking, financial fraud, or identity thief.
 Cyberstalking: This is considered as that crime in the nature of threatening
or frightening a person on-line and spreading fear and emotional distress.
This can be termed as involving threats, constant monitoring,
or receiving repeated unwanted messages.
For example, Sending threatening messages to a person via email or social
media.
 Financial Fraud: This is an example of a cyber crook manipulating the
victim online to proceed with stealing money, such as fake investment
opportunities, hacking a business email, and using someone else’s credit
card details.
For example, A fake online store that steals credit card details without delivering
products.
 Identity Theft: It is normally the identity of people whose information is
stolen with the intention of only acting like them either
to misuse their cash or money from their account or even to do malicious
reasons. It always lowers the credit score of the victim and in the worst case
scenario, misused the account/loan financially with incorrect transactions.
For example, A hacker using stolen credentials to apply for credit cards and
loans.
 Online Harassment and Hate Crimes: When people use the internet to
discriminate against a particular person based on his or her racial
background, gender, religion, or whatever, which can psychologically
disturb the harassed person.
For example, Cyberbullying campaigns that target individuals based on race,
gender, or religion.
 Intellectual Property Theft: Intellectual property theft refers to the theft of
copyrighted content or business secrets through the internet, thereby
financially and competitively hurting individuals and companies.
For example, A software company illegally using another firm’s source code to
create a competing product.
Also Read:
 Cyber Criminals and its types
Examples of Cyber Crime
Cybercrime includes a wide range of illegal activities that exploit the internet,
computer systems, and networks for financial, political, or personal gain.
Here are some of the most common cybercrime examples:
1. Cyber Terrorism:
Cyber terrorism involves using the internet to carry out violent threats,
disrupt essential services, or spread fear among people. Cyber terrorists
target critical infrastructure, government systems, or financial
institutions to cause panic or damage.
Example: Hacking into power grids or communication networks to create
widespread disruption
2. Cyber Extortion (Ransomware Attacks):
Cyber extortion happens when hackers attack websites or computer systems and
demand money to stop the attacks. They threaten to keep attacking unless they
receive a large payment.
Example: A ransomware attack on a hospital system, blocking access to patient
records until a ransom is paid
3. Cyber Warfare:
Cyber warfare is when countries use computers and networks as part of their
battles. It includes both attacking and defending against cyber threats, like
hacking and spying.
Example: A government hacking another country’s defense networks to steal
classified information.
4. Internet Fraud:
This type of fraud occurs when someone tricks others on internet to steal money
or private information. It involves hiding or giving false information to deceive
people and covers many different illegal actions.
Example: A scam website pretending to sell products but stealing users’
payment details instead
5. Cyber Stalking and Online Harassment
Cyber stalking is a form of online harassment where someone sends threatening
messages or emails to a victim they know. If the stalker feels it’s not working,
they may also start following the victim in real life to make their life more
difficult.
Example: An ex-partner repeatedly sending threatening messages and tracking
a victim’s online activity
6. Financial Fraud:
Cybercriminals steal personal and financial data to commit fraud, open fake
bank accounts, or make unauthorized transactions. Phishing attacks are one of
the most common methods used to trick victims into providing sensitive
information.
Example: A phishing email pretending to be from a bank, asking users to enter
their login details on a fake website.
7. Cyber Espionage:
Cyber espionage refers to hacking into government agencies, businesses, or
corporations to steal confidential data or trade secrets. It is often used
by competitor businesses or state-sponsored hackers.
Example: A company stealing another firm’s product designs through hacking.
Challenges of Cyber Crime
 People are unaware of their cyber rights: The Cybercrime usually happen
with illiterate people around the world who are unaware about their cyber
rights implemented by the government of that particular country.
 Anonymity: Those who Commit cyber crime are anonymous for us so we
cannot do anything to that person.
 Less numbers of case registered: Every country in the world faces the
challenge of cyber crime and the rate of cyber crime is increasing day by day
because the people who even don’t register a case of cyber crime and this is
major challenge for us as well as for authorities as well.
 Mostly committed by well educated people: Committing a cyber crime is
not a cup of tea for every individual. The person who commits cyber crime
is a very technical person so he knows how to commit the crime and not get
caught by the authorities.
 No harsh punishment: In Cyber crime there is no harsh punishment in every
cases. But there is harsh punishment in some cases like when somebody
commits cyber terrorism in that case there is harsh punishment for that
individual. But in other cases there is no harsh punishment so this factor also
gives encouragement to that person who commits cyber crime.
Impact of Cyber Crimes
 Financial Losses: The fraud and theft can cause great losses not only for the
given organizations but for individuals also.
 Reputational Damage: Some people may realize that reputation becomes
an issue they may lose depending on the legal outcomes resulting from
lawsuits.
 Operational Disruption: As will be highlighted later, such an occurrence
leads to a shutdown and consequently a loss of productivity.
 Legal Consequences: In the cases where clients have been involved in some
legal cases or even regulatory fines, they may have to go through another
 phase of legal activities, clients have to spend considerable amount of money
on protecting their data.
How to Protect Yourself Against Cybercrime?
 Use strong password: Maintain different password and username
combinations for each account and resist the temptation to write them down.
Weak passwords can be easily cracked using certain attacking methods
like Brute force attack, Rainbow table attack etc, So make them complex.
That means combination of letters, numbers and special characters.
 Use trusted antivirus in devices: Always use trustworthy and highly
advanced antivirus software in mobile and personal computers. This leads to
the prevention of different virus attack on devices.
 Enable Two-Factor Authentication: Activate two-factor authentication on
your accounts for an extra layer of security, which requires a second
verification step.
 Keep your device software updated: Whenever you get the updates of the
system software update it at the same time because sometimes the previous
version can be easily attacked.
 Use secure network: Public Wi-Fi are vulnerable. Avoid conducting
financial or corporate transactions on these networks.
 Never open attachments in spam emails: A computer get infected by
malware attacks and other forms of cybercrime is via email attachments in
spam emails. Never open an attachment from a sender you do not know.
 Software should be updated: operating system should be updated regularly
when it comes to internet security. This can become a potential threat when
cybercriminals exploit flaws in the system.

Cybercriminals are people who use the internet to commit illegal activities.
They hack into computers, steal personal information, or spread harmful
software. Their actions can harm individuals, businesses, and organizations.
Often, they aim to make money, cause disruption, or gain unauthorized access
to data.
Who Are Cyber Criminals?
Cybercriminals are individuals or groups who use computers and the internet to
commit crimes such as identity theft, online fraud, spreading malware, or
disrupting services through techniques like denial-of-service attacks. They use
digital tools and systems to exploit weaknesses in the system to steal personal
information, money, or sensitive data, or to disrupt services.
Cyber criminals often aim to make a profit, but some may also be motivated by
personal grudges, political reasons, or the challenge of breaking into secure
systems. They can operate alone or as part of organized groups, and their actions
can impact individuals, businesses, and governments. Examples of their
activities include hacking into systems, spreading viruses, committing online
fraud, and launching cyberattacks.

Types of Cyber Criminals

Hackers
The term hacker may refer to anyone with technical skills, however, it typically
refers to an individual who uses his or her skills to achieve unauthorized access
to systems or networks to commit crimes. The intent of the burglary determines
the classification of those attackers as white, grey, or black hats. White hat
attackers burgled networks or PC systems to get weaknesses to boost the
protection of those systems. The owners of the system offer permission to
perform the burglary, and they receive the results of the take a look at. On the
opposite hand, black hat attackers make the most of any vulnerability for
embezzled personal, monetary, or political gain. Grey hat attackers are
somewhere between white and black hat attackers. Grey hat attackers could
notice a vulnerability and report it to the owners of the system if that action
coincides with their agenda.
 Gray Hat Hackers- These hackers carry out violations and do seemingly
deceptive things however not for individual addition or to cause harm. These
hackers may disclose a vulnerability to the affected organization after having
compromised their network and they may exploit it.
 Black Hat Hackers- These hackers are unethical criminals who violate
network security for personal gain. They misuse vulnerabilities to bargain
PC frameworks. These hackers always exploit the information or any data
they get from the unethical pen-testing of the network.
Organized Hackers
These criminals embody organizations of cyber criminals, hacktivists, terrorists,
and state-sponsored hackers. Cybercriminals are typically teams of skilled
criminals targeted on control, power, and wealth. These criminals are extremely
subtle and organized, and should even give crime as a service. These attackers
are usually profoundly prepared and well-funded.
Internet Stalkers
Internet stalkers are people who maliciously monitor the web activity of their
victims to acquire personal data. This type of cybercrime is conducted through
the use of social networking platforms and malware, that can track an
individual’s PC activity with little or no detection.
The Rogue Employees
Rogue/Disgruntled employees become hackers with a particular motive and also
commit cyber crimes. It is hard to believe that dissatisfied employees can
become such malicious hackers. In the previous time, they had the only option
of going on strike against employers. But with the advancement of technology,
there is an increase in work on computers and the automation of processes, it is
simple for disgruntled employees to do more damage to their employers and
organizations by committing cybercrimes.

Social engineering uses human weakness or psychology to gain access to the

system, data, personal information, etc. It is the art of manipulating people. It
doesn’t involve the use of technical hacking techniques.
Attackers use new social engineering practices because it is usually easier to
exploit the victim’s natural inclination to trust. For example, it is much easier to
fool someone to give their password instead of hacking their password. Sharing
too much information on social media can enable attackers to get a password or
extracts a company’s confidential information using the posts by the employees.
This confidential information helped attackers to get the password of victim
accounts.
How do Social Engineering Attacks Take Place?
Phishing scams are the most common type of Social Engineering attacks these
days. Tools such as SET(Social Engineering Toolkit) also make it easier to
create a phishing page but luckily many companies are now able to detect
phishing such as Facebook. But it does not mean that you cannot become a
victim of phishing because nowadays attackers are using iframe to manipulate
detection techniques. An example of such hidden codes in phishing pages is
cross-site-request-forgery “CSRF” which is an attack that forces an end user to
execute unwanted actions on a web application. Example: In 2018 we have
seen a great rise in the use of ransomware which has been delivered alongside
Phishing Emails. What an attacker does is usually deliver an attachment with a
subject like “Account Information” with the common file extension say
.pdf/.docx/.rar etc.
The user generally clicks and the attacker’s job gets done here. This attack often
encrypts the entire Disk or the documents and then to decrypt these files it
requires cryptocurrency payment which is said to be “Ransom(money)”. They
usually accept Bitcoin/Ethereum as the virtual currency because of its non-
traceable feature. Here are a few examples of social engineering attacks that are
used to be executed via phishing:
 Banking Links Scams
 Social Media Link Scams
 Lottery Mail Scams
 Job Scams
Purpose
The purpose of social engineering attacks is typically to steal sensitive
information, such as login credentials, credit card numbers, or personal
information. Attackers can use this information for identity theft, financial
fraud, or other malicious purposes. Another purpose of social engineering
attacks is to gain unauthorized access to secure areas or systems. For
example, an attacker might use tailgating to follow an authorized individual into
a secure area or use pretexting to convince an individual to give them access to
a restricted system.
Types of Social Engineering
There are many different types of social engineering attacks, each of which uses
a unique approach to exploit human weaknesses and gain access to sensitive
information. Here are some of the types of attacks, include:
 Phishing: Phishing is a type of social engineering attack that involves
sending an email or message that appears to be from a legitimate source, such
as a bank, in an attempt to trick the recipient into revealing their login
credentials or other sensitive information.
 Baiting: Baiting is a type of social engineering attack that involves leaving
a tempting item, such as a USB drive, in a public place in the hope that
someone will pick it up and plug it into their computer. The USB drive is
then used to infect the computer with malware.
 Tailgating: Tailgating is a type of social engineering attack that involves
following an authorized individual into a secure area, such as a building or
data center, without proper authorization.
 Pretexting: Pretexting is a type of social engineering attack that involves
creating a false identity or situation in order to trick an individual into
revealing sensitive information. For example, an attacker might pretend to
be a customer service representative in order to trick an individual into giving
them their login credentials.
 Vishing: Vishing is a type of social engineering attack that involves using
voice phishing, or “vishing,” to trick individuals into revealing sensitive
information over the phone.
 Smishing: Smishing is a type of social engineering attack that involves using
SMS messages to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information or
downloading malware.
Prevention
 Timely monitor online accounts whether they are social media accounts or
bank accounts, to ensure that no unauthorized transactions have been made.
 Check for Email headers in case of any suspecting mail to check its
legitimate source.
 Avoid clicking on links, unknown files, or opening email attachments from
unknown senders.
 Beware of links to online forms that require personal information, even if the
email appears to come from a source. Phishing websites are the same as
legitimate websites in looks.
 Adopt proper security mechanisms such as spam filters, anti-virus software,
and a firewall, and keep all systems updated, with anti-key loggers

.
What is Cyberstalking?
Cyberstalking is the use of the internet or digital tools to repeatedly harass,
threaten, or stalk someone. It includes sending unwanted messages, hacking
accounts, or spreading lies online. The goal is often to scare or distress the
victim.
Cyberstalkers often use social media, email, or other online platforms.
Cyberstalking involves using digital platforms to intimidate or control someone
by continuously monitoring or harassing them online, they can track the victim’s
online activity.

Cyber stalkers may impersonate their victims, post false information, or make
threatening comments. They often create multiple accounts to avoid detection
and can track the victim’s location or personal activities using GPS or spyware.
Cyberstalking can result into offline threats and is a serious situation of
destruction of privacy which can often requires legal action to stop.
Cyberstalking is harmful and illegal.
Some of the Examples of Cyberstalking are as follows
1. Repeated Unwanted Messages
2. False Profiles
3. Tracking Online Activity
4. Hacking Accounts
5. Posting Private Information
6. Threatening Comments
7. Monitoring via GPS or Spyware
Consequences of Cyberstalking
 Legal consequences can include fines, restraining orders, or sentence to
imprisonment.
 Victims may experience anxiety, depression, and fear which can affects their
mental health.
 Public harassment or false information can harm the victim’s reputation
causing reputational damage.
 Personal privacy is compromised, making the victim feel vulnerable.
 Financial costs may arise from legal fees, security measures, or identity theft.
 Fear of being targeted can lead to social withdrawal and isolation.
 Cyberstalking can also escalate to physical threats or harm.
Types of Cyber Stalking
 Webcam Hijacking: Internet stalkers would attempt to trick you into
downloading and putting in a malware-infected file that may grant them
access to your webcam. the method is therefore sneaky in that it’s probably
you wouldn’t suspect anything strange.
 Observing location check-ins on social media: In case you’re adding
location check-ins to your Facebook posts, you’re making it overly simple
for an internet stalker to follow you by just looking through your social media
profiles.
 Catfishing: Catfishing happens via social media sites, for example,
Facebook, when internet stalkers make counterfeit user-profiles and
approach their victims as a companion of a companions.
 Visiting virtually via Google Maps Street View: If a stalker discovers the
victim’s address, then it is not hard to find the area, neighbourhood, and
surroundings by using Street View. Tech-savvy stalkers don’t need that too.
 Installing Stalkerware: One more method which is increasing its popularity
is the use of Stalkerware. It is a kind of software or spyware which keeps
track of the location, enable access to text and browsing history, make an
audio recording, etc. And an important thing is that it runs in the background
without any knowledge to the victim.
 Looking at geotags to track location: Mostly digital pictures contain
geotags which is having information like the time and location of the picture
when shot in the form of metadata. Geotags comes in the EXIF format
embedded into an image and is readable with the help of special apps. In this
way, the stalker keeps an eye on the victim and gets the information about
their whereabouts.
How to Help Protect Yourself Against Cyberstalking
 Develop the habit of logging out of the PC when not in use.
 Remove any future events you’re close to attending from the social networks
if they’re recorded on online approaching events and calendars.
 Set strong and distinctive passwords for your online accounts.
 Cyber Stalkers can exploit the low security of public Wi-Fi networks to
snoop on your online activity. Therefore, avoid sending personal emails or
sharing your sensitive info when connected to an unsecured public Wi-Fi.
 Make use of the privacy settings provided by the social networking sites and
keep all info restricted to the nearest of friends.
 Do a daily search on the internet to search out what information is accessible
regarding you for the public to check.
How to Report Cyberstalking
To report cyberstalking you must follow such steps:
 Document Evidence: Save screenshots, messages, emails,
and URLs showing the harassment.
 Block and Report: Immediately block the stalker and report their behavior
to the platform or service.
 Contact Authorities: Report the incident to local law enforcement or a
cybercrime department and provide them all of the evidences.
 File a Complaint: Contact relevant cybercrime reporting agencies or
hotlines, like the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or local equivalents.
 Inform Your ISP: Notify your internet service provider (ISP) about the
cyberstalking.
 Seek Legal Advice: Consult a lawyer to understand your rights and potential
legal actions for the help in the court of law.
 Get Support: Reach out to organizations or support groups for help and
guidance.

Cyberstalking Laws
In India, cyberstalking and related offenses are covered by laws like the
Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Indian Penal Code. Here are key
points:
 Identity Theft: It’s illegal to impersonate someone online under Section
66C of the Information Technology Act.
 Obscene Material: Sharing or publishing obscene content online is
prohibited by Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
 Stalking: Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code deals with stalking,
including online stalking where someone follows or monitors another person
electronically.
 Insulting Modesty: Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code makes it illegal
to insult a person’s modesty, including online harassment.
 Threats: Sections 503 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code address criminal
intimidation, including threats made online.
These laws provide legal protection against cyberstalking and allow victims to
seek help and justice through legal channels in India.
Conclusion
Cyberstalking is a serious problem that can deeply affect targeted victims
emotionally and invade their privacy. It involves ongoing harassment,
threats, and monitoring online, which can sometimes lead to real-life
danger. While dealing with cyberstalking, it requires people to be aware of
it, stay vigilant, and take legal action if needed to protect themselves and
their rights online. By educating people about the dangers of cyberstalking
and promoting safer internet habits, we can prevent these incidents and
make the online world safer for everyone.
WHAT IS MEANING OF CYBER CRIME AND CYBER CAFE…

In February 2009 survey, 90% of the audience across eight cities and 3500
cafes were male and in the age group of 15-35 years.
52% were graduates and postgraduates.
Almost 50% were students.

In India, cybercafés are known to be used for either real or false terrorist
communication.
Cybercafé hold two types of risks:

1. We do not know what programs are installed on the computer like key
loggers or spyware.
2. Over the shoulder peeping can enable others to find out your passwords.

Cyber criminals prefer cybercafes to carry out their activities.

A recent survey conducted in one of the metropolitan cities in India reveals
the following facts:

1.Pirated software are installed in all the computers.

2.Antivirus was not updated with latest patch.

3.Several cybercafes has installed “Deep Freeze” to protect computer which

helps cyber criminals.

4.Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) was not found for servicing of the
computer.

5.Pornographical websites were not blocked.

6.Cybercafe owner have very less awareness about IT security.

7.Cybercafe association or State Police do not seem to conduct periodic

visits to cybercafe.

SECURITY TIPS FOR CYBER CAFE….

1-Always Logout–While checking email or logging in for chatting, always

click logout/sign out.
2-Stay with the computer–While surfing, don’t leave the system unattended
for any period of time.
3-Clear history and temporary files–Before browsing deselect
AutoComplete option. Browser -> Tools -> Internet options -> Content
tab.–Tools -> Internet Option -> General Tab -> Temporary Internet Files
-> Delete files and then Delete Cookies.
4-Avoid online financial transactions–One should avoid online banking,
shopping, etc.–Don’t provide sensitive information such as credit card
number or bank account details.
5-Change Passwords / Virtual Keyboard–Change password after
completion of transaction
6-Be alert–One have to be alert for snooping over the shoulder.

Introduction of Botnet in Computer Networks

A Network of compromised computers is called a botnet. Compromised
computers are also called Zombies or Bots. This software is mostly written in
C++ & C.

The following are the major things that can be performed on bots:
 Web-Injection: Botmaster can inject snippets of code to any secured
website that which bot used to visit.
 Web filters: Here on use a special symbol like:”!” for bypassing a specific
domain, and “@” for the screenshot used.
 Web-fakes: Redirection of the webpage can be done here.
 DnsMAP: Assign any IP to any domain which the master wants to route to
the bot family.
Types of Botnet
Here are the types of botnets mentioned below based on the Channel.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Botnet
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) acts as the C&C Channel. Bots receive commands
from a centralized IRC server. A command is in the form of a normal chat
message. The limitation of the Internet Relay Chat(IRC) Botnet is that the Entire
botnet can be collapsed by simply shutting down the IRC Server.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Botnet
It is formed using the P2P protocols and a decentralized network of nodes. Very
difficult to shut down due to its decentralized structure. Each P2P bot can act
both as the client and the server. The bots frequently communicate with each
other and send “keep alive” messages. The limitation of Peer-to-Peer Botnets is
that it has a higher latency for data transmission.
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Botnet
Centralized structure, using HTTP protocol to hide their activities. Bots use
specific URLs or IP addresses to connect to the C&C Server, at regular intervals.
Unlike IRC bots, HTTP bots periodically visit the C&C server to get updates or
new commands.
How Does it Work?
The working of the Botnet can be defined as either you writing code to build
software or using it from the available (Leaked) botnet like ZEUS Botnet (king
of all botnet), Mirai botnet, BASHLITE, etc. then finding the vulnerable system
where you can install this software through some means like social engineering
(e.g Phishing) soon that system becomes a part of a bot army. Those who control
it are called the botmaster which communicates its bot army using a command
and control channel.

What is Attack Vectors?

Attack vectors are the specific paths or methods that cyber attackers use to
gain unauthorized access to a system, network, or application. These vectors
serve as entry points for attacks, allowing malicious actors to exploit
vulnerabilities. Every ethical hacker has their unique attack vector to check the
security of the target application, this application may be a web application or
an android application. They take advantage of weaknesses or flaws in the
system to steal information, cause damage, or gain control.
Some Common Attack Vectors in Cybersecurity
 Phishing : It is a type of cyber-attack in which user or victim is duped to
click on harmful sites which are crafted in a way to feel authentic
site. The most common mode of phishing is by sending spam emails that
appear to be authentic and thus, taking away all credentials from the victim.
 Malware : Malware is short for malicious software and refers to any
software that is designed to cause harm to computer systems, networks,
or users. Malware are designed to gain access to computer systems,
generally for the benefit of some third party, without the user’s permission.
 MITM : In Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks there is an unwanted proxy
in the network intercepting and modifying the requests/responses. This
proxy is called a Man in the middle.
 Denial of Service: Denial-of-Service (DoS) is a cyber-attack on an
individual Computer or Website with the intent to disrupt an
organization’s network operations by denying access to its users. It is
done by flooding the targeted machine or resource with surplus requests in
an attempt to overload systems and prevent some or all legitimate requests
from being fulfilled.
 Insider Attacks: Insider Threats or Insider Attack are caused by insiders
like former employees, business partners, contractors, or security admins
having access to the confidential information previously.
 Ransomware: Ransomware is a form of malicious software that prevents
computer users from accessing their data by encrypting it.
 SQL Injection: SQL injection is a code injection technique attackers use
to gain unauthorized access to a database by injecting malicious SQL
commands into web page inputs.

Recent Cyber Security Attacks

Infosys: Indian IT services company Infosys experienced a data breach in
November 2023, affecting its US unit, Infosys McCamish Systems. The breach
led to the unavailability of several applications, and the company is still
investigating the impact.
Indian Council of Medical Research: A data breach exposed health data of
around 815 million Indian citizens in October 2023. The breach was caused by
a threat actor named “pwn0001,” who claimed to have the data for sale.
Hyundai Motor Europe: In February 2024, Hyundai Motor Europe was hit
by a ransomware attack named Black Basta , where the attackers claim to
have stolen 3TB of corporate data.
Boeing: In November 2024 Boeing reported a cyber incident that impacted
various parts of its business. It was attacked by the LockBit ransomware gang
initially claimed responsibility, though Boeing confirmed that the incident did
not affect flight safety.
Ways to protect your Organization from Attack Vectors
 Network Segmentation: Network Segmentation is defined as the process of
dividing a computer network into smaller, isolated segments or subnetworks.
Sometimes, network segmentation is also referred to as network isolation or
network segregation. Where each segment is separated from other segments
by network devices such as routers, switches, or firewalls.
 Intrusion Detection and Prevention System: Intrusion Prevention
System is also known as Intrusion Detection and Prevention System. It is a
network security application that monitors network or system activities for
malicious activity. Major functions of intrusion prevention systems are to
identify malicious activity, collect information about this activity, report it
and attempt to block or stop it.
 Antivirus : Antivirus/Anti-Malware Software is a type of software program
that helps protect the computer system from viruses and malwares. It detects
the viruses in the computer system and destroys them. It also protects the
computer system from specific malware.
 Encryption: Data Encryption is a method of preserving data confidentiality
by transforming it into cipher text, which can only be decoded using a unique
decryption key produced at the time of the encryption or before it. The
conversion of plaintext into cipher text is known as encryption.