Cyber ​​attacks: causes, types and consequences

Faced with the digital transformation that businesses of all sizes and industries have undergone in recent years, one reality that cannot be overlooked is that no one is immune to becoming a victim of a cyber attack at any time.

For this reason, it is becoming increasingly important to implement strategies and measures that reduce the possibility of such an attack, which jeopardizes the company's reputation, operations, and relationships with customers and suppliers. 

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Main causes of a cyber attack

Due to the digital transformation that companies are undergoing and the massive use of new information technologies, we are increasingly more connected and have access to much more data.

However, despite the advantages that this represents, it has also facilitated more attacks by cybercriminals who are attentive to the vulnerabilities that computer systems may have to take advantage of and cause damage. 

Among the main causes that can generate a cyber attack are:

1. Vulnerability of computer systems, that is, failures or deficiencies that put assets at risk as they are not effectively protected.
2. Accidental disclosure of confidential information by employees.
3. Loss and theft of electronic devices that store private company information.
4. Bad-intentioned and unscrupulous employees who put company information at risk.
5. Gaps or lack of controls by third parties , that is, if they are victims of an attack, cybercriminals can access information from other companies with which they have relationships and find a way to harm them as well. 
6. Social engineering which in general terms consists of the manipulation of specific people in order to obtain confidential data such as passwords or others of great value and importance to the company. 

All these situations can facilitate the materialization of a cyber attack, which can present itself in different ways.

Types of cyber attacks 

When we talk about a cyberattack, we refer to offensive and harmful actions against information systems , be it from a person, a company or a government entity. These systems can be computer networks, databases and all assets that store data and confidential and valuable information of the organization.

When committing these attacks, cybercriminals generally seek to affect, alter or destroy not only the reputation of a company or person, but also to negatively impact its operation and the relationship with its different interest groups. 

For this reason, it is important to know what the main cyberattacks that can occur are in order to know how to act quickly and intelligently and be able to mitigate the impacts. 

The first thing to keep in mind is that these attacks can be both external and internal , yes, in some cases it may happen that an employee voluntarily attacks the company, although most of the time this happens accidentally. 

The most common cyberattacks that companies can be victims of are:

1. Phishing and spear phishing

Phishing consists of emails or text messages that appear to be sent by trusted sources and that persuade the recipient to complete an action, open a malicious link, that will put personal or company information at risk.

And spear phishing seeks to obtain valuable data by targeting a specific person or company after gaining their trust. This attack is widely used with well-known companies and individuals.

2. Whaling

They are aimed at managerial profiles such as CEO's or CFO's and other senior positions in organizations with the aim of stealing confidential information to which they have access.

3. Malware

It is a malicious program or code that secretly and silently affects an information system. Malware has the ability to break into, harm and disable computers and other information assets, in other words, through it you can steal and delete data, hijack functions and spy on activities without being noticed. Some malware are ransomware , Trojans, and spyware.

4. Ransomware

Also known as data hijacking, it consists of the blocking, by a hacker, of an electronic device and the encryption of the files so that the owner user cannot access the stored information and data. 

5. SQL injection

It is a web attack that consists of the infiltration of malicious code that takes advantage of errors and vulnerabilities in a web page. It is used to steal databases, manipulate or destroy information. 

Other attacks or cyber threats that can occur are: distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, Trojans or password attacks.

Consequences of suffering a cyber attack 

Undoubtedly, one of the main consequences of being a victim of a cybercriminal is the impact on the company's reputation , since this is based on trust, which can be diminished when it becomes known that an attack of this type has been suffered.  

But this is not the only impact generated by a cyberattack, others, just as important, are:

1. Cessation of activities or delays in the production processes or provision of services because the systems are blocked, there is kidnapping of information and they must focus on the rescue to be able to operate normally. 
2. Economic effects. On the one hand because criminals can demand large amounts of money for the rescue of the information, that is, the company is the victim of extortion, and on the other hand because business expenses increase since, in order to solve the problem, many times, accompaniment and technological and legal advice from experts is required. 
3. Loss of customers and suppliers. It is related to the damage to the reputation and image of the company, since audiences such as these can stop trusting the company that was the victim of a cyberattack since they see that it is vulnerable and can also put them at risk. 

What to do to prevent a cyber attack?

To prevent the materialization of a cybernetic threat or risk, first of all it is key to implement training and awareness strategies on computer security and cybersecurity for the organization's employees , considered the weakest link in the chain.

It is essential to do this consistently and effectively to ensure that everyone understands the importance of making good use of the assets and information to which they have access, as well as being careful with the passwords they use and being alert to possible cases of phishing, malware or other attacks. 

In addition to this, companies must be prepared to avoid a cyber attack , that is, have tools and develop practices that allow them to detect vulnerabilities and weaknesses in their systems in time to correct them in time, for example, ethical hacking .