Spain is the third country in the world in number of cyberattacks , only behind the US and the United Kingdom, according to data from the National Center for Critical Infrastructure Protection ( Cnpi ). In our country there are between 180,000 to 200,000 daily cases.
That is, every day, both companies and individuals suffer data loss; However, the fear that the reputation of the company will be affected, on numerous occasions is not made public, only when they come to light due to complaints before the Spanish Agency for Data Protection by affected people.
The attacks are cataloged and divided by the way they infect and the damage they cause, although then within each “group” there may be variants, since cybercriminals are modifying them slightly so that they are not detected by antivirus. The Spanish company VASS takes a tour of the different types of cyber attacks:
1 – Adware: An adware is software that shows ads. “ Adware is usually installed without our wishing to. Nobody wants to be constantly crushed with advertising while using the computer, ”explains Felix de Molina, head of Security Consulting at VASS. ”
The adware usually track our use of the computer to show advertising that has to do with our searches in different search engines or related to the sites we visit.”
2 – Spyware: Spyware is a spyware that collects information from a computer. “After obtaining the data, it transmits it to an external entity without the knowledge or consent of the owner of the computer,” says Félix de Molina.
3 – Malware: These are codes designed by cybercriminals that are intended to alter the normal functioning of the computer, without the permission or knowledge of the user. This type of virus can destroy files on the hard drive or corrupt the files we have hosted with invalid data.
4 – Ransomware : “ This practice is believed to grow in 2015, especially focused on mobile phones” , warns Felix de Molina, head of Security Consulting at VASS. It consists of the pirate blocking the smartphone with a message requesting a rescue to release it.
The user must pay said ransom in the Bitcoin digital currency, so that the hacker’s anonymity cannot be traced and maintained.
5 – Worms: It has the ability to replicate in your system, so your computer could send hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a devastating effect on a large scale.
6 – Trojan: This is a type of program that, when executed, gives an attacker remote access to the infected computer.
7 – Denial of service: “It consists of an attack on a computer or network system that causes a service or resource to be inaccessible to legitimate users , ” explains the person in charge.
8 – Backdoor: It is a special sequence within the programming code, by means of which the security systems of the algorithm (authentication) can be avoided to access the system.
9 – Phishing: This is an attack mode through an email. Hackers are able to adapt to you and / or your business to convince you to click on links or to enter confidential data that will end up installing a malicious code on your computer.
“Educating employees about the risks of opening those suspicious emails can prevent cyber attacks,” says Molina.
10 – Darknets or deep web, vulnerability trading: Félix de Molina predicts a growth in the sale of exploits or vulnerability guides, through which inexperienced people will be able to carry out cyber attacks.
