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The Morris Worm (1988)
Created by Robert Tappan Morris, this worm was intended to measure the size of the internet, but accidentally became one of the first distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
Operation Aurora (2009)
Originating from China, this attack targeted several high-profile companies, including Google and Adobe. The attack exploited a vulnerability in Internet Explorer.
Stuxnet (2010)
A malicious computer worm that targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities. It was notable for being one of the first known instances of a virus specifically created to cause real-world physical damage.
WannaCry Ransomware Attack (2017)
This global ransomware attack infected over 230,000 computers in over 150 countries within just one day. WannaCry exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows and encrypted users’ files, demanding ransom payments in Bitcoin.
Hackers, who are they?
Script Kiddie
Derogatory term used to describe unskilled hackers.
Grey Hats
Use black hat techniques.
Black Hats
The bad guys who are highly skilled and hack for personal and financial gain.
White Hats
The good guys who defend data and networks from black hats and malware.
Hacktivists
Activists who hack for a social or political cause.
Attacks
Brute force attack
A very violent attack where the hacker attempts to crack a password by using extremely large possible combinations of letters, numbers and special characters to guess the right combination. Can be prevented with the use of very strong passwords and timeouts after consecutive failed login attempts.
Phishing
The most popular cyber attack where the victim is tricked into clicking a malicious link in an email. Spear phishing attacks are directed at very specific targets while a whaling attack is directed against senior executives of companies.
Email spoofing
This is the forgery of an email header to make it look like the message originated from someone else other than the actual source.
Botnets
This refers to a collection of bots (infected computers). A botmaster controls the bots and can use them to perform a DOS attack.
DOS (Denial of Service)
This is an attack where the targeted server is flooded with useless requests in an attempt to overwhelm and shut it down. Can be combated by blocking the IP address of the source of the attack.
DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service)
A more sophisticated form of a DOS attack. Can be prevented with bandwidth overprovision.
Man in the middle attack
A crafty attack where the hacker is able to intercept and alter or steal data sent between two or more workstations. Examples of this attack include email hijacking, session hijacking and wifi eavesdropping.
SQL injection attack
The attacker executes malicious SQL commands to try and corrupt a database. This type of attack can provide the attacker with unauthorized access to sensitive information like passwords and usernames.
Cross-site scripting XSS attack
The attacker executes malicious scripts of code into a website or web application.
Virus
Destroy/corrupt data, can self
replicate but cannot spread
themselves across a network.
Worms
Can spread and replicate.
Trojans
Disguised to look like a legitimate app, cannot self replicate.
Rootkits
Very hard to detect and remove, designed to provide remote access.
Spyware/Adware
Spies on the online activity of the victim. Display ads on your computer.
Keyloggers
Can record keyboard key strokes.
