It’s an unfortunate fact that cyber security threats are everywhere. It doesn’t help that there are multiple kinds of threats to contend with out there. Here’s a quick run-through of the different malwares and threats you may encounter and the sort of damage they can cause.

1. Viruses

These programs infect other programs and use them to spread. They also have the unpleasant side effect of altering your data in some way either by stealing it, corrupting it, or deleting it outright.

2. Computer Worm

Inching their way through your network to infect as many of your devices as possible, worms are encouraged by the prevalence of connections a computing device has to the outside to spread its malware payload to as large a radius as possible. The main threat these present are mostly to the usability of your systems. They will copy themselves until your disk space and bandwidth are at capacity.

3. Keylogger

These are programs that take a record of the strokes a user makes on your keyboard. This makes them a useful tool for a hacker trying to obtain credentials for accounts.

4. Trojan Horse

Not unlike the wooden horse of ancient Greece, Trojan horse programs are those malicious bits of code that come disguised as a legitimate program. Once inside, a Trojan may unleash a keylogger to the computer, or manipulate a webcam, in order to further victimize its target.

5. Spyware

This malware gives a malicious user an inside peek into their victim’s systems. This allows them to design an attack that is more likely to succeed because it’s based on the target’s behaviors and habits.

6. Phishing

This is an approach that a malicious user may elect to take to collect credentials from their targets by tricking them into believing that they are someone else. This can be accomplished through falsified websites with sign-in forms, or through email correspondence in which the malicious user poses as a trustworthy person.

7. Botnet

This threat is a web of interconnected, infected computers put in the control of the malware distributor. These “zombie” computers, as they are called, are then able to be used in further attacks.

8. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)

DDoS signifies a form of attack in which botnets and other forms of malware are used to assault a system with data that eats up bandwidth until it is rendered unusable under the influx of traffic. The DDoS then allows the attacker to take whatever data they please.

9. Rootkit

These tools are able to provide administrator access to a computer or network, which allows a malicious actor to leverage their control and cause grief for the user.

10. Exploit

An exploit is a specific piece of programming that takes advantage of a particular vulnerability in a system. Fortunately, these can be avoided by regularly patching your systems through updates, but it will take vigilance in order to be successful.

This is not a comprehensive list of the threats that are out there, which only proves that all businesses need to pay attention to their systems. Clients turn to the Walker Group for help implementing layered security solutions and Remote Monitoring and Management services that proactively monitor networks for performance and threats. If you’re not sure how well you’re protected, a good place to start is with a security assessment.

Want to know more about what a security assessment can do for your business?

Contact The Walker Group at 800-701-7638, or reach out online.