Backdoor/Exploitation of Software.

Backdoor/Exploitation of Software

Backdoor exploiation of software can be intentional and unintentional and can also be done by more than just cyber criminals, sometimes the actual creator of the original software can release a free version of the product onto the internet however their is a backdoor left within the software or they will place a very high amount of bugs and/or viuses into the software so anone who falls for the bait will then recieve the virus and this can be done to punish the people who try to gain a game, movie etc for free that normally you'd have to pay for. Backdoors rarely have a target as an individual it is usually just hackers who look for backdoors within specific pieces of software.

Malware - "Cryptoware"

Cryptolocker

A Cryptolocker is a type of ransomware that locks a users out of their machine unless they pay a ransom to the cyber criminal usually through bitcoin or one other payment that is normally an annonymous form as the cyber criminal doesnt want to be tracked through the payment. A cyptolocker is in short terms using the victims PC as a hostage and will not let it out of contact till the payment has been reached however some cyber criminals will make the cryptolocker pemenant so even if the victim pays they will not be sent the de-encryption key so even though they have paid the required sum of money their files renaub encrypted and they have no way of ever recieving them back. Cryptolockers are usually passed through emails with fake links that trick the user into thinking they will win a free Iphone etc and another way a user might recieve a cryptolocker on their PC will be through a botnet. Crytpolockers are rarely individually targeted at one particular person and they are usually mass targeted and the cyber criminals know that out of 100 people who recieve the fake email containing the cryptolocker they will get at least 5% who click the link and they only need 1 out of that 5% to pay up for the cyber criminals to have been successful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CryptoLocker

Brute Force Attacks

Brute Force Attacks

Brute force attacks is when someone tries to break through a password wether it to a software, account etc yet they constantly type passwords in until they manage to guess what the actual passwod is and they will use constant different combinations by only changing one letter or adding a nuber on etc until the PC either locks them out or they break in and attacks where they try all possible combinations to a lock is called a search attack as they will have a brief idea of the password already and they will change individual letters or numbers until they gather the correct one. Brute Force attacks can be targeted at anyone.

(D)DOS (Distributed) Denial of Service Attack

(D)DOS (Distributed) Denial Of Service Attack

A DDOS is when an IP Address or Website is sent thousands of individual pieces of data within moments of each other causing the website or IP Address to overload and crash.
DDOS happens daily and some cyber criminals will threaten companies/businesses with a DDOS attack and will refuse to let their site/network go back up onto the web unless they recieve a payment of however much they want e.g. if it's a small business they may only ask for £500 yet if they are targeting a much more widescale company they could ask for in excess of £10,000+. However not all cyber criminals will DDOS someone for monetary gain some do it just to get revenge for an incident that may have happened in the past with their intended target.

Social Engineering

Social Engineering

Fake Websites - SPAM (Email Phishing)

Fake websites are one of the common ways that cyber criminals gain information about someone wether that their bank details or their general personal info (Medical, Family etc). The way this is done is by having a fake email sent to you pretending to be your bank saying that your account is at risk and that you need to change your password and when the user clicks on the link the site looks legit yet the URL is usually not even close to the legit site and once the users info is entered the hackers will send you to a change password within the legit bank site so they can learn the new password and then proceed to steal your money.

Downloading Fake Software

Downloading fake software is used when you download torrented files of word, powerpoint, photoshop, games etc. Backdoor vulnerabilities are usually left within these torrented files and that allows hackers to enter through those backdoors and alter with your PC.