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From mail scams to extortion with viruses that hijack information, these are the techniques most used by cybercriminals
The cyberattacks They are not something temporary, but a temporary threat that has spread with the digitization of our lives and with which we have to live. Cyber attacks have been on the rise for years, a trend driven in Spain and the rest of the world as a result of the pandemic of covid-19. The first step to combat this phenomenon is to know it, so here we will explain how the four techniques most used by criminals who operate behind the screens work.
One of the most common risks in Spain is falling into the trap of the thousands of scams and frauds that circulate on the Internet. The most common method is known as’Phishing‘. The attacker impersonates a person or company to deceive his victim, to whom he sends an email or SMS message on his mobile with a false link. By clicking on it, the victim unintentionally opens the door of their computer system to a virus that can steal sensitive information, from passwords to credit cards, and even impersonate their identity.
Attackers often use personal data stolen from the victim in order to personalize the message and gain their trust, whether by posing as a bank, business company, or a coworker. These malicious scams are often also emergency messages, as they hope that this will put pressure on the victim to respond quickly and without thinking to the message, making them more likely to fall for it. 44% of Spaniards have been the victim of this type of fraud, according to a Microsoft study.
Is about malicious programs used by cybercriminals to infect and paralyze their victim’s computer system. Among the many types that there are, the Trojan, which is disguised as a legitimate program so that the user installs it and can steal data, or the Spyware, which works like spyware. However, the most popular is the Ransomware, which, once inside the victim’s system, hijacks key data through encryption and demands the payment of a ransom to release it, usually through cryptocurrencies. This kidnapping has come to paralyze the activity of all kinds of companies.
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Denial of service (DDos)
This practice launches a high volume of traffic against a website with the intention of saturating the system, servers and traffic networks. This makes it impossible for users to access that page and a ransom can be requested for it. This is how at the beginning of December several services of the Generalitat de Catalunya were paralyzed.
Malicious code infiltration
Another of the most common practices is known as SQL injection, through which attackers introduce a virus taking advantage of design errors in a web page or application. This malicious code tricks the system into doing whatever the cybercriminal wants, forcing the system to reveal confidential information. It can be used to manipulate, steal or destroy data, paralyze the web or assume its total control.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com