Cybercrime refers to illegal actions using computers or the internet. Some examples of cybercrime include:
The major categories of cybercrimes are:
Attacks caused by cybercriminals can leave a significant financial and social impact on governments, businesses and individuals. Other effects of cybercrime on businesses can include damage to the brand's reputation, legal consequences of a data breach and loss of sensitive data.
Cybercrime is advancing with technology, adapting to evade existing defences. Early forms began in the 1980s as email-enabled scams and viruses. Current cybercrime trends include the rise of AI-driven social engineering and phishing, ransomware as a service (RaaS), commercial spyware and extortionware.
Cyberattacks are becoming more prevalent due to easily accessible computers, cloud data and storage, human negligence and vulnerability, network and application system vulnerabilities, and the increasing number of bad actors who want to exploit the vulnerabilities.
Cybercriminals employ a variety of evolving methods to access an individual's or business's protected data. Installing malware on a victim's computer can allow an attacker to manipulate, delete or steal data. Criminals also use phishing attacks to trick a target into revealing login credentials.
Cybercriminals are getting more aggressive with their tactics. Cisco Talos reports that hackers are engaging in extortion by holding data ransom, threatening to release it in the dark web, often after a first ransom is paid to decrypt network systems. Read current threat advisories from Cisco Talos.
Here are some real-world cybercrime examples: One real-world example of cybercrime occurred when a manufacturing company fell victim to a phishing email in 2020. Opening a malicious attachment launched a Maze ransomware attack. Cisco Talos Incident Response intervened and contained the threat, preventing the attack's ransomware component.
Another example of cybercrime is the phishing-as-a-service (PaaS) platform known as Greatness. This PaaS targets users of a popular productivity software with convincing decoy login pages. Attackers have used the Greatness phishing kit since 2022 to launch man-in-the-middle attacks and steal authentication credentials.
Individuals can protect themselves from cybercrime by using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong passwords, keeping software up to date and staying vigilant against phishing. Businesses can safeguard sensitive data from evolving cybercrimes with network security solutions, utilising cloud-delivered security with SSE and endpoint protection for all devices.
Cybersecurity plays a crucial role in preventing and mitigating cybercrime. Solutions like ZTNA ensure least privilege access and security services help identify vulnerabilities and risks, protect systems with security controls, detect potential threats, respond to incidents and facilitate recovery.
Cybersecurity professionals combat cybercrime by analysing attacker behaviour. MITRE ATT&CK is a common knowledge base cyber risk managers use to understand attackers' techniques and effective mitigations that prevent cybercrime and minimise its impact.
Here are some real-world cybercrime examples: One instance occurred when a manufacturing company fell victim to a phishing email in 2020. Opening a malicious attachment launched a Maze ransomware attack. Cisco Talos Incident Response intervened and contained the threat, preventing the attack's ransomware component.
Examples are:
-Cybercriminals selling sensitive data to a business's competitor
-State-sponsored groups gathering intelligence from enemy communication systems or disrupting infrastructure
Cyber extortion occurs when a cybercriminal attacks or threatens to attack a computer, network or server and demands money to stop the attacks. Common examples of cyber extortion tactics are ransomware and extortionware. In these attacks, a bad actor encrypts a victim's files using malware until a ransom is paid for their release, preventing public exposure.
In cyber espionage, hackers attack corporations or governments for political, competitive or financial reasons. The goal is to gather intelligence while remaining covert.
Ransomware is a type of malware, or malicious software, that encrypts files and data on a computer. To install ransomware on a computer, hackers use methods like email phishing, malicious advertising or exploit kits. The malware takes control of specific files until the victim pays a ransom fee for their release.
Phishing uses fraudulent emails or other forms of communication to convince a target to give up sensitive information or system access. In a phishing attack, a user clicks on a seemingly legitimate but harmful link in an email, downloads a malicious file or gives away login credentials on a fraudulent site. This often leads to business email compromise.
Malware is any type of malicious software distributed to a computer or network to steal its valuable information or damage its data. Malware can infect a network through email phishing, downloads from malicious websites, infected USBs or software vulnerabilities. Examples of common malware include spyware, worms or viruses, botnets and ransomware.
An IoT attack is an exploit of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as security cameras, manufacturing equipment, air quality monitors or smart utility meters. Attackers exploit vulnerabilities in IoT devices to gain control of the device, access sensitive data or break into other devices connected to the IoT system.
DNS tunnelling is a DNS attack method of disguising malicious traffic, protocols or software as DNS queries and responses. Abusing the DNS protocol allows attackers to bypass firewalls and other defences and exfiltrate the target's data.
A Structured Query Language (SQL) injection is a common type of cyberattack in which hackers exploit a security vulnerability in an application with malicious SQL code to gain access to a web application database. A successful SQL attack could allow a criminal to access protected sensitive data and modify or delete it.
In a denial-of-service attack, an attacker floods a system, server or network with traffic, making it unavailable to legitimate users. Attackers also use multiple compromised devices to launch a distributed DoS (DDoS) attack, a type of cybercrime that can be even more difficult to recover from.
A zero-day exploit occurs after a new network vulnerability is announced and before a patch is applied. During this window of time, systems are susceptible to cyberattacks as attackers target the disclosed vulnerability.
Detect zero-day vulnerabilities
Segmentation divides a network into smaller parts. This allows administrators to enforce access policies that control the flow of traffic and inhibit the spread of a cyberattack. Network segmentation can also improve operational performance and safeguard vulnerable devices from attacks.
A zero-trust network continuously authenticates users and their devices at each access request. This is achieved through a combination of multi-factor authentication tools, device visibility, adaptive policies and segmentation controls. Zero-trust security can help protect organisations from common cybercrimes like phishing, malware and credential theft.
Activate multi-factor authentication on all possible online accounts. MFA adds two or more extra steps to verify a user's identity before authorising access to applications and resources. Implementing an MFA solution across an organisation can help prevent cybercriminals from accessing sensitive information.
Regularly update your operating systems, devices and websites with current patches to safeguard your assets and data. Cybercriminals can exploit known vulnerabilities, or software flaws, to breach a system and steal or damage data. Organisations can reduce the risk of a costly breach by updating security software with the latest patches.
Deploy vulnerability management software to identify and prioritise weaknesses in your organisation's environment. This solution can help organisations make data-backed decisions to proactively fix vulnerabilities before a cybercriminal has the chance to exploit them.
To help safeguard against cybercrime, use unique passwords, change your passwords regularly and avoid using the same password on multiple sites. A password manager application can be used to generate complex passwords and store them in an encrypted format. However, in the event of a breach, all passwords could be compromised.
Practising safe cyber hygiene with an email security solution in place can help prevent common cybercrimes like phishing, malware and spam. Here are some best practices:
Many types of network security solutions can help protect your organisation's networking infrastructure from unauthorised access, data theft and damage. An intrusion prevention system (IPS) is an example of a network security solution. An IPS defends your network by scanning traffic to actively block attacks and prevent the spread of outbreaks.
Secure your data by regularly backing up information and testing the restoration process. Effective data protection measures such as off-site backups, encryption and secure cloud storage are critical safeguards against cyberthreats like ransomware that could steal, damage or destroy your data.
It is important for organisations to develop policies and procedures to follow in response to a security incident. An incident response plan instructs IT staff on how to detect a security incident, stop the attack and quickly recover from the event. Educate your team on the response plan and practise the process to minimise the length of a disruption.
Safeguard your workforce by educating users on cybersecurity policies and best practices. Train employees to:
Firewalls use predefined security rules to decide whether to block or allow incoming and outgoing traffic. These barriers help prevent unauthorised access or malicious data from breaching your system.
XDR is an advanced cybersecurity solution that offers comprehensive threat detection and response capabilities. It correlates data from multiple sources across networks, endpoints and cloud environments to provide a unified view of potential threats. XDR's machine learning and analysis of vast data sets streamlines cybercrime investigation and response.
SSE is a group of technologies that secure access to the web, cloud services and private applications regardless of the location of the user, their device or where the application is hosted. SSE capabilities include threat protection, data security, access control, security monitoring and acceptable-use control enforced by network-based and API-based integration.
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Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) is a type of antivirus cybersecurity software that provides robust defence against sophisticated malware threats. AMP protects computer systems by proactively identifying and blocking software viruses like worms, ransomware, Trojans, spyware and adware.
A risk-based vulnerability management solution prioritises and addresses system weaknesses for remediation based on their potential impact and likelihood of exploitation. Proactively patching high-risk vulnerabilities first helps minimise cybercrime opportunities, enhance overall security posture and prevent potential attacks.
Cloud security solutions are technologies, policies and applications that protect online IP, services, applications, workloads and other critical data. A unified solution combines multiple security tools and features into a single platform, streamlining management and shielding users against cyberthreats wherever they access the internet..
Email security is a crucial cybersecurity tool that protects organisations from a wide range of email-based threats. An email security application helps safeguard email communication from phishing attacks, malware, spam and other dangerous cybercrimes.
An access management solution controls user access to digital resources. It verifies identities through processes like MFA, SSO and passwordless authentication. User and device trust is continuously evaluated using adaptive, risk-based policies. This zero-trust strategy makes it harder for criminals to breach an environment and move laterally within it.
Web security is a cybersecurity solution that works to safeguard online resources, devices and data from cyberthreats. It offers strong threat intelligence, dynamic content control and seamless user integration. Features like data loss prevention, strong authentication methods and deep visibility help organisations build a secure online environment.
An IPS is a cybersecurity solution that actively monitors network traffic, identifying and thwarting potential attacks in real time. An IPS analyses global threat intelligence to block malicious activity, track the progression of suspect malware across the network and stop the spread of a breach and reinfection.
