Technology has quickly become integral to just about every organization in the digital age. And while this is undoubtedly a good thing due to technology’s ability to optimize day-to-day operations, it also leaves organizations vulnerable to cyberattacks. And while cybersecurity has also come a long way, cyberattacks continue to become more and more sophisticated. The best example of this are hybrid attacks.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of hybrid cyberattacks, then it’s in your best interest to learn as much as you can about them as they pose a significant threat to your organization. To help you out, we thought it would be useful to put together a brief discussion on this subject. If you want to learn more about this, read on as we discuss everything you need to know about hybrid cyberattacks.
What Are Hybrid Attacks?
A hybrid attack is a type of cyberattack that blends two or more kinds of tools to carry out the assault. As an example, a common kind of hybrid attack uses a brute force attack, which tries every possible password on every possible user account, to augment a dictionary attack, which contains a list of likely password combinations. Hackers obtain a list of stolen usernames and passwords from prior breaches and then use this information to launch an attack against the login fields of the target enterprise. This is a type of brute-force attack because the hackers are trying more combinations of numbers, symbols, and more in response to user habits to modify passwords over time. This means the attack is amplified because it tries more combinations than a normal brute-force attack.
How Can Physical Attacks Affect Cybersecurity?
Industry leaders have been saying for ages that digital security cannot protect you from physical attackers, who can bypass login screens to acquire access to devices with physical tools. Each time this happens, it’s a reminder that no matter what actions you’ve taken to protect yourself, if a physical attacker can get to you, you’ve already lost.
Whenever a breach relies on physical access, security professionals must ask themselves some questions. Every time, the attacker has demonstrated that a specific weakness exists in a type of physical protection. That weakness could be a flaw in the security controls, such as a lock or card reader, or in their training because of employee behavior. Armed with this information, the threat actor can replicate the attack over and over in order to gain access to the building whenever they want to. What’s worse, multiple attacks can lower employees’ suspicions by familiarizing them with patterns.
How Do Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities Enable Physical Attacks?
The main thing that you have to understand is that when cybercriminals are working on a high-level attack, they often take some time to prepare for their crime, carrying out reconnaissance and other preliminary steps on the digital front before moving to close the attack in person. By the time they are carrying out reconnaissance and other preliminary steps, their ultimate goal is often not to gain full access to the system but only to open up a few strategic holes in order to enable a physical assault.
Conclusion
We hope this article proves to be useful when it comes to furthering your understanding of hybrid cyberattacks. As you can see, these types of attacks can be extremely detrimental to your organization. And while they can be particularly tricky to defend against, equipping yourself with the necessary knowledge will go a long way when it comes to improving your overall cybersecurity efforts.
If you do fall victim to a cyberattack, securing your valuable data should be your top priority. Get your important data back with the help of Finchum Fixes It. We are a one-stop-shop for IT consulting that also offers data recovery services. We are dedicated to providing superior digital marketing and IT support services to clients in Greenwood, IN, and the Greater Indianapolis area. You can trust our skilled computer and networking specialists with all of your tech needs. Get in touch with us today!
