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Cyber security threat or breach is a malicious attack to achieve unauthorized access then damage and steal digital assets, computer networks, or any sensitive data. The attack may be intended to disrupt digital operations too. The sources of such threats could be corporate spies, hacktivists, terrorist groups, criminal organizations, hostile nation-states or revengeful employees. Some cyber hackers’ aim is to gain financial benefits. They bring down a system and demand money to restore the functionality. For example, ransomware is a sophisticated cyber-attack that claims money to reinstate the service. Corporate businesses, individuals as well as national defense departments are vulnerable to cyber threats. Failure to implement, test and retest technical safeguards, such as encryption, authentication and firewalls weaken the security system. Tracking down the attacks and attackers is the key to strong cyber security. Cyber security professionals’ job is to develop sound knowledge of threats and their origins.

Cyber Security Threats
Malware (Virus/ spyware/ransomware/ worm)

•    Replicates itself and controls operation
•    Disrupting parts, system gets inoperable
•    Covertly obtains info by transmitting data
•    Blocks access to key network components
•    Installs additional harmful software

Miscellaneous issues

•    Password attack
•    Denial of Service
  • Floods a computer or network

    Emotet

•    Attacks through spam emails
•    Delivers other malware and spams
•    Banking Trojans steal vital information

Phishing

•    Uses instant messages to steal data
•    Uses fake email to steal financial/ personal info

  SQL injection

•    Inferential (Blind) SQLi
  • Time-based
  • Boolean
•    Out-of-band SQLi
•    In-band SQLi
  • Union-based SQLi
  • Error-based SQLi

 Hackers and predators

•    Interrupts traffic to steal data
•    Hackers get into a two-party transaction

This fishbone analyzes some of the major ways of cyber security attacks. This template helps everyone to organize the reasons for any such issue. We have created several categories based on the nature of the attacks. The depth goes on increasing as we find and add new items to their higher-level parent group.

Who should use the Cyber Security Threats template?

• Anyone who needs to learn about the different types of digital security issues.
• Cyber security professionals and businesses who want to gain knowledge on the sources and types of security threats.

Why use this template?

• Identify various threats for computer data and operational security.
• Modify and extend this template using smartQED  for your problem resolution.
• Design your own templates for different types of problem analysis in smartQED.

Curated from community experience and public sources:

• 7 Types of Cyber Security Threats (und.edu)
• Types of Computer Security Threats and How to Avoid Them | Webroot
• https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/sql-injection-sqli/