How To Prevent Cyber Attacks & Threats

Learn how PurpleSec can help mitigate the latest cyber attacks and improve security ROI.

Author: Michael Swanagan, CISSP, CISA, CISM / Last updated: 10/16/22

Reviewed By: Rich Selvidge, CISSP, Josh Allen, Seth Kimmel, OSCP, & Jason Firch, MBA

View Our: Editorial Process

Cyber attacks can be prevented by being aware of the various types of protocols, exploits, tools, and resources used by malicious actors. In addition, knowing where and how to expect attacks ensure you’re creating preventative measures to protect your systems.

What Is A Cyber Attack?

A cyber attack is performed with malicious intent when a threat actor attempts to exploit a vulnerability or weakness in a system or individuals of an organization. These attacks threaten to steal, alter, destroy, disable or gain access to or make use of an unauthorized asset.

Cyber attacks, threats, and vandalism are a dangerous and increasing problem for businesses.

Nearly all modern-day companies require a network of computers, servers, printers, switches, access points, and routers to operate.

Businesses also deploy software tools to streamline functions, like QuickBooks for handling bookkeeping.

Unfortunately, while these devices and applications provide a huge benefit to the company, they also represent a risk.

All it takes is one employee to click on a malicious link that then gains access to your network and infects your systems.

How Do You Prevent Cyber Attacks?

Preventing a breach of your network and its systems requires protection against a variety of cyber attacks. For each attack, the appropriate countermeasure must be deployed/used to deter it from exploiting a vulnerability or weakness.

Ways To Prevent Common Cyber Attacks

The first line of defense for any organization is to assess and implement security controls.

However, there are a number of ways to prevent cyber attacks which include:

• Creating a cyber security strategy
• Developing cyber security policies
• Conducting a security risk assessment
• Hiring a virtual CISO service
• Performing vulnerability assessments
• Conducting employee phishing campaigns
• Implementing security awareness training
• Installing spam filters and anti-malware software
• Deploying Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW)
• Installing endpoint detection & response (EDR)
• Using a VPN or SD-WAN solution
• Implementing a Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution

Keep in mind that this list is the bare minimum needed to deter the latest cyber attacks.

For A Maturing Security Program

Larger, or more complex, organizations with more mature cyber security programs will require a security team, either in-house or outsourced, to manage security software solutions and conduct advanced testing of an organization’s environment.

Common ways to prevent more advanced cyber attacks include:

• Developing a vulnerability management program
• Conducting routine penetration testing
• Implementing security information and event management (SIEM)
• Deploying intrusion detection & prevent software (IDS and IPS)
• Creating a data loss prevention (DLP) program
• Performing static code analysis

For Enterprise Security Programs

Enterprise organizations often have robust security programs that adopt a continuous approach to their cyber security. This consistent and near real-time monitoring ensures that cyber attacks are being prevented at all times.

Common ways enterprises prevent the most dangerous cyber attacks include:

• Performing red and blue team exercises
• Hiring a virtual Security Operations Center (SOC)
• Investing in a Managed Detection And Response (MDR) service
• Implementing active threat hunting
• Purchasing web application firewalls (WAFs)
• Deploying a zero trust security architecture
• Building security automation into processes

Types Of Cyber Attacks & How To Prevent Them

The different types of cyber attacks are:

• Network attacks
• Wireless attacks
• Malware attacks
• Social engineering attacks

It’s important to note that no system is 100% vulnerability free or “hacker-proof”. If a threat actor has enough time, resources, and manpower to launch an attack then chances are they will find a way in.

This is especially true of advanced persistent threat groups.

Cyber attacks come in all shapes and sizes from deploying an application-specific attack against a database server to sending phishing emails with malicious attachments or URLs.

While knowing the purpose of a cyber attack can be helpful it isn’t the main priority. What takes priority is knowing how the attack occurred and how to prevent them from succeeding in the future.

The next sections will go in-depth on the different types of cyber attacks and threats and includes the steps you can take to prevent them from compromising your systems.

Network Attacks

Learn how to prevent network attacks.

A network attack is an attempt to exploit a vulnerability or weakness on a network or its systems including servers, firewalls, computers, routers, switches, printers, and more.

The goal of a network attack can be to steal, modify, or remove access to valuable data. Or, it could be to bring down a network.

Attacks on networks have become more common in recent years in part because small and mid-sized businesses are not making investments into securing their systems fast enough.

As a result, hackers target businesses because their systems are often easier to compromise.

Other reasons include a rise in hacktivism, bring your own device (BYOD) use, and cloud-based applications.

Common network attacks include:

• Denial of Service (DoS)
• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
• Buffer Overflow Attacks
• Ping Attacks
• SYN Flood
• DNS Amplification
• Back Door
• Spoofing
• Smurf Attack
• TCP/IP Hijacking
• Man In The Middle Attacks
• Replay Attacks
• DNS Poisoning
• ARP Poisoning
• Domain Kiting
• Typosquatting
• Client Side Attacks
• Watering Hole Attacks
• Zero Day Attacks

Wireless Attacks

Learn how to prevent wireless attacks.

A wireless attack involves identifying and examining the connections between all devices connected to the business’s WiFi.

The term WiFi refers to wireless network technology that uses radio waves to establish wireless network connections.

Due to the nature of WiFi and its methods for providing network access, malicious hackers often choose to penetrate a company by compromising its WiFi network and corresponding infrastructure devices.

Homes are also at risk, especially due to the rise of IoT connected devices and appliances.

Common wireless attacks include:

• Explore All Wireless Attacks
• Data Emanation
• Jamming
• Bluetooth Vulnerabilities
• Near-Field Communication
• War Driving
• Evil Twin
• Deauthentication and Disassociation
• War Chalking
• Packet Sniffing and Eavesdropping
• Replay Attacks (Wireless)
• WPS Attacks
• WEP/WPA Attacks
• IV Attack
• TKIP Attack
• WPA2 Attacks

Malware & Ransomware Attacks

Learn how to prevent malware attacks

Malware, or malicious software, is any piece of software that was written with the intent of doing harm to data, devices or to people.

Systems infected with malware will present with symptoms such as running slower, sending emails without user action, randomly rebooting, or starting unknown processes.

There are thousands of malware varients and different types of malware including:

• Viruses
• Keyloggers
• Worms
• Trojans
• Ransomware / Crypto-Malware
• Logic Bombs
• Bots/Botnets
• Adware & Spyware
• Rootkits

Social Engineering Attacks

Learn how to prevent social engineering attacks.

Social engineering is the attempt to manipulate a user into giving up sensitive information such as user account credentials, wiring funds, or personal customer information.

This form of cyber attack is one of the most popular for deploying malicious code on to a network. According to recent data, 98% of cyber attacks rely on social engineering.

Most are familiar with email phishing and whaling techniques as it has become an essential component to any cyber security program and is often bundled into other IT solutions.

Common types of social engineering attacks include:

• Email Phishing
• Vishing
• Smishing
• Watering Hole Attacks
• Pretexting
• Whaling
• Tailgating

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