COMMON THREATS TO BE

AWARE OF:
1. BOTNETS
2. DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-service
3. HACKING
4. MALWARE
5. PHARMING
6. PHISHING
7. RANSOMWARE
8. SPAM
9. SPOOFING
10. SPYWARE & ADWARE
 COMMON THREATS TO BE
AWARE OF:

11. TROJAN HORSES

12. VIRUSES
13. WIFI EAVESDROPPING
14. WORMS
 Botnets
What they are:

A collection of software robots, or 'bots',

that creates an army of infected computers
(known as ‘zombies') that are remotely
controlled by the originator. Yours may be
one of them and you may not even know it.
 Botnets
What they can do:

 Send spam emails with viruses attached.

 Spread all types of malware.
 Can use your computer as part of a
denial of service attack against other
systems.
 Distributed Denial-of-service
attack (DDoS)
A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack — or
DDoS attack — is when a malicious user gets a
network of zombie computers to sabotage a specific
website or server. The attack happens when the
malicious user tells all the zombie computers to
contact a specific website or server over and over
again. That increase in the volume of traffic
overloads the website or server causing it to be slow
for legitimate users, sometimes to the point that the
website or server shuts down completely.
 Distributed Denial-of-service
attack (DDoS)
What it can do:

The most common and obvious type of DDoS attack

occurs when an attacker “floods” a network with useless
information. When you type a URL into your browser, you
are sending a request to that site's computer server to
view the page. The server can only process a certain
number of requests at once. If an attacker overloads the
server with requests, it can't process yours. The flood of
incoming messages to the target system essentially
forces it to shut down, thereby denying access to
legitimate users.
 Distributed Denial-of-service
attack (DDoS)
What you can do:
There are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood that
an attacker will use your computer to attack other
computers:

Install and maintain anti-virus software.

Install a firewall, and configure it to restrict traffic coming
into and leaving your computer.
Follow good security practices when it comes to maintaining
your contact or email lists. Applying email filters may help
you manage unwanted emails, by automatically processing
incoming messages based on certain criteria that you set.
 Distributed Denial-of-service
attack (DDoS)

What you can do:

There are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood that an
attacker will use your computer to attack other computers:

Be cautious if you notice that your Internet connection is

unusually slow or you can't access certain sites (and that your
Internet connection is not down).
Avoid opening email attachments, especially if they are from
people you don't know.
If you believe you are a victim of a DDoS attack, contact your
Internet Service Provider, as they will be able to help mitigate.
 Hacking
Hacking is a term used to describe
actions taken by someone to gain
unauthorized access to a computer.
The availability of information online
on the tools, techniques, and
malware makes it easier for even
non-technical people to undertake
malicious activities.
 Hacking
What it is:
The process by which cyber criminals gain access to your computer.

What it can do:

Find weaknesses (or pre-existing bugs) in your security

settings and exploit them in order to access your information.
Install a Trojan horse, providing a back door for hackers to
enter and search for your information.
 Malware
Malware is one of the
more common ways to
infiltrate or damage your
computer.
 Malware
What it is:

Malicious software that infects your computer,

such as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses,
spyware, and adware.
What it can do:

• Intimidate you with sharewares, which is usually a

pop-up message that tells you your computer has a
security problem or other false information.
• Reformat the hard drive of your computer causing
you to lose all your information.
 Malware
What it can do:
• Alter or delete files.
• Steal sensitive information.
• Send emails on your behalf.
• Take control of your computer and all
the software running on it.
 5 Types of
Malware
1. Spyware
2. Adware
3. Viruses
4. Worms
5. Trojan Horses
 5 Types of Malware
1. Spyware
a program that runs in the
background without you knowing it
(thus called “spy”). It has the ability
to monitor what you are currently
doing and typing through keylogging.
 5 Types of Malware
1. Spyware
What it is:

Software that collects personal

information about you without you
knowing. They often come in the form of
a ‘free' download and are installed
automatically with or without your
consent. These are difficult to remove
and can infect your computer with
 5 Types of Malware
1. Spyware
What it can do:

• Collect information about you without you

knowing about it and give it to third parties.
• Send your usernames, passwords, surfing habits,
list of applications you've downloaded, settings,
and even the version of your operating system
to third parties.
• Change the way your computer runs without
your knowledge.
 5 Types of Malware
2. Adware
a program designed to send you
advertisements, mostly as pop-ups.

What it can do:

Take you to unwanted sites or inundate

you with uncontrollable pop-up ads.
 5 Types of Malware
3. Viruses
Most people have heard of
computer viruses, but not
many know exactly what
they are or what they do.
 5 Types of Malware
3. Viruses
What they are:

Malicious computer programs that are

often sent as an email attachment or a
download with the intent of infecting your
computer, as well as the computers of
everyone in your contact list. Just visiting
a site can start an automatic download of
a virus.
 5 Types of Malware
3. Viruses
What they can do:

• Send spam.
• Provide criminals with access to your
computer and contact lists.
• Scan and find personal information like
passwords on your computer.
• Hijack your web browser.
• Disable your security settings.
• Display unwanted ads.
 5 Types of Malware
3. Viruses
What they can do:

When a program is running, the virus

attached to it could infiltrate your hard
drive and also spread to USB keys and
external hard drives. Any attachment you
create using this program and send to
someone else could also infect them with
the virus.
 5 Types of Malware
3. Viruses
How will you know if your computer is
infected?
 5 Types of Malware
4. Trojan Horses
A Trojan horse may not be a
term you're familiar with, but
there's a good chance you or
someone you know has been
affected by one.
 5 Types of Malware
4. Trojan Horses
What it is:

A malicious program that is

disguised as, or embedded
within, legitimate software. It is
an executable file that will install
itself and run automatically once
it's downloaded.
 5 Types of Malware
4. Trojan Horses
What it can do:
• Delete your files.
• Use your computer to hack other
computers.
• Watch you through your web cam.
• Log your keystrokes (such as a credit card
number you entered in an online
purchase).
• Record usernames, passwords and other
personal information.
 5 Types of Malware
5. Worms
Worms are a
common threat to
computers and the
Internet as a whole.
 5 Types of Malware
5. Worms
What they are:

A worm, unlike a virus, goes to work on

its own without attaching itself to files or
programs. It lives in your computer
memory, doesn't damage or alter the
hard drive and propagates by sending
itself to other computers in a network –
whether within a company or the Internet
 5 Types of Malware
5. Worms
What they can do:
• Spread to everyone in your contact
list.
• Cause a tremendous amount of
damage by shutting down parts of
the Internet, wreaking havoc on an
internal network and costing
companies enormous amounts of lost
revenue.
 Pharming
Pharming is a
common type of
online fraud.
 Pharming
What it is:

A means to point you to a malicious and

illegitimate website by redirecting the legitimate URL.
Even if the URL is entered correctly, it can still be
redirected to a fake website.
What it can do:
• Convince you that the site is real and legitimate by
spoofing or looking almost identical to the actual site
down to the smallest details. You may enter your
personal information and unknowingly give it to
someone with malicious intent.
 Ransomware
What it is:

Ransomware is a type of malware that

restricts access to your computer or your files
and displays a message that demands payment
in order for the restriction to be removed. The
two most common means of infection appear to
be phishing emails that contain malicious
attachments and website pop-up
advertisements.
 Ransomware
What it can do:
There are two common types of ransomware:

• Lockscreen ransomware: displays an image

that prevents you from accessing your
computer
• Encryption ransomware: encrypts files on
your system's hard drive and sometimes on
shared network drives, USB drives, external
hard drives, and even some cloud storage
 Ransomware
What it can do:
Ransomware will display a notification
stating that your computer or data have
been locked and demanding a payment be
made for you to regain access. 
Sometimes the notification states that
authorities have detected illegal activity
on your computer, and that the payment
is a fine to avoid prosecution.
 Ransomware
What you can do:
• Do not pay the ransom. These threats
are meant to scare and intimidate you,
and they do not come from a law
enforcement agency. Even if you submit
payment, there is no guarantee that you
will regain access to your system.
 Ransomware
What you can do:
• In order to lessen the impact of a
ransomware infection, be sure to
regularly back-up your data with a
removable external storage drive.
It's possible that your files might be
irretrievable; having an up-to-date
backup could be invaluable.
 Spam
Spam is one of the more
common methods of both
sending information out
and collecting it from
unsuspecting people.
 Spam
What it is:

• The mass distribution of unsolicited

messages, advertising or
pornography to addresses which
can be easily found on the Internet
through things like social
networking sites, company websites
and personal blogs.
 Spam
What it can do:
• Annoy you with unwanted junk mail.
• Create a burden for communications service
providers and businesses to filter electronic
messages.
• Phish for your information by tricking you into
following links or entering details with too-
good-to-be-true offers and promotions.
• Provide a vehicle for malware, scams, fraud
and threats to your privacy.
 Spoofing
This technique is often
used in conjunction
with phishing in an
attempt to steal your
information.
 Spoofing
What it is:

A website or email address that is

created to look like it comes from a
legitimate source. An email address
may even include your own name, or
the name of someone you know,
making it difficult to discern whether
or not the sender is real.
 Spoofing
What it does?
• Spends spam using your email address,
or a variation of your email address, to
your contact list.
• Recreates websites that closely
resemble the authentic site. This could
be a financial institution or other site
that requires login or other personal
information.
 Wi-Fi
WiFi eavesdropping
Eavesdropping is
another method used by
cyber criminals to
capture personal
information.
 Wi-Fi
Eavesdropping
What it is:
Virtual “listening in” on information that's
shared over an unsecure (not encrypted) WiFi
network.
What it can do:
• Potentially access your computer with
the right equipment.
• Steal your personal information
including logins and passwords.
Referrences:

www.commonthreats.com
KEEP SAFE ONLINE
AND
THINK BEFORE YOU
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