3 Common Website Attacks You Need to Know About
By Zintle Nkohla
As a small business, subscribing to cybersecurity solutions might not be at the forefront of your priorities because many more important things need your attention. But surely, the COVID-19 pandemic has made you think twice.
Many companies have changed their operating models, subscribing to the hybrid working model, and some have gone entirely remote.
This change has also opened an opportunity for bad actors on the internet to show off their hacking capabilities. According to a 2021 African Cybersecurity Research Report by KnowBe4, 32% of respondents were affected by cybercrime while working from home. More people (71% reported by the software company) are also becoming aware of and concerned about cybercrime. 4% of respondents, as per the report, experienced cyber-attacks through online shopping.
Hackers might be motivated by various reasons like settling a score, showing off their skills, driving a particular political view, or simply for fun. Whatever the motivations, it is essential to have cybersecurity solutions put in place to avoid exposing your business to risks.
Businesses at a high risk of website attacks mainly operate online. Visitors or customers are at as much risk as business owners, if not more. Attackers might steal customers’ private data or lead them to malicious websites. For example, flash sales could easily expose companies to cyber-attacks because multitudes visit websites during those times to score high on bargains.
Here are some of the widespread website attacks:
- DDoS attacks
- Malware attacks
- SEO Spam
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack
A Distributed Denial-of-Service attack is when an attacker floods the server with internet traffic so that users’ or your website visitors’ requests will be ignored. As per Kaspersky, the attacker’s ultimate goal is total prevention of the web resource’s normal functioning, hence “denial of service”.
The purpose of this attack might be to discredit a particular business to eliminate competition.
Malware attack
A Malware attack is when cybercriminals install malicious software on a device to wreak havoc.
The attackers might do this to access personal information or damage your device. After they have gained access to confidential information, they might use it to extort money.
SEO Spam
After hackers gain access to your website, they will practice “black hat” SEO to gain profit. They use a method known as spamdexing or keyword stuffing, deliberate manipulation of search engine indexes to make the website rank high.
It is very easy for unprotected websites to fall victim to this attack. Even worse, as the website owner, you might not even realise it until it’s too late. Attackers also target websites that have outdated plugins.
Joren Digital can be a solution to your cybersecurity problems. Let us help you protect your website.
For more information on our services, you can visit our website at https://joren.digital/about/ and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@jorencommunications.co.za
