What are the Stages of a Cyberattack?
Cyberattacks are scary.
Not only can they cost your organization thousands and even millions of dollars in damages and downtime, but they can erode the trust of your clients. Additionally, it’s an unsettling feeling knowing someone was able to infiltrate your network, disable/damage your systems and steal whatever information they could find.
The term cyberattack is routinely overused. It’s important to note the distinction between a cyberattack, an operation that causes physical damage or significant disruption to a device or network, and a data breach, which is low-tech trickery aimed at robbing people of their personal information, financial information or passwords by using spam emails or social engineering.
We’ll break down each stage of a cyberattack and offer security solutions for each stage so you know how these attacks work and how you can defend against them.
The 4 Stages of a Cyberattack
1.) The Entry Point: Initial Compromise
The first stage of a cyberattack is like a thief finding a way into your house. Hackers look for the weakest entry point in your network. This might be an unsuspecting employee clicking on a malicious link (phishing) or an unpatched software vulnerability that acts like an unlocked window. Awareness and education, along with robust IT practices, are key defenses at this stage.
2.) Moving Stealthily: Pivot and Escalate
Once inside, attackers aim to increase their access and move within your network. This is like an intruder moving from room to room in your house looking for the key to your safe. This is done through techniques like lateral movement (moving within the network) and privilege escalation (gaining higher-level access). At this stage, you want solutions in place that either slow them down or ensure they make a lot of “noise” so you can find them easier.
“After a successful attack, it’s important to look for signs of persistent footholds that allow attackers to continuously harvest data or launch future attacks.”
3.) The Silent Theft: Exfiltration
Now the thief is actually sending out your valuables. The impact here can be immense, ranging from (personal identifiable information) to intellectual property loss. Regular network monitoring and data loss prevention tools are critical in combating this phase.
4.) Lurking in the Shadows: Persistence
Think of this stage as an intruder hiding in your attic. Your IT security may have successfully caught something during an intrusion, but did it catch everything? After a successful attack, it’s important to look for signs of persistent footholds that allow attackers to continuously harvest data or launch future attacks. Regular system audits and advanced threat detection mechanisms are your best tools in rooting out such threats.
Understanding these stages helps demystify cyberattacks and reinforces the need for comprehensive cybersecurity strategies.
Remember, the cost of prevention is always less than the cost of a breach.
Implement Cybersecurity Measures
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