Understanding the Different Vulnerability Methods of Attack

ByDaniel Gottilla

anti-virus software, denial of service attacks, vulnerability management, vulnerability management development, vulnerability management program, vulnerability scanning tools

Understanding the Different Vulnerability Methods of Attack

Your business faces a variety of security risks, but there are ways of defining the different vulnerability methods of attack. By analyzing the three major categories of risk, you can make better plans about how to combat the attacks and keep your company secure.

One vulnerability method of attack is the inside view. This risk comes from people inside your company who have access to your network and data. Sometimes it is as simple as looking up another employee’s personnel record. Other times it’s taking data to sell to outside parties or to use to attract your clients to a separate business. Occasionally disgruntled, recently-fired employees try to take vengeance on their way out. This method of attack comes from all levels of employees, but there are a few ways to protect your business. First, run background checks on all employees to help determine their risk. Up to one-third of inside hackers have criminal records, so this very important. Be sure to change passwords often on a company-wide basis, and to remove network access from a terminated employee immediately.

Another method is user view vulnerability. This vulnerability method of attack relies on an outside party getting into your system and manipulating it as if they were an authorized user. This can happen if an employee gives out their login information or if they bring a virus into the system. The hacker may be on-site or at a remote location, but the damage they can do with access is the same.

The final method is outside view vulnerability, which is what most people think of when they worry about their network security. The person attempting the attack initially only has access to what anyone in the public would see. They may try to make it through your firewall and into your network through software loopholes, social engineering, or trial and error. The attacker may not have an inside connection, but is likely to be pretty sophisticated in their methods.

Recovering from any of these attacks, however, requires a plan. While the individual attacks will vary case by case, having a plan of action ready in the event of an attack is vital. Make sure your systems are backed up and that you have tested your recovery preparations to make sure you can get back to business as quickly as possible in the event of an attack.
Knowing what threats are out there and planning for them is necessary in the business world. Now that you understand the different vulnerability methods of attack, you can work to successfully combat them.