cyberattacks

Cyberattacks refer to deliberate actions by individuals, groups, or state actors to breach computer systems, networks, or data. They aim to steal information, disrupt services, extort money, or influence political or social outcomes. Attacks exploit vulnerabilities in software, human behavior, or organizational processes, and can target individuals, businesses, critical infrastructure, or governments.

Common attack types include malware such as ransomware and trojans; phishing and social engineering; denial-of-service or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks; exploiting software flaws through zero-days or SQL injection; credential stuffing and brute force; and supply chain attacks that compromise trusted software or services. Attacks may use botnets, fake updates, or man-in-the-middle techniques to interpose or surveil communications.

Impacts range from financial losses and data breaches to operational disruption and reputational damage. In extreme cases, cyberattacks threaten public safety or national security. Notable incidents include the WannaCry ransomware outbreak in 2017, NotPetya in 2017, the SolarWinds supply chain intrusion around 2020, and the Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident in 2021, though each case has specific context.

Defenses emphasize defense in depth: patch management, network segmentation, data backups, least privilege and multi-factor authentication, intrusion detection, incident response planning, and security monitoring. International cooperation, incident sharing, and regulation also play roles. Ongoing risk assessment and resilience planning are central to reducing impact.