Explore technical vulnerabilities, social engineering threats, zero‑day attacks, secure information exchange, and ethical WiFi hacking techniques, highlighting practical tools, case studies, and mitigation strategies for robust cybersecurity.
Cyber threats are the flaws in computers and their connected program, hardware or networks which can be used by hackers to embezzle important information and or hinder the proper functioning of the target systems. These potential risks stem from such aspects as obsolete software or applications, mismanagement of technology arrangements, inadequate credentialing procedures, and inadequate protective measures. Students seeking help with assignment uk often study how such weaknesses arise in real infrastructures. The first technical vulnerability in cyber security that we have identified is unpatched security flaws or rather vulnerabilities that are impending in the system and are a cause for considerable risk to both the individual and the organization.
5 Years | MA
Unpatched security vulnerabilities are defined as those vulnerabilities that have not yet been fixed because of delayed updates and security patches. This, arguably, is one of the prevalent vulnerability types since the malicious parties are always on the lookout for systems with software that does not have the latest security patches. A lot of organizations including governmental organizations and SMEs have elongated time or did not patch their systems altogether, and this is usually because of dearth of funds, unawareness, and operational constraints. This makes them vulnerable targets for hackers who are always in search of such loopholes.
An example of an attack by vulnerabilities that had not been addressed is the WannaCry ransomware that occurred in the year 2017. WannaCry operates after taking advantage of a vulnerability in outdated versions of Windows and quickly contaminated an extensive number of networks and computer systems and interrupted the services of many organizations such as hospitals, banks and governmental organizations. It was an encrypting malware that targeted valuable documents and demanded the payment of ransom resulting to high financial and business losses. The attack occurred despite the fact that Microsoft had released a patch for the particular vulnerability two months prior to the incident, but, as expected, a considerable number of organizations had not updated their systems.
There are numerous approaches that the cybercriminals employ to exploit the unpatched vulnerabilities in systems. One relative technique is scanning for which the attackers use tools to search for the systems that run the old software. After a unit is compromised, the malicious users may implant a virus, launch a code on another machine or gain administrative access. It is crucial in this context, as the attacks are carried out utilizing a vulnerability which is unknown to the developers and in the process of being fixed.
Consequently, patch management is a necessity that organizations require to address in order to counter unpatched security risks. This includes; updating software frequently, setting them to automatically update, and employing vulnerability to scan for security vices. In the same regard, intrusion detection systems (IDS) as well as endpoint security solutions must be implemented in organizations to prevent unauthorized accesses. Other measures can also be further taken to cut the risk of exploitation by putting additional barriers in place.
Conclusion
A security flaw is a potential weak link for any security system as it exposes one to different attacks since they offer an easy way for the attackers to gain access to a system. It is an unmindful exposure that brought about the WannaCry attack, which happened because of the organization’s failure to apply important security patches. Some of the risks of remote work include; Organizations have to ensure that the systems they use are frequently updated, the security of the systems is well checked, and the running of the systems is frequently checked. Prevention is the only way to act before a cyber attack happens following the mean’s of proactive adaptation taking place.
Social engineering is a major concern in cybersecurity as it is a psychological attack that takes advantage of vulnerability in people with the aim of getting authorized access to the systems or information. The process where one tricks, deceives or persuades another to disclose information or do things that are undesirable concerning the system security. The methods that the social engineers apply are the following: phishing, baiting, and pretexting is the other key activity.
Phishing is a type of fraud in which the attacker impersonates a legitimate entity so as to get information from the target individuals, for example; bank details, organization details, passwords, credit card details or social security numbers etc. This is done commonly over emails, text messages or phone calls where the receivers are informed to click on certain links, download what appears to be harmless attachments, but in real sense they contain dangerous content or where the receivers are asked to reveal certain information. A type of phishing commonly used by the cyber criminals is the email phishing, whereby, a user is tricked into receiving an authentic looking message and clicking on a link that practically leads to a forged site, with an intention of stealing from the user. For instance, an email may allegedly come from a bank or any other financial firm and it will contain a message urging the recipient to update his/her account details to avoid account suspension. The unsuspecting individuals may be driven to share their credentials with another person and give control to a malicious person. The second type is spear phishing , which is a similar scam to the previous one, but the attackers adapt the content and method of the attack according to the details known about the recipient of the message, including employment status, hobbies and interests. This gives the victim a sense of credibility of the caller thus making them fall prey to the scam. For instance, the worker may receive an email with the sender’s identity appearing to be the firm’s IT department asking for the resetting of the password, which is an act of embezzlement.
Get assistance from our PROFESSIONAL ASSIGNMENT WRITERS to receive 100% assured AI-free and high-quality documents on time, ensuring an A+ grade in all subjects.
Baiting attacks the victims’ curiosity or greed using offers of free or attractive gifts. This form of scam usually uses physical devices or online scams whereby once the victim interacts with an associated product the malware is infected into the user’s device. A well-known example of the baiting technique is when a virus-containing USB drive is left in a car parking or restroom. If someone without proper knowledge acquires such a device and plugs it into his or her computer, then the attacker will have an easy time putting in a virus for themselves into the system. Some of the online baiting involves having pop-up advertisements that may contain free music Albums, movies or software. Some of these ads when clicked can cause the download of Malware which pose greater risks to the user’s data and overall system integrity.
Pretexting is a form of social engineering that incorporates the use of deception where the attacker comes up with a pretext in order to elicit sensitive information or to get the individual concerned to take certain action that is in the benefit of the attacker. This type of militancy is highly based on the creation of artificial social credibility. For example, an attacker may pretend that he/she is new in the firm or a technician who requires some information or entry into some sensitive areas in the firm. While making the request believable, the attacker easily capitalises on the nature of human beings to try and assist a fellow human being as a way to gain access to a system. One more example of pretexting is when the attacker wants to get personal data from the employees, and posing as a representative of, for example, a certain service provider, requests the desired information. Thinking of it as a genuine request, the employee will relay sensitive information such as login details or financial details directly to the attacker. It is important for both individuals and organizations to comprehend these social engineering activities to avoid falling prey to them. Thus, carrying out periodic training and informational seminars to prevent the use of such tactics by individuals can enhance protective measures against cyber threats.
These attacks take advantage of flaws that are not yet known, thus putting systems at risk until the firm has a patch for it. Here are five such examples especially highlighting their window, their patching as well as possible contamination:
Window of Vulnerability: Attackers were using four previously unknown flaws in Microsoft Exchange Servers 2010-2019. These vulnerabilities have been undisclosed until March 9, 2021, and the attacks have been conducted without restrictions.
Patching Process: Microsoft released emergency patches on March 2, 2021, urging immediate updates.
Expected Damage: The breach impacted 30,000 organizations in the U.S., allowing attackers to steal emails, install backdoors, and deploy ransomware.
Window of Vulnerability: From 2018 onward, Chinese hackers exploited unpatched vulnerabilities in Sophos firewall products.
Patching Process: Sophos issued security updates, but attackers adapted, requiring ongoing patches.
Expected Damage: The attacks targeted military, government, energy, telecommunications companies and raised the bar of national security threats.
Window of Vulnerability: A mid-2022 flaw in Chrome’s Version 8 engine of the JavaScript was actively exploited before the public disclosure.
Patching Process: Google quickly released the update and modified users to install the latest version.
Expected Damage: Exposed 3.5 billion users to data theft and malware infections.
Window of Vulnerability: Discovered in early 2023, this flaw let attackers downgrade Windows systems to older, vulnerable versions.
Patching Process: Microsoft developed a complex fix to prevent reintroducing previous vulnerabilities.
Expected Damage: Enabled historical exploits, leading to data breaches and malware infections.
Window of Vulnerability: The May 2017 attack used EternalBlue to exploit a Windows SMB protocol flaw.
Patching Process: Microsoft released a patch in March 2017, but many systems remained unpatched.
Expected Damage: A total of more than 230000 computers in more than 150 countries were infected and the losses hit billions. Such cases demonstrate that timely patching, as well as optimal security measures that could be taken before the appearance of a threat, are of great significance.
In cybersecurity, there are various methods that can be used to identify and solve the issue of the weakness on the network commodity. Here are the list of the discussed tool that mentions the explanation and the use of the tool and their purpose:
NetAlly CyberScope Air: The NetAlly CyberScope Air is a widely-used program intended for the analysis of wireless networks’ security. A plausible answer to the problems mentioned above is the possibility of using Wi-Fi bands at 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz frequencies to provide comprehensive analysis of the modern wireless environments. It assesses wireless parameters like PMF, client isolation, and mDNS settings of the wireless network. In this way, it will prevent unauthorized intrusion and attacks through pointing out the misconfigurations and weak points of the wireless network.
Rapid7 InsightVM: InsightVM from Rapid7 is a form of vulnerability management that increasingly provides versatile and highly effective scanning for local networks. The tool is easily deployable into current IT structures to analyze threats in numerous devices with various operating systems. Since InsightVM categorizes them [vulnerabilities] on aspects like exploit and malware score essential for remedy, remediation work is smoother. The conceptual architecture of IntSect proactively contains and monitors the dynamic asset discovery thus making it very suitable for organizations to always have the latest on exposure or vulnerabilities.
Acunetix: Acunetix is a tool for a web vulnerability scanner that is primarily designed for discovering weaknesses in web applications. It searches for generic threats, which include the application of SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS), which are rife in web applications. But Acunetix does not only point out the vulnerability, it also gives more detailed reports and advises on how to fix the problem enabling developers and security specialists to avoid a certain problem. The about fantastic features such as easy accessibility of its operation and the program ability to automate most tasks make it a valuable tool for ensuring the security of web applications.
OpenVAS (Greenbone Vulnerability Manager): OpenVAS also named as Greenbone Vulnerability Manager is an efficient scanning tool for server vulnerabilities. It conducts the examination of the servers and is able to detect risks in all the offered services and configurations. OpenVAS has a well-developed database of vulnerable points, which makes scans more effective and pertinent. It is an open source tool which implies potential adaptability for almost any kinds of security frameworks and programs and can be used for server vulnerability assessments. Utilisation of these tools helps reduce risks in an organisation’s networks hence better security preparedness of the organisation.
References
Social engineering on the other hand is relatively new and quite distinct from technical hacking since it is in actuality a process of exploitation of the human mind. Cyber criminals deceive users into revealing information, downloading or clicking on links that lead to fraud or allowing access to their computers. Unlike other kinds of hacking, where the hacker seeks to exploit a weakness in the armoury of the targeted computer, social engineering is hard to combat and prevent since the approach used involves deceptive techniques that exploit people.
Among the current trends of social engineering attacks there is phishing, pretexting, and baiting, which have been developed significantly. It is a technique used by attackers which sends emails, etc. which looks more like an official company email making a lot of employees fall prey to such scams (Boletsis et al. 2021). Such attacks are also beyond the regular technological protection to compromise the organization by tampering with its data, control financial records, and erode its reputation. And given today’s innovations in artificial intelligence, attackers can fully automate and target such attacks even more, further concealed.
The activity of the staff that has social accounts can pose new risks to the practice. A survey done to the employees will reveal that the majority of them post personal or work details on the social sites and thus may expose the company’s weaknesses that the hackers will target (Roy et al. 2022). For instance, the attacker can access the information available on social networks and target an employee to deceive him/her into releasing money or passing on information to the caller. Also, politics created when employees discuss matters of security protocols in the workplace, makes it easy for the attackers to identify some loopholes to exploit.
Nevertheless, it can be concluded that carrying out several activities through social media platforms has benefits for organizations. It will also build brand awareness, collaborate with customers and market company’s campaigns among employees. A good SE presence goes a long way in identifying potential clients or partners to the organization benefiting the organization. However, this has to go hand in hand with modeling of security to counter cyber criminals who are also now quite sensitive to such transformations.
To mitigate risks while maintaining an online presence, organizations should:
Social engineering is a real type and is still more of a daily nuisance as far as cybersecurity is concerned since it focuses on exploiting people. Hence, while social media can improve the reputation of an organisation, the benefits come with the risk of cyber threats. The third author asserts that the interplay between security and being active on the Web can be best achieved by improving security and disseminating it among employees.
References
Confidentiality of information is a critical aspect in both interpersonal and organizational settings since its violation results in data thefts, intrusion, and other cyberscrprises. Thus, it is crucial for persons to practice security precautions when it comes to managing sensitive information. This paper focuses on the personal responsibilities secures and the measures that can be taken towards securing maximum security on information being shared.
Awareness and Education: It is imperative that everyone have updates about the different threats such as phishing, malware, and social engineering. Systematic awareness training and security awareness programmes enable the workers and concerned persons to understand and prevent risks and use proper communication security procedures.
Adherence to Security Policies: In order to maintain the protection of information flow, organizations design cybersecurity policies. In order to avoid leakage or unauthorized access to certain data, there are several rules that the employees should follow that cover aspects such as data classification rules, access control, and file-sharing protocols.
Using Strong Authentication Methods: One of the most important duties is to ensure that the accounts and communication lines are protected by passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA). Different, complex passwords for various accounts and activation of MFA increase its level of protection as even if usernames and passwords are encrypted, the assailing party will be locked out at the second hurdle.
Secure Communication Practices: Mail transfer should be done through encrypted mail and should also avoid sending over the normal web based mail; instead, individuals should opt for VPN and secure messaging apps (Nsaghurwe et al. 2021). Not to use public-access Wi-Fi while performing the task of sharing some important data is very important because such networks can easily be compromised by hackers.
Device Security and Updates: Another major function in the responsibilities of IT personnel is to ensure that the devices used in employing the strategy are secure. Maintenance of operating system, installation of good antivirus and making use of firewalls also minimizes threats that may lead to exploitation. Further, employees should refrain from the use of personal owned gadgets and devices in conducting organization’s business communications and affairs not unless permitted to do so.
Vigilance Against Social Engineering Attacks: Social engineering is a severe type of cyber risk in which the attacker tries to get individuals to disclose some information. One of the fundamental policies that the employees should follow is not to accept any email orders that come from different sources than usual and ignore any link in the received message that appears to be linked to phishing or fraud.
Implementing Data Encryption: Data encryption as a measure: Encryption is employed to ensure that the data is as secure as possible during storage and especially during transfer from one point to the other (Admass et al. 2024). Through encryption of emails, documents and cloud storage, people can keep strangers from getting to data even if they intercept it.
Conducting Regular Security Audits: Security audits assist in determining areas that are vulnerable to potential threat within exchange of information in an organization. Risk assessment and penetration testing as well as compliance check should be conducted constantly to ensure that the implementation of security measures are on track.
Enforcing Access Controls: Preventing data access when it is not necessary is the follow of principle of least permission since only permitted staff requires data access. Thus, denying inside access is possible through the use of role-based access controls (RBAC) that reduces internal threats.
Developing an Incident Response Plan: It is vital that the organizations put in place policies and procedures for providing an orderly approach on how they are going to respond to a rich of cyber threats. Employee should understand how they are supposed to report security breaches, avoid/act when faced with phishing attempts, and how to address issues of unauthorized access to data.
Ensuring Secure Disposal of Information: It is mandatory that such data either in electronic or hard forms must undergo a proper disposal process. Digital files should be permanently removed using specific software while tangible papers should be shredded so that it can’t be retrieved.
Continuous Monitoring and Updates: Cybersecurity is a dynamic area of specialism and fresh threats arise from time to time. Any business and people involved in it need to adapt to the new threats that appear from time to time and it is necessary to provide changes to policies, software products, and tools.
Conclusion
Confidentiality of information becomes important in various activities and meetings in businesses as well as in our daily lives. Through following organizational security policies, and ciphering the information, or having personal identification for users, and various securing access to information, the threat of information threats may be minimized. Being ahead of this, will not only ensure that the important data is secure, but it will also enhance the general cybersecurity.
References
This is one of the most widespread risks of cyber threat since it deals with Wi-Fi network hacking through encryption cracking. Ethical hackers mimic real-life situations by connecting to fake WiFi networks with this aim of finding out the vulnerabilities of an organization so that necessary measures can be put in place to prevent such mishaps. This paper will give a detailed guide of how an actual ethical hacker goes through the process of auditing a dummy WiFi system with an aim of obtaining a password.
Malware attackers employ the use of Kali Linux as their operating system used for security testing. As for now, only a few built-in tools such as Aircrack-ng and Reaver are available for wireless penetration testing (Asaad, 2021). This is an application that requires capturing of packets and this cannot be possible without having a wireless adapter that supports the monitor mode such as Alfa AWUS036NHA. The testing has to be done on simulated network, Voice is unclear, testing may have to be done at a clearance level that would prevent anyone else but the authorized personnel from gaining access to the system.
The target Wireless network adapter has to be set to monitor mode using the terminal in kali Linux using the following command. This is helpful for the system to be able to capture and analyze the transmitted WiFi packets which is important after identifying the available WLANs and other data required for further exploitation.
After entering the monitor mode, scanning tools detect nearby networks and provide such details as BSSID (MAC address), channel, encryption type, etc. Knowledge about the encryption protocol is crucial while choosing a network to attack and defining the successful approach.
In WPA/WPA2 protected networks, the four-way handshake must be used so as to crack the password. This includes listening for authentication between two or several devices or the router and the devices on the network (Afzal et al. 2024). Another method of performing the packet injection is to send deauthentication packets which makes the devices change their association and therefore request for new handshakes for collection.
After the handshake has been performed, a password cracking is initiated by using a wordlist. While ordinary passwords can be easily guessed and taken over within a matter of minutes often clerking from standard online or other resources, rooms passwords are harder to penetrate even with the use of passwords containing numbers and symbols or words of extremes characters.
If the correct password is obtained, a hacker is capable of having access to the network and non-protected files or pieces of equipment. This shows why one needs to ensure that his or her connection is secure and encrypted to avoid being hacked into.
To enhance the security of WiFi networks, users should apply to WPA3 encryption, WPS turned off, MAC filtration, and update routers’ firmware. The use of strong passwords reduces the cases of brute force attack and vulnerability. This paper aims at showing how WiFi penetration testing is done on a dummy network to establish the weaknesses that exist. Ethical hacking lets the organizations get acquainted with real dangers, so the necessary means to protect against them can be provided. It is prohibited to hack WiFi and this must only be done to crack and learn this unlawful activity.
References
Introduction to Starting a Business and Fundamentals of Marketing Assignment Be Healthy – Contemporary Therapies is a new...View and Download
1. Examples of fundamental tax principles and UK tax policies Achieve more with less effort through Rapid Assignment...View and Download
Introduction to People Management Assignment People management is procedure of developing, leading and hiring team members to...View and Download
Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods For Social Scientists Assignment Quantitative research is a methodological approach...View and Download
Introduction Breastfeeding is regarded as a widely recognised element in the context of public health. It offers significant...View and Download
Introduction: Enhancing Public Health and Managing Social Determinants Improving the health of the population is very essential...View and Download
Copyright 2025 @ Rapid Assignment Help Services
 (1).jpg)
