Untargeted cyber attacks – the most likely scenario for your company

There are countless ways to execute cyber attacks. We distinguish between those being carried out to harm a specific institution or person (targeted attack) and those which don't target a specific victim but a specific setup (untargeted attack). 

Targeted attacks are more prominent, as they are often featured on the news. Cybercriminals thereby have a specific target, mostly governments or large corporations they intend to harm. Common examples often seen in targeted attack scenarios are DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks and spear-phishing.

Cybercriminals who launch untargeted attacks on the other hand have the same motive, but do not aim at a specific group or person. This form of threat is more prevalent and usually encountered in the form of viruses, malware and worms, such as e.g. phishing attacks and ransomware, typically sent by using the internet. As untargeted attacks are more widespread, they are a much more likely attack scenario and therefore higher risk to your company. Phishing attacks make out 55% of all cyber attacks combined and have increased by 70%, whereas ransomware attacks have reportedly increased by 90% from 2016 to 2017.

To protect your company against cyber attacks, you must maintain a strong cybersecurity network and have a constant monitoring to allow an appropriate and swift incident response. Click here to learn more about how 22kN can provide you with cyber security solutions and strategies.