Types of cyber threats in Cybersecurity - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a phishing attack?

Phishing is a cyber threat where attackers send fake emails or messages pretending to be trustworthy to trick people into giving personal information like passwords or credit card numbers.

beginner

Define malware.

Malware is harmful software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to a computer system. Examples include viruses, worms, and ransomware.

beginner

What is a Denial of Service (DoS) attack?

A DoS attack floods a website or online service with too much traffic, making it slow or unavailable to real users.

beginner

Explain what ransomware does.

Ransomware is a type of malware that locks or encrypts a victim's files and demands payment to unlock them.

beginner

What is social engineering in cybersecurity?

Social engineering tricks people into giving away confidential information by pretending to be someone trustworthy.

Which of the following is an example of malware?

A Password

B Firewall

C Encryption

D Virus

A virus is a type of malware designed to harm or disrupt computers.

What does a phishing attack try to steal?

A Internet speed

B Electricity

C Personal information

D Hardware

Phishing attacks trick people into giving personal information like passwords or credit card numbers.

What is the main goal of a Denial of Service (DoS) attack?

A To make a service unavailable

B To steal money

C To install antivirus

D To speed up a website

DoS attacks overload a service to make it unavailable to users.

Ransomware usually demands what from victims?

A Free software

B Payment to unlock files

C More storage space

D Faster internet

Ransomware locks files and asks for payment to unlock them.

Social engineering attacks rely mainly on:

A Tricking people

B Using strong passwords

C Installing software

D Upgrading hardware

Social engineering tricks people into revealing confidential information.

Describe at least three common types of cyber threats and how they affect users.

Think about threats that steal information, damage computers, or block access.

Explain how social engineering can be used by attackers to compromise security.

Focus on how attackers use human trust rather than technical hacking.

Practice

1. Which of the following is a type of cyber threat that tricks users into revealing personal information by pretending to be a trustworthy entity?

easy

A. Phishing

B. Firewall

C. Encryption

D. Backup

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the definition of phishing

   Phishing is a cyber threat where attackers send fake messages to trick people into giving sensitive data.

2. Step 2: Compare other options

   Firewall protects networks, encryption secures data, and backup saves copies; none trick users.

3. Final Answer:

   Phishing -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Tricking users for info = Phishing [OK]

Hint: Phishing always involves fake messages to steal info [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing phishing with firewall
• Thinking encryption tricks users
• Mixing backup with threats

2. Which of the following correctly describes a Denial of Service (DoS) attack?

easy

A. Installing software to spy on users

B. Stealing passwords from a user

C. Encrypting files for ransom

D. Overloading a system to make it unavailable

Solution

1. Step 1: Define Denial of Service (DoS) attack

   A DoS attack floods a system with traffic to stop it from working properly.

2. Step 2: Eliminate other options

   Stealing passwords is not DoS, encrypting files is ransomware, spying is spyware.

3. Final Answer:

   Overloading a system to make it unavailable -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   DoS = system overload to block access [OK]

Hint: DoS means making a service stop by flooding it [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mixing DoS with password theft
• Confusing ransomware with DoS
• Thinking spyware is DoS

3. What type of cyber threat is demonstrated by this scenario?

"A user receives an email with a link that, when clicked, installs software that records keystrokes."

medium

A. Ransomware

B. Phishing

C. Spyware

D. DoS attack

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the threat from the scenario

   The software records keystrokes secretly, which is typical of spyware.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other threats

   Phishing tricks for info, ransomware locks files, DoS overloads systems; none record keystrokes.

3. Final Answer:

   Spyware -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Software spying on keys = Spyware [OK]

Hint: Keylogger software = Spyware spying on user actions [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing phishing with spyware
• Thinking ransomware records keys
• Mixing DoS with spyware

4. A user reports their computer is slow and strange pop-ups appear. Which of these is the most likely cause?

Options:
A) Firewall misconfiguration
B) Spyware infection
C) Strong password use
D) Regular software updates

medium

A. Firewall misconfiguration

B. Spyware infection

C. Strong password use

D. Regular software updates

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze symptoms of slowness and pop-ups

   Spyware often causes slow performance and unwanted pop-ups by running secretly.

2. Step 2: Rule out other options

   Firewall issues don't cause pop-ups, strong passwords and updates improve security, not cause problems.

3. Final Answer:

   Spyware infection -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Slow PC + pop-ups = Spyware [OK]

Hint: Pop-ups and slow PC usually mean spyware [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming firewall for pop-ups
• Thinking strong passwords cause issues
• Confusing updates with threats

5. A company wants to protect its data from being locked and held for ransom by attackers. Which cyber threat should they focus on preventing?

hard

A. Ransomware

B. Phishing

C. Spyware

D. DoS attack

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand ransomware's effect

   Ransomware encrypts data and demands payment to unlock it, threatening data access.

2. Step 2: Compare with other threats

   Phishing steals info, spyware spies, DoS disrupts service but doesn't lock data.

3. Final Answer:

   Ransomware -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Data locked for ransom = Ransomware [OK]

Hint: Ransomware locks files and demands payment [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing phishing with ransomware
• Thinking spyware locks data
• Mixing DoS with ransomware