# Explaining Common Threats & Protecting Humans from Attacks > Markdown source of . ## Viruses, Trojans, & Other Malware ### Malware: Malicious Software - Viruses - Trojans - Worms - Rootkits - Spyware - Adware - PUP ### Viruses - Computer Program that copies itself - Spreads from one file to another - Can spread from computer to computer - Executable code that attaches itself to another executable program - .exe - MS Office - Corrupts files and the OS ### Spyware - Could be through a keylogger - Spies on victim - Can find other sensitive information ### Trojan - Designed to do a specific task - Can give attacker backdoor access to the victim’s machine - Can control multiple machines to use as an attack - DDoS - Ransomware: victim has to pay a ransom in order to access their files ### RootKits - Designed to go undetected - Can be installed in the computer’s kernal - Can control the entire computer ### Worms - Replicate themselves - Not attached to a program - Attack a vulnerability of the target system ### Adware - Generates revenue - Displays ads - Pay-per-click ## DoS Attacks & Man-in-the-middle Attacks ### Denial of Service - Degrades a system to prevent legitimate users access - Too much traffic for the system to process ### Distributed DoS - Multiple machines doing a DoS to one server ### Man-in-the-middle - Intercept client initial request to server - Sends a copy to original server - Server replies to Mitm - Mitm replies to client with copy - Can see contents of traffic intercepted by client to server communication - Client & server believe they’re talking correctly ## Social Engineering & Phishing Attacks ### Social Engineering - Perceived trust between attacker and another party - Could impersonate the victim in order to obtain sensitive information - Convincing victim they are a trusted authority - All future correspondence from them is legitimate - Emails could contain malicious links - Could provide the user with misinformation ### Phishing - Social engineering attack that uses electronic communications **Types:** - Bulk Phishing - Not a specific target (Generic) - Spear Phishing - Specific target (a lot of research) - Whaling - Spear phishing targeting high profile targets - Clone Phishing - Attacker clones logos of legitimate services **Methods:** - Link manipulation - Realistic websites - www.titlecompany.updated-wiretransfer.com - Take the victim to the attackers website - Website forgery - JavaScript to make the address bar look legitimate ## Endpoints Stopping Phishing ### Train the Userbase - Verify domain - Ask if email makes sense - Check the data - Call to verify - Flag the email as spam - Call right away if attempt was successful ### Computers Blocking Phishing Attempts - Phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated - Cisco Advanced Phishing Protection - Analyzes emails - Takes configured action with malicious emails - Can be sent to Cisco’s security experts for further analysis ## Attacks Against Cloud Services Dos & DDoS can still happen in cloud environments ### Security Non-Profits - CSA - OWASP ### Data Breach - Confidential info is stolen - Attacker targets less secure systems: - Human error - Application vulnerabilities - Poor security practices ### Insecure APIs - Allow for authorized data to be shared automatically - Embedding API with a threat - Stolen API keys - API has more access than it should ### API Security Gateways - Allow for single point of connection for API - Security features are built into API Security Gateways - Not built into normal API Gateways ### Account Management - Promptly remove accounts and change passwords - Use MFA