The cyber world is enveloping itself very quickly, and frankly, we all can feel that in our environments. In 2022, we all used search engines to find information; now, we use a chat form to find our pieces of information. As the cyber world is rising, so are the threats to its security.

Each day, in the news, we watch and read about security breaches. The number of cyber attacks is increasing. Attackers are using new and creative methods to attack IT structures.

Cybersecurity threats are among the most complex and creative threats in the world. Politics, economics, national, and business sectors all face cybersecurity threats. It (cyber security threats) has its trend as other fields.

What are the Security threats?

Any event or situation that poses a risk to the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of computer systems, networks, and data is called a Cyber Security threat like data breaches, ransomware, malware attacks, etc. Cyber threats are continually evolving, and new tactics and techniques are constantly being developed by malicious actors. Organizations must remain vigilant, employ security best practices, and regularly update their systems to mitigate the risk of cyber threats. 

Cybersecurity Threats to IT Infrastructure

Attackers attack IT infrastructure for profits. There are several reasons to face a cyber security threat. Such as:

• Vulnerable System: Cyber threats can exploit vulnerabilities in software applications, operating systems, or network protocols. These vulnerabilities may be known or unknown to the organization or software vendor. Attackers exploit vulnerabilities to breach IT structures.

• Supply Chain Attacks: Attackers can exploit security vulnerabilities within the supply chain, where attackers compromise software or hardware components during manufacturing, distribution, or installation. This enables them to gain unauthorized access or control over targeted systems. In easy words, supply chain attacks are made at the time of manufacturing. They installed rootkits inside the system while it was under manufacturing. When the operators bring the system to live, attackers exploit the rootkit.

• Social Engineering: Ninety percent (90%) of the causes of cyber attacks are human error. Attackers can be very creative; they use this creativity to exploit human error, and that’s called social engineering. They make employees open untrusted applications in their system, which turns into a cyber threat to the whole organization.

• Insider Threat: Insider threat means if one of the employees or workers of that organization got infected by attackers. Then attackers can use their accounts or access the system to infect the system.

These are just a few samples of threats. There are more complex and creative approaches followed by attackers. Organizations always need to be aware of their IT structure’s security.

Top Cyber Security Threats of 2023: 

As IT structures keep enveloping themselves, cyber security threats also keep enveloping. Here is the list of top cyber security threats of 2023 (the rank is taken from the University Of Sandiego) : 

1. Vulnerability in the Cloud: The cloud system has become very popular among IT structures due to its many advantages. But according to NSA (National Security Agency), four types of vulnerabilities are affecting cloud systems a lot —  security misconfiguration, Broken access control, shared tenancy, and supply chain vulnerabilities. 

2. Data Breaches: Data Breach is one of the old cyber threat factors. But it isn’t going away too soon. Top companies like Yahoo!, Meta, and Linkedin has faced data breach. Here is some top companies’ data breach story. The data breach does affect IT structure and users. The US has faced it the most(with 212.4 million people). 

3. Risky Hybrid or Remote Work Environments: Since the pandemic, remote work has been at its peak. There are several prevalent security risks associated with remote work, including the utilization of insecure Wi-Fi networks to access sensitive data like accessing office accounts, the adoption of personal devices for work-related tasks, the employment of weak passwords, and the engagement in unsecured file-sharing practices with colleagues.

4. Mobile Attacks: Remember about the Pegasus spyware. Where ever a person goes, he/she carries a smartphone with him/herself. Smartphones are often essential for business, which makes them even more vulnerable to cyber threats. It’s quite easier to hack a person if his/hers phone gets compromised.

5. Phishing Gets More Sophisticated: As cyber criminals are one of the most creative criminals in the world, they always find a way for them to fool you into their traps. Phishing attacks are being delivered more creatively. 

6. Ransomware Strategies Evolve: In 2017, the WannaCry attack shook the whole world. It made a billion-dollar loss for the cyber world. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are credited with helping to fuel ransomware attacks by allowing ransom demands to be paid anonymously.

7. Cryptojacking: Cybercriminals turn other people’s computers into a bot to mine cryptos. This kind of compromised computer is called a zombie computer. Because to mine cryptocurrencies, it take an immense amount of computer power. 

8. Cyber-Physical Attacks: Israel’s cyber attack on Iran’s nuclear plant is a cyber-physical attack. Even America’s multibillion dollars military system is at risk due to cyber-physical attacks. Hackers targeting electrical grids, transportation systems, water treatment facilities, etc., represent a major vulnerability going forward.

9. State-Sponsored Attacks: Have you ever heard about pro-Russian hackers, sandworms, and Lazarus Group they all are state-sponsored hackers. They get paid by the state to spy or make money for state-based operations. State-backed cyber assaults are an emerging and notable hazard to private corporations, posing a growing threat to business sectors.

10. IoT Attacks: Virtual Reality projects, routers, webcams, drones, and Smart TVs all are variations of IoT. Security vulnerabilities in IoT devices can lead to a great security impact for organizations. According to Statista, the number of IoT devices is to reach 75 billion.

In conclusion, to save the world from cyber threats, we need to increase the number of good-quality security researchers. The index of cyber threats is evidence that we are in shortage of quality researchers, that’s why cyber threats are increasing each time.