Threats and Risks
What this domain covers
Learn to recognise the main categories of attack and the social engineering behind them.
Malware is an umbrella term: viruses attach to files and need user action; worms self-replicate across networks; trojans disguise themselves as legitimate software; ransomware encrypts data and demands payment; spyware covertly collects information; keyloggers record keystrokes.
Phishing is deceptive messaging that pushes you to reveal credentials or click a link. Variants: spear phishing (targeted at a specific person), whaling (aimed at senior executives), smishing (SMS), vishing (voice call), and pharming (redirecting traffic to a fake site). Social engineering exploits human trust - pretexting, baiting, tailgating into a building, shoulder surfing.
Other risks: man-in-the-middle interception, denial of service overwhelming a service, brute force and credential stuffing against logins, and zero-day exploitation of an unknown flaw.
Traps in questions
- Confusing a worm with a virus: worms spread without user action.
- Assuming a padlock icon or HTTPS proves a site is trustworthy - it only shows a secure connection.
- Treating an email from a known contact as safe; accounts get compromised.
- Mixing up phishing (email) with smishing (SMS) and vishing (voice).
Worked example
An email from "IT Support" urges you to reset your password via a link within 24 hours. Urgency, a link, and a credential request are three red flags. The correct response: do not click; navigate to the service directly and verify through a known channel.