Instances of data breach incidents are on the rise as many organisations are unwittingly committing similar errors that have caused some of the most significant data breaches in history. Data breaches can have severe consequences for organisations, including loss of revenue, reputational damage, and legal penalties. Understanding the causes of data breaches is crucial in preventing them from occurring. Preventing such causes of data breaches requires a comprehensive understanding of the anatomy of a data breach event. Typically, cyberattack those results in a breach follow a five-phase pathway. Comprehending each phase of this pathway is crucial to prevent such incidents effectively.

Phishing Attack

A victim is targeted with an email that appears to be a critical message from a trustworthy source. These emails house malicious links to counterfeit web pages created to gather network credentials.

Account Compromise

Once targeted by a phishing attack, the victim executes the anticipated action, which might entail following a link to a website designed to pilfer network credentials or downloading a malicious file attachment. By doing so, cybercriminals are granted access to the victim’s computer remotely and leading to the compromise of the victim’s account. Ultimately, this access allows the attacker entry into the organisation’s network.

Lateral Movement

Upon infiltrating the network, hackers explore its layout by moving laterally. In some cases, they may remain inactive for several months, carefully monitoring internal operations and acquiring knowledge about user behaviour. Once sufficiently informed, the hackers utilise the previously obtained credentials to access deeper network regions. At this stage, the hackers also seek to obtain privileged credentials, which would provide them with unfettered access to sensitive data resources.

Privilege Escalation

Once cybercriminals locate and breach privileged credentials, they acquire deeper access to critical network areas only accessible through privileged accounts.

Data Exfiltration

Subsequently, upon identifying valuable data resources, cybercriminals execute a plan to establish backdoor connections to their servers using trojan malware. These servers, often called command and control servers, enable cybercriminals to transfer highly-sensitive data from the victim’s network surreptitiously.

Keep Your Data Secure with Green Method

Being a prominent cyber security firm in UAE, Green Method specialises in helping organisations safeguard their valuable data against potential breaches. By leveraging the latest technologies and methodologies, the company helps clients identify vulnerabilities, assess risks, and implement adequate security measures to protect against cyber-attacks.