1. Common Network Threats
Malware
Software designed to cause damage. Includes Viruses, Worms, Trojans, and Ransomware.
Phishing
Social engineering where attackers pose as a legitimate organization to steal sensitive data via email/SMS.
Brute Force
A trial-and-error method used to guess passwords. Attackers use automated software to try millions of combinations.
DoS / DDoS
Flooding a server with useless traffic to make it crash or become unavailable to legitimate users.
The "Human Link"
Even the strongest firewall cannot protect against human error. Why are people a vulnerability?
Social Engineering
Manipulating people into giving up confidential information (e.g., Shoulder Surfing).
Weak Passwords
Using "123456" or birthdays makes brute force attacks significantly easier.
Lack of Training
Employees clicking on suspicious links or plugging in unknown USB drives.
Activity 1: Identify the Attack
Read the scenarios and identify which cyber threat is occurring.
Case 1: "I received an email from 'PayPa1' saying my account is locked and I need to login to verify my identity via a link."
Case 2: "Our company website has gone offline because it is receiving 5 million requests per second from thousands of different computers."
Case 3: "A hacker has entered ' OR 1=1 -- into our website login box and has managed to bypass the password check."
Activity 2: Defense Mechanisms
Match the prevention technique to the threat it stops.
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