Fundamentals of Information Systems Security, 4th Edition

Anatomy of an Attack

Understanding the objective of malicious code attacks, as well as what the attackers are targeting, is important to understanding threats and developing practical and effective countermeasures. In this section, you will learn how to identify key targets of malware attacks and describe the key characteristics and hostile objectives of each type of attack. This section covers the following:

• What motivates attackers

• The purpose(s) of an attack

• Types of attacks

• Phases of an attack

What Motivates Attackers?

Contrary to popular belief, today’s attackers are not simply social outcasts just wanting a thrill and writing malware from their parents’ basement. They are far more sophisticated and carry out attacks for one or more ...