List of cyber attack threat trends

Screenshot of the eik.ee website under the first massive cyber-attacks between two states in the history.

A list of cyber attack threat trends is presented in alphabetical order. These methods were used between the 1990s and 2008.^[1]

• Analysis of vulnerabilities in compiled software without source code
• Anti-forensic techniques
• Automated probes and scans
• Automated widespread attacks
• Cyber-threats & bullying (not illegal in all jurisdictions)
• Distributed attack tools
• Email propagation of malicious code
• Executable code attacks (against browsers)
• GUI intrusion tools
• Industrial espionage
• Internet social engineering attacks
• Network sniffers
• Packet spoofing
• Session-hijacking
• Sophisticated botnet command and control attacks
• "Stealth" and other advanced scanning techniques
• Targeting of specific users
• Widespread attacks on DNS infrastructure
• Widespread attacks using NNTP to distribute attack
• Wide-scale trojan distribution
• Wide-scale use of worms
• Widespread, distributed denial-of-service attacks
• Windows-based remote access trojans (Back Orifice)

Citations and notes

References

• Lord, William T., Major General, USAF, USAF Cyberspace Command: To Fly and Fight in Cyberspace, Strategic Studies Quarterly, Fall 2008