Threats & Vulnerabilities: Page

What is a SYN flood DoS attack?

A SYN flood attack is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack on a computer server. This exploit is also known as a 'half-open attack.'

By Scott Robinson , Ben Lutkevich • June 23, 2025

What is a cyberattack? 16 common types and how to prevent them

To stop cybercrime, companies must understand how they're being attacked. Here are the most damaging types of cyberattacks, how to prevent them and their effect on daily business.

By Michael Cobb • June 23, 2025

News brief: LOTL attacks, spoofed sites, malicious repositories

Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team.

By Staff report • June 20, 2025

What is market concentration?

Market concentration refers to how a market is distributed among competing companies.

By Katie Terrell Hanna, Ivy Wigmore • June 17, 2025

Hydra password-cracking tool: How to download and use it for good

Ethical hackers, need help brute forcing passwords? Learn how to download and use the open source Hydra password-cracking tool with this step-by-step tutorial and companion video.

By Ed Moyle • June 16, 2025

What is an asymmetric cyberattack?

An asymmetric cyberattack refers to cyberwarfare that inflicts a proportionally large amount of damage compared to the resources used by targeting the victim's most vulnerable security measure.

By Rahul Awati • June 11, 2025

What is ransomware as a service (RaaS)?

Ransomware as a service (RaaS) is a subscription-based business model that enables threat actors, also called affiliates, to launch ransomware attacks by accessing and using predeveloped ransomware tools.

By Kinza Yasar, Alexander Gillis, Sean Kerner • June 11, 2025

Enumeration attacks: What they are and how to prevent them

User and network enumeration attacks help adversaries plan strong attack campaigns. Prevent them with MFA, rate limiting, CAPTCHA, secure code and more.

By Ravi Das • June 10, 2025

12 common types of malware attacks and how to prevent them

More than one billion active malware programs exist worldwide. Is your organization prepared to prevent these 12 types of malware attacks?

By Sharon Shea • June 10, 2025

What is cyber extortion?

Cyber extortion is a crime involving an attack or threat of an attack, coupled with a demand for money or some other response, in return for stopping an attack or preventing one from happening.

By Alexander Gillis, Kinza Yasar • June 6, 2025

What is the WannaCry ransomware attack?

WannaCry ransomware is a cyberattack that spread by exploiting vulnerabilities in earlier and unpatched versions of the Windows operating system (OS).

By Alexander Gillis, Linda Rosencrance • June 5, 2025

What is triple extortion ransomware?

Triple extortion ransomware is a type of ransomware attack in which a cybercriminal extorts their victim multiple times -- namely by encrypting data, exposing exfiltrated data and then threatening an additional third attack vector.

By Alexander Gillis, Sean Kerner • May 30, 2025

News brief: Week’s top breaches stem from third-party attacks

Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team.

By Staff report • May 30, 2025

An explanation of ransomware

Ransomware locks an organization out of its data or digital services until it pays up. To minimize attacks, businesses can enhance security, train employees and back up data.

By TechTarget Contributor, Tommy Everson • May 30, 2025

What is double extortion ransomware? How to defend your organization

Double extortion ransomware is a type of cyberattack that encrypts a victim's data, like in a traditional ransomware attack, while also adding a second attack vector of stealing that data.

By Alexander Gillis, Sean Kerner • May 28, 2025

PowerSchool data breach: Explaining how it happened

Hackers are going to school (literally) as the education sector has become an increasingly attractive target for cybercriminals.

By Sean Kerner • May 21, 2025

News brief: Patch critical SAP, Samsung and chat app flaws now

Check out the latest security news from the Informa TechTarget team.

By Staff report • May 16, 2025

9 IoT training certifications to take your next career step

IoT training certifications offering skills in IoT development, networking and security can give tech experts an advantage, especially when IoT skills are in high demand.

By Mary Shacklett , Andy Patrizio • May 13, 2025

An explanation of cyberattacks and their different forms

Cyberattacks are malicious attempts to breach computer systems. Types include phishing, ransomware and SQL injection. Prevention requires training, monitoring and encryption.

By Tommy Everson • May 9, 2025

What are the top 10 spyware threats?

The top 10 spyware list describes the most common spyware threats behind famous spyware attacks and is frequently identified by leading antispyware tools from vendors like Webroot, Norton and Malwarebytes.

By Katie Terrell Hanna, Andrew Zola • May 8, 2025

What is segregation of duties (SoD)?

Segregation of duties (SoD) is an internal control mechanism designed to prevent errors and fraud by ensuring at least two individuals are responsible for the separate parts of any task.

By Rahul Awati, Katie Terrell Hanna • May 6, 2025

What is emergent medical data?

Emergent medical data (EMD) is health information gathered about an individual from seemingly unrelated online user behavior data.

By Kate Brush, Alexander Gillis • May 5, 2025

An explanation of pen testing

Pen testing uses six steps to test systems for vulnerabilities so organizations can remediate any problems and strengthen their cybersecurity against potential attacks.

By Sabrina Polin, Tommy Everson • May 2, 2025

15 of the biggest ransomware attacks in history

From attacks on private organizations and manufacturers to healthcare organizations and even entire countries, ransomware has done extensive damage in recent years.

By Mary Pratt • May 2, 2025

4 lessons in the new era of AI-enabled cybercrime

Cyberattacks have evolved rapidly as GenAI use has become more widespread. An RSAC Conference 2025 panel shared what they've learned over the past two years.

By Sharon Shea • May 1, 2025