What is Identity Theft and Types of Identity Theft

Categories: AttackIdentity Theft

Phishing Attack: We’ve all received a sketchy email. Usually, the person sending the email is pretending to be someone you can trust such as your bank or your insurance company, in an attempt to get your username, password, credit card information, etc. This is known as a phishing attack. Phishing is an attempt to mislead someone into giving away sensitive information. In a phishing attack, an email, message, or another form of communication is used to create a facade that the sender is trustworthy, such as the CEO of your banking company or simply your insurance agent.

With this mask on, the sender can trick some people into giving them very valuable information. This could be the password to an online banking account or a credit or debit card number. Sometimes these attacks will attempt to take control of your email or messaging account, to use your identity to trick your contacts into falling for the scheme as well. Essentially, phishing attacks are very simple attempts at tricking users into giving up sensitive information.

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DOS Attack: A DOS attack or denial-of-service attack is an attempt to disrupt a computer or network connection to the internet.

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This is done by overloading the target with fake requests to clog their actual requests from completing successfully. This can either slow down their connection or stop it altogether. In a DOS attack, one computer sends many fake requests to the target through the internet. In a DDOS attack, distributed denial-of-service, many computers send requests at the same time to more easily and effectively flood the target and disrupt the target’s connection to the internet. DDOS attacks are often accomplished using a botnet. A botnet is a group of devices connected to the internet that is controlled by the attacker. The attacker can use this group of computers to perform DDOS attacks and shut down networks. Botnets are often created by spreading malware onto many computers. These computers could belong to anybody and can contribute to DDOS attacks without the owner of the computer even knowing. DOS and DDOS attacks are very dangerous attacks that can shutdown shut downconnecteddown connectedshutdown shut down a computer or network connected to the internet. Stronger DDOS attacks can even shut down high-profile websites.

Ransomware Attack: A modern hostage scenario might not involve a person, but a computer. A ransomware attack essentially allows an attacker to hold your computer captive in exchange for money. This is done by installing malware on the target computer that allows the attacker to encrypt the information on the device, denying access to this information unless you have the password or key to decrypt your information. Essentially, a ransomware attack will take all the information on the computer and block access to it. It will then display a screen asking the target to give the attacker a specified amount of money within a certain amount of time, or the data on the computer will be deleted. These monetary transactions are usually done through some cryptocurrency so they can’t be traced. Once they paid up, they were given the key to decrypt their data and use their device again. This wasn’t guaranteed as the attackers were not always trustworthy. Ransomware could have devastating effects if it infects the right computer. Malware can spread through a network, so places with large computer networks such as schools and hospitals are especially at risk. If ransomware spreads to an entire network holding important information, they may have to pay a hefty ransom to get that information back. This has happened before. effectively Hancock Health hospital in Greenfield, Indiana was subject to a ransomware attack. They had to pay $55,000 to get their information back. This payment was done through BitCoin and thankfully they received the decryption keys and were able to get all their sensitive information back.

Identity Theft Attack: Identity theft is when a criminal poses as somebody else to get access to their money, commit crimes, or use their identity to benefit some other way. This is done by stealing or obtaining sensitive information that allows the attacker to convincingly pose as the target to profit. There are many ways to benefit from identity theft. Attackers can use their bank information to directly steal money or similarly use their information to sign up and use credit cards. They can use their identity to apply for loans and never pay them off, they can commit crimes that benefit them and not face repercussions. There is a surplus of ways that criminals can use their identity to profit. How do they get this information? More often than not, it’s through the use of malware. A piece of malware can scan the target’s device for sensitive information such as bank account information, passwords, your full name, or even your Social Security Number. With any or all of this information, major damage can be done to the target while the attacker reaps the benefits. Identity theft can ruin lives. If an attacker is ruthless they can put the target in serious debt or legitimate criminal trouble. It is very difficult to work these things out and will at the very least cost the target a lot of stress and time.

Bibliography

  1. “Botnet.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet.
  2. “Denial-of-Service Attack.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial-of-service_attack.
  3. “Identity Theft.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_theft.
  4. Osborne, Charlie. “US Hospital Pays $55,000 to Hackers after Ransomware Attack.” ZDNet, ZDNet, 17 Jan. 2018, www.zdnet.com/article/us-hospital-pays-55000-to-ransomware-operators/.
  5. “Phishing.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing.
  6. Rankin, Bert. “The Persistent Threat of Account and Identity Theft Malware.” LastlineLastly, 20 Mar. 2018, www.lastline.com/blog/account-and-identity-theft-malware/.
  7. “Ransomware.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransomware.
Updated: Aug 22, 2022
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What is Identity Theft and Types of Identity Theft. (2022, Aug 22). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/what-is-identity-theft-and-types-of-identity-theft-essay

What is Identity Theft and Types of Identity Theft essay
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