Are cyber attacks still being conducted the same way in 2025? Top 8 cyber attack methods explained

New year, new threats? Hackers have not slowed down their efforts year over year, in 2024 the average cost of a data breach rose to 9.36 million US dollars. Of course this is taking into account the massive breaches that occurred last year with one attack costing the company that was targeted $500 million dollars.

Still, even for smaller businesses the average cost is usually somewhere between $120,000 to $150,000 – no small sum. Year over year though, the types of attacks haven’t changed even if they’ve become more effective in scale. These top 8 attack methods remain the same (with the first one leading in effectiveness by a landside):

1. Phishing: Phishing remains the top attack vector in 2024, with 90% of attacks still starting with a phishing email. Our advice on how to spot a phishing email has also stayed the same.
2. Ransomware comes in second and is preceded by a phishing email 40% of the time. In 2024 the largest single ransomware payment of all time was made to the “Dark Angels” ransomware group to the sum of $75 million.
3. Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks are not a new player to the game, but they are part of an overall strategy we’ve seen by attackers to weaponize operational technologies to cripple businesses – either for a payout or just to send a message.
4. Man-in-the-middle attacks involving intercepting private conversations or data between one or two parties, a good example of this is an attacker setting up a fake Wi-Fi connection or intercepting unencrypted HTTP connections to gain user login information to a website.
5. SQL Injection attacks are a difficult one for consumers to guard against as they’re conducted on the backend of a businesses website or database and involve “injecting” malicious code. If you’re a business owner, it’s crucial to work with competent developers when creating consumer facing websites (especially if you’re collecting sensitive data through them).
6. Cross-Site Scripting Attacks are again difficult to guard against, these attacks are also extremely inconspicuous as the attacker in effect sets up a honey pot on the victim’s server or website and waits for it to collect data from the site’s users. Again, it’s crucial to work with a competent developer and IT provider when to protecting your data both internally and from being externally exploited.
7. DNS Spoofing involves redirecting users from the site they were intending to visit to an unknown site where their data can be collected (usually login information for the site they intended to navigate to). One trick for telling if the page you’re on is secure is to look for the little lock symbol in your navigation bar, this is a sign the page you’re on is using a secure connection.
8. Zero Day Exploits are the most difficult to protect against as they are attacks that are literally exploited the same day they’re discovered. Hackers are constantly looking for new ways to access your systems, and even if you’re a small business you’re never too small to be of use to them (even if it means leapfrogging past you to exploit your customers).

There is never a better time than the start of the year to evaluate your technology systems for improvements, at Valley Techlogic we can provide you with a comprehensive report on our recommendations for your business as well as a tailored plan to bring your business up to date in 2025. Schedule a consultation today.

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This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on X at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.