Attack Vector

A cyber attack vector is a method of gaining unauthorized access to a private IT network. Cybercriminals exploit attack vectors to launch cyberattacks and inject malicious payloads.

Attack vectors can be digital, such as a software vulnerability, or analog, such as an employee that can be influenced to divulge private access credentials.

Third-party vendors are critical attack vectors since they have access to the private data of each business they’ve partnered with. Because of this, when a vendor is compromised, all of its clients often become compromised too.

This type of cyberattack is known as a supply chain attack and because of its efficiency, it’s quickly becoming the favourite choice amongst cybercriminals.

17 Most Common Attack Vectors

The 17 most common attack vectors are:

1. Compromised Credentials
2. Weak Credentials
3. Uneducated Employees
4. Insider Threats
5. Poor Encryption
6. Unpatched Software
7. Security Vulnerabilities 
8. Third-party Vendors
9. Phishing Attacks
10. Ransomware
11. Brute Force Attacks
12. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks
13. SQL Injections
14. Trojans
15. Session Hijacking
16. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
17. Man-in-the-Middle Attacks