15 Common Types of Cyber Attacks and How Businesses Can Prevent Them

Modern cyber attacks rarely rely on a single technique. An attacker may exploit an unpatched internet-facing system, steal employee credentials, compromise Microsoft 365, move further into the environment, and eventually steal data, commit fraud, or deploy ransomware.

Understanding the most common types of cyber attacks helps businesses recognize how these techniques connect and where security controls matter most.

Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), which is based primarily on 2025 incident data, found that vulnerability exploitation accounted for 31% of breaches in its dataset, overtaking stolen credentials as the leading breach entry point for the first time in the report’s history.

For organizations in Saudi Arabia, cybersecurity is also closely connected to governance, resilience, third-party risk, cloud adoption, and regulatory requirements. The National Cybersecurity Authority’s Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC 2-2024) remain a key part of Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity framework.

This guide explains 15 common cyber attack types, how they affect businesses, the warning signs to watch for, and practical ways organizations can reduce risk.

What Is a Cyber Attack?

A cyber attack is malicious activity intended to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of systems or information. It may involve unauthorized access, data theft, manipulation, disruption, denial of service, destruction, or malicious control of computing resources.

This broader definition matters because not every attack requires an attacker to log in or gain traditional “access.” A DDoS attack, for example, may simply attempt to make a service unavailable. NIST definitions similarly include attempts to disrupt, deny, degrade, destroy, steal, or compromise information-system resources.

For businesses, the target might be:

• Microsoft 365
• Employee accounts
• Laptops and workstations
• Servers
• Firewalls and VPNs
• Websites and web applications
• Cloud platforms
• ERP or CRM systems
• Customer databases
• Financial systems

Some attacks rely on sophisticated technical techniques. Others succeed because an employee is persuaded to enter a password, approve an unexpected MFA prompt, open a malicious file, or authorize a fraudulent payment.

Cyber Threat vs Cyber Attack

A cyber threat is a circumstance, actor, event, or condition with the potential to cause harm.

A cyber attack is malicious activity carried out in an attempt to compromise, disrupt, manipulate, or damage systems or information.

For example, an exposed vulnerable server or a criminal group targeting your organization represents a threat. When the attacker sends a phishing email, attempts to exploit the server, or tries stolen credentials against your accounts, an attack is underway—even if the attempt fails.

Common Types of Cyber Attacks at a Glance

Note: These categories overlap. They are a practical business classification rather than a formal, mutually exclusive technical taxonomy. A single incident may involve several of them.

15 Common Types of Cyber Attacks

1. Phishing and Spear Phishing

Phishing uses deceptive emails, messages, QR codes, or websites to steal credentials, deliver malware, or persuade someone to take an unsafe action.

Spear phishing is more targeted. Instead of sending the same message to thousands of people, the attacker tailors the content to a particular employee, department, executive, supplier, or organization.

Example:
An employee receives what appears to be a Microsoft 365 password-expiry email. The link opens a convincing fake login page that captures the user’s credentials.

Common warning signs:

• Unexpected login requests
• Unusual urgency or threatening language
• Lookalike sender domains
• Suspicious URLs
• Unexpected attachments
• Requests to bypass normal procedures

Businesses can reduce phishing risk through MFA, employee awareness, email filtering, attachment and URL protection, and straightforward reporting procedures.

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are also important because they help reduce domain spoofing. However, they do not stop every phishing attack. A criminal can register a lookalike domain with valid email-authentication records, or send phishing from a compromised legitimate account. Microsoft therefore distinguishes spoofing protection from impersonation protection.

For more detail, see How to Prevent Phishing Attacks in Microsoft 365.

2. Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware traditionally encrypts systems or files and demands payment for recovery. Many ransomware operations also steal information before encryption and threaten to publish it.

Related data-extortion attacks may demand payment after stealing sensitive information even when systems are not encrypted.

Example:
An attacker compromises an employee device, moves into shared systems, steals sensitive files, and encrypts critical business data.

Warning signs may include:

• Files suddenly becoming unreadable
• Unexpected file extensions
• Multiple systems becoming unavailable
• Security tools being disabled
• Ransom notes appearing
• Abnormal administrative activity

Risk reduction usually involves EDR, timely patching, restricted administrative privileges, segmentation, secure email, and protected backups.

Backups should be recent, protected from attackers, and regularly tested for successful recovery—not simply created and forgotten.

3. Malware Attacks

Malware is a broad category of malicious software that includes trojans, spyware, worms, keyloggers, downloaders, and other harmful programs.

Depending on the malware, it may:

• Steal passwords
• Monitor users
• Damage files
• Create remote-access backdoors
• Download additional malicious tools
• Prepare an environment for ransomware

Example:
An employee installs what appears to be a legitimate software update, but the installer also deploys malicious code that captures browser credentials.

Endpoint protection, application controls, patch management, web filtering, and restrictions on unauthorized software installation can reduce malware risk.

4. Credential, Authentication and Session Attacks

Identity attacks do not target only passwords. Attackers may try to obtain or misuse:

• Passwords
• Authentication tokens
• Browser sessions
• OAuth permissions
• MFA approvals
• Recovery methods

Common techniques include password spraying, brute-force attempts, credential stuffing, token theft, session hijacking, and repeated MFA prompts.

Cloud identities are especially valuable because one compromised account may provide access to email, documents, collaboration platforms, and business applications.

Warning signs include:

• Repeated failed logins
• Sign-ins from unusual locations or devices
• Unexpected MFA prompts
• New inbox forwarding rules
• Unfamiliar OAuth applications
• Unexpected administrative changes

Businesses should use MFA, protect administrator accounts separately, monitor authentication activity, disable unused identities, and block legacy authentication methods that do not support modern security controls. Microsoft continues to recommend blocking legacy authentication.

Where supported, organizations should prioritize phishing-resistant MFA, particularly for administrators and other high-risk accounts. CISA identifies FIDO/WebAuthn authentication as a widely available phishing-resistant approach.

5. Business Email Compromise

Business Email Compromise, or BEC, is primarily a fraud and impersonation attack. Criminals pretend to be executives, suppliers, employees, or business partners to obtain money or sensitive information.

Malware is not always involved.

Example:
An accounts employee receives what appears to be an email from a senior manager asking for an urgent payment to newly supplied bank details.

Businesses should independently verify:

• Changes to supplier bank accounts
• Unusual payment requests
• Large transfers
• Confidential-data requests
• Requests to bypass normal approval procedures

Anti-impersonation controls and clear finance approval procedures are particularly important.

See Microsoft 365 Email Security Services for related protection options.

6. Social Engineering Attacks

Social engineering manipulates people rather than directly exploiting software.

Attackers may use:

• Email
• Phone calls
• SMS
• WhatsApp
• Social media
• Fake technical-support calls
• Physical impersonation

Example:
Someone claiming to be from IT support asks an employee to approve an MFA request the employee did not initiate.

Good defenses include employee awareness, identity-verification procedures, approval controls, and clear policies prohibiting the sharing of passwords or one-time security codes.

7. Vulnerability Exploitation

Vulnerability exploitation occurs when attackers take advantage of weaknesses in software, operating systems, VPN appliances, firewalls, websites, or other technology.

Verizon’s 2026 DBIR reports that vulnerability exploitation accounted for 31% of breaches in its dataset, becoming its leading breach entry point. The report principally reflects 2025 incident data.

Example:
An internet-facing VPN appliance has a known critical vulnerability but has not been updated. Attackers identify the exposed device and exploit the weakness.

Businesses should:

• Prioritize patches for internet-facing systems
• Track critical vendor advisories
• Remove unsupported software
• Conduct vulnerability scanning
• Review firewall and VPN exposure
• Maintain an asset inventory
• Define remediation priorities based on risk

For a broader review, see Cybersecurity Assessment Services in Saudi Arabia.

8. DDoS Attacks

A Distributed Denial-of-Service, or DDoS, attack overwhelms a website, server, network service, or application with traffic or requests so legitimate users cannot access it reliably.

Businesses operating customer portals, e-commerce sites, public APIs, or internet-facing services should consider:

• DDoS mitigation services
• CDN-based protection
• Rate limiting
• Traffic monitoring
• Redundant infrastructure where appropriate
• Incident-response procedures

The objective is usually resilience and mitigation, because organizations cannot always prevent malicious traffic from being generated in the first place.

9. Man-in-the-Middle or On-Path Attacks

An on-path attack occurs when an attacker positions themselves between communicating parties and intercepts, modifies, or redirects traffic.

Risk can increase when users connect through:

• Insecure wireless networks
• Rogue Wi-Fi access points
• Unencrypted applications
• Misconfigured network services

Businesses should use HTTPS, secure remote-access methods, properly configured wireless networks, and VPN services where appropriate.

Employees should avoid accessing sensitive business systems over unknown or untrusted networks unless appropriate protection is in place.

10. SQL Injection

SQL injection targets database-driven applications. An attacker attempts to manipulate an application’s database query through user-controlled input.

If an application is vulnerable, an attacker may be able to access, modify, or delete information in the database.

Developers should prioritize:

• Prepared statements
• Parameterized queries
• Securely constructed stored procedures
• Allow-list input validation where appropriate
• Least-privilege database permissions
• Application-security testing

OWASP identifies prepared statements with parameterized queries as a primary SQL-injection defense. A Web Application Firewall can provide additional defense-in-depth, but it should not be treated as a substitute for correcting vulnerable application code.

See Website Security and WordPress Maintenance Services for related website-security guidance.

11. Zero-Day Exploits

A zero-day attack exploits a previously unknown hardware, firmware, or software vulnerability. NIST defines a zero-day attack in terms of exploitation of a previously unknown vulnerability.

The important distinction is that a recently disclosed vulnerability is not automatically a zero-day. Once a vulnerability is known and fixes are available, exploitation may instead involve an unpatched known vulnerability.

Organizations cannot eliminate zero-day risk completely. Practical protection relies on layered controls such as:

• EDR
• Behavioral monitoring
• Network segmentation
• Least privilege
• Strong identity protection
• Security logging
• Rapid response to vendor advisories

12. Insider Threats

Insider threats involve people who already have legitimate access to systems, facilities, or information.

This can include:

• Employees
• Contractors
• Former employees
• Vendors
• Other trusted users

The activity may be deliberate or accidental.

Example:
A former employee retains access to cloud storage after leaving the organization and downloads confidential files.

Useful controls include prompt onboarding and offboarding processes, least privilege, periodic permission reviews, audit logging, and stronger monitoring around sensitive information.

13. Supply Chain Attacks

A supply chain attack compromises an organization through a trusted supplier, software product, service provider, integration, or another part of its technology supply chain.

Examples include:

• A malicious software update distributed through a trusted vendor
• A compromised third-party integration
• A supplier’s trusted system access being used to enter a customer environment

Simply compromising a supplier’s mailbox does not automatically make an incident a supply chain attack. The defining feature is typically the abuse of the trusted supplier relationship, product, service, access path, or distribution mechanism to compromise downstream organizations.

Businesses should assess vendor security, minimize unnecessary external access, monitor integrations, and define cybersecurity responsibilities in supplier agreements.

14. Cloud Account Takeover and Cloud Identity Attacks

Cloud environments such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Google Workspace, CRM platforms, and cloud-storage services depend heavily on identity.

Attackers may compromise them through:

• Phishing
• Stolen credentials
• Session-token theft
• Malicious OAuth consent
• MFA bypass
• Excessive permissions

Example:
An attacker gains access to a Microsoft 365 mailbox and creates a forwarding rule that sends copies of incoming business email to an external address.

Useful defenses include:

• MFA
• Protected administrator accounts
• Sign-in monitoring
• Audit logging
• Restricted external sharing
• Application-permission reviews
• Conditional Access where supported by licensing and business requirements

Microsoft documents that Conditional Access generally requires Microsoft Entra ID P1 or an eligible Microsoft 365 plan such as Business Premium, while some risk-based capabilities require Entra ID P2.

See Microsoft 365 Security Services in Saudi Arabia for related guidance.

15. AI-Enabled Social Engineering and Deepfake Attacks

Generative AI can help attackers create convincing emails, voice messages, images, scripts, and impersonation attempts more quickly.

AI is therefore usually better understood as an amplifier of existing attack techniques rather than a completely separate class of cyber attack. Verizon’s 2026 DBIR similarly reports that generative AI is bolstering multiple existing attack techniques.

Example:
A finance employee receives a realistic voice message appearing to come from a senior executive and requesting an urgent transfer.

Organizations should verify sensitive requests through an established second channel and avoid treating a familiar voice, image, or video appearance as sufficient proof of identity.

Which Cyber Attacks Deserve Particular Attention in 2026?

The priority will differ by company, sector, geography, technology stack, and exposure. However, current breach trends suggest several areas deserve particular attention.

Vulnerability Exploitation

Internet-facing VPNs, firewalls, servers, and applications can provide attackers with direct initial access when critical flaws remain unpatched. Verizon’s 2026 DBIR highlights vulnerability exploitation as the leading entry point in its dataset.

Credential and Identity Compromise

A single compromised cloud identity can expose email, documents, applications, and potentially administrative functions.

Phishing and Social Engineering

Attackers continue to target employees and business processes because legitimate users already have trusted access and authority.

Ransomware and Extortion

Ransomware can cause significant operational disruption, while data theft may create additional legal, contractual, and reputational consequences.

Third-Party Exposure

Suppliers, software, integrations, and service providers can extend an organization’s attack surface.

AI-Assisted Deception

Generative AI makes it easier to produce personalized and convincing fraudulent communication at scale.

These should not be treated as a universal ranking. Every organization should prioritize risk based on its own systems, data, users, suppliers, and business operations.

How Cyber Attacks Typically Progress

Cyber attacks often develop in stages rather than as a single event.

A typical attack path might look like this:

Phishing / Stolen Credentials / Vulnerability Exploitation
↓
Initial Access
↓
Account or Endpoint Compromise
↓
Privilege Escalation or Lateral Movement
↓
Sensitive Data Access or Theft
↓
Fraud, Extortion, Ransomware or Business Disruption

For example, phishing may expose an employee’s credentials. The attacker may then access Microsoft 365, gather information about customers and suppliers, and use that information to support BEC.

An unpatched public-facing application could similarly provide initial access that later develops into a wider network compromise.

This is why cybersecurity should reduce risk across multiple stages rather than depend on one security product.

How Businesses Can Prevent Cyber Attacks

No single security measure can stop every attack. Businesses need a practical baseline covering identity, endpoints, email, infrastructure, data, users, and recovery.

1. Strengthen Authentication

Use MFA for Microsoft 365, administrator accounts, VPNs, cloud platforms, and other critical systems.

Where supported, prioritize phishing-resistant methods such as FIDO2/WebAuthn security keys or passkeys for administrators and other high-risk users.

2. Patch Systems and Applications

Maintain a defined process for identifying, prioritizing, and remediating vulnerabilities.

Give particular attention to:

• Firewalls
• VPNs
• Internet-facing servers
• Operating systems
• Websites and plugins
• Business applications
• Cloud-connected systems

3. Protect Endpoints

Use appropriate endpoint protection or EDR across desktops, laptops, and servers.

Endpoint telemetry can also help security teams investigate suspicious behavior and understand how an incident developed.

4. Secure Business Email

Use appropriate anti-phishing controls, attachment and URL protection, impersonation detection, and correctly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

Remember that email authentication reduces spoofing but does not eliminate lookalike domains or compromised legitimate senders.

5. Review Firewalls and Network Access

Periodically review:

• Firewall rules
• Open ports
• VPN access
• Remote administration
• Guest networks
• Site-to-site connections
• Network segmentation
• Security logging

Old or overly permissive rules can create unnecessary exposure even when the firewall itself is operating normally.

6. Maintain Protected and Tested Backups

Backups should be monitored and regularly tested for recovery.

Depending on the environment, organizations may also use offline, isolated, immutable, or otherwise ransomware-resistant backup copies.

A successful backup job does not automatically mean a business can restore its critical systems quickly.

7. Train Employees Around Real Scenarios

Security awareness should reflect attacks employees may actually encounter, such as:

• Fake Microsoft 365 pages
• Supplier invoice fraud
• WhatsApp impersonation
• MFA fatigue
• Malicious QR codes
• Deepfake voice requests

Employees also need a simple method for reporting suspicious activity.

8. Apply Least Privilege

Users should receive only the access required for their role.

Regularly review:

• Administrator roles
• Shared mailbox access
• File permissions
• Cloud permissions
• Application permissions
• Vendor accounts
• Former-employee accounts

9. Monitor Important Security Events

Useful signals may include:

• Failed sign-ins
• Unusual login locations
• Unexpected administrative changes
• External file sharing
• New mailbox forwarding rules
• Endpoint alerts
• Firewall events
• New OAuth applications

Collecting logs alone is not enough. Organizations also need a process for reviewing and responding to relevant alerts.

10. Prepare for Security Incidents

An incident-response plan should define:

• Who leads the response
• How affected systems will be isolated
• How compromised accounts will be secured
• How evidence will be preserved
• How internal communication will work
• How systems will be restored
• When specialist, legal, regulatory, or insurance support is required

A basic plan that has been tested is more useful than a complex plan nobody has practiced.

11. Assess Third-Party Risk

Understand which suppliers, contractors, applications, and service providers can access systems or information.

Review:

• What access they have
• Whether the access is still required
• How their accounts are protected
• Which integrations are connected
• How incidents will be reported
• Whether responsibilities are contractually documented

12. Conduct Periodic Cybersecurity Assessments

A cybersecurity assessment can examine areas such as:

• Microsoft 365
• Identity security
• Endpoint protection
• Firewalls
• Network architecture
• Backups
• Patch management
• User privileges
• Email security
• Cloud environments
• Websites
• Security policies

A useful assessment should help management understand which gaps create meaningful business risk and what should be addressed first.

Cybersecurity Considerations for Businesses in Saudi Arabia

Saudi organizations should consider operational cybersecurity risk alongside the regulatory and contractual requirements that apply to their specific environment.

The National Cybersecurity Authority’s Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC 2-2024) apply to Saudi government agencies—including ministries, authorities and other government entities—and their affiliated companies and entities inside and outside the Kingdom. They also apply to private-sector entities that own, operate, or host Critical National Infrastructure within the stated scope.

ECC 2-2024 is organized into four main domains:

1. Cybersecurity Governance
2. Cybersecurity Defense
3. Cybersecurity Resilience
4. Third-Party and Cloud Computing Cybersecurity

Within those domains are controls and subdomains covering areas such as identity and access management, network security, data protection, incident management, vulnerability management, third-party risk, and cloud cybersecurity.

NCA also publishes a Guide to Essential Cybersecurity Controls Implementation, updated in 2026, to help entities implement applicable ECC 2-2024 requirements. The guide supports ECC 2-2024 rather than replacing it.

Not every private company in Saudi Arabia has identical cybersecurity obligations. Organizations should determine which NCA controls, sector-specific requirements, contractual commitments, customer requirements, and other regulations actually apply to them.

For Saudi businesses using Microsoft 365, cloud services, ERP platforms, remote access, websites, and connected business applications, cybersecurity should be managed as a business risk—not simply as an IT problem.

Cybersecurity Checklist for Saudi Businesses

• ☐ Is MFA enabled for critical accounts?
• ☐ Are administrator accounts separately protected?
• ☐ Is phishing-resistant MFA considered for privileged users?
• ☐ Are endpoints monitored?
• ☐ Are internet-facing systems patched promptly?
• ☐ Is business email protected against phishing and impersonation?
• ☐ Are backups protected and regularly tested?
• ☐ Are privileged permissions restricted?
• ☐ Are employees trained to recognize realistic attacks?
• ☐ Are firewall rules periodically reviewed?
• ☐ Are cloud environments and identities secured?
• ☐ Are vendors and third parties assessed?
• ☐ Is there an incident-response plan?
• ☐ Are cybersecurity policies documented?
• ☐ Are important security logs monitored?
• ☐ Are cybersecurity assessments performed periodically?

This is a practical starting point, not a substitute for a formal security, regulatory, or compliance assessment.

How NABCO Helps Businesses Strengthen Cybersecurity

Understanding the different types of cyber attacks is useful, but effective security depends on applying the right controls to the organization’s actual systems, users, data, and business risks.

NABCO provides cybersecurity and related technology services in Saudi Arabia across areas including network security, endpoint protection, cloud security, email security, identity and access controls, vulnerability assessment, data protection, and incident-response and recovery capabilities. These areas are currently represented within NABCO’s published cybersecurity and technology service portfolio.

Organizations that are unsure where to begin can use a structured security assessment to identify meaningful gaps and prioritize improvements before purchasing additional technology.

Request a cybersecurity assessment from NABCO.

Related Resources

• Cybersecurity Services in Saudi Arabia
• Microsoft 365 Security Services
• Network & Firewall Security
• Endpoint Security Solutions
• Data Security Solutions
• Cloud Security Solutions

FAQs About Types of Cyber Attacks

What are the most common types of cyber attacks?

Common attack types and techniques include phishing, ransomware, malware, credential attacks, BEC, social engineering, vulnerability exploitation, DDoS attacks, SQL injection, insider threats, supply chain attacks, and cloud identity attacks.

What are five important cyber attacks businesses should understand?

Five important areas are phishing, ransomware, credential and identity attacks, vulnerability exploitation, and business email compromise. The relative importance varies by industry, technology environment, geography, and the dataset being measured.

What is the most common cyber attack against businesses?

There is no single attack type that ranks first for every business. In Verizon’s 2026 DBIR dataset, vulnerability exploitation was the leading breach entry point at 31%.

What is the difference between a cyber threat and a cyber attack?

A cyber threat is something with the potential to cause harm. A cyber attack is malicious activity intended to compromise, manipulate, steal from, disrupt, or damage systems or information.

How can businesses prevent cyber attacks?

Businesses can reduce risk through MFA, patching, endpoint protection, secure email, firewalls, protected backups, employee training, least privilege, monitoring, vendor-risk management, and incident-response planning.

How do phishing attacks work?

Phishing uses deceptive emails, messages, or websites to persuade users to reveal credentials, open malicious content, or approve fraudulent actions.

How can ransomware risk be reduced?

Businesses should patch vulnerable systems, protect endpoints, secure email and identities, restrict privileged access, segment networks where appropriate, and maintain protected, tested backups.

Can MFA prevent cyber attacks?

MFA significantly reduces password-only account compromise but does not stop every attack. Stronger phishing-resistant MFA should be considered for high-risk and privileged users where supported.

How can small businesses improve cybersecurity?

Start with MFA, reliable patching, endpoint protection, secure email, tested backups, protected administrator accounts, firewall hygiene, and employee awareness.

What should a business do after a cyber attack?

The exact response depends on the incident, but common priorities include containing affected systems, securing compromised accounts, preserving evidence, assessing scope, activating the incident-response process, and beginning controlled recovery.

Final Thoughts

Cyber attacks are rarely isolated events. Phishing can lead to credential theft, compromised identities can expose cloud services, and vulnerable internet-facing systems can provide attackers with a direct path into the environment.

For most businesses, strong cybersecurity begins with a disciplined baseline:

• Strong authentication
• Patch management
• Endpoint security
• Email protection
• Tested backups
• Employee awareness
• Least-privilege access
• Security monitoring
• Incident readiness

For organizations in Saudi Arabia, those controls should also be considered alongside applicable NCA requirements, sector-specific obligations, customer commitments, cloud adoption, and third-party dependencies.

The objective is not to deploy every available security product. It is to understand the organization’s most important risks and address them in a practical, prioritized way.