Cyber Security for Beginners: Types of Cyber Attacks

The fisherman's trick, moved online: what phishing is, why it works on smart, busy people, and the levels it comes at — from mass emails to messages aimed at you.

Break a phishing attack into Bait → Hook → Catch, then dissect a realistic scam email to spot its red flags: urgency, suspicious links and look-alike senders.

How one man's forged invoices tricked Google and Facebook out of more than $100 million — and what finally gave him away

Four habits that beat phishing: pause on urgency, check the sender, verify before you click, and report — plus what to do if you've already clicked.

Phishing jumps off email: how the same bait lands in your text messages and phone calls, and why the small screen makes it harder to spot.

Walk through a scam text and a scam call step by step — spoofed numbers, urgency scripts and payment pressure — so you recognize each move as it happens.

The habits that end phone scams: never act on the number that contacted you, call back on an official line, and slow every "urgent" request down.

A net catches whatever swims by — a spear is aimed at one fish. What makes spear phishing personal, and why it's so much more convincing.

Watch a spear-phishing attack come together: public-profile reconnaissance, a crafted email that sounds exactly like your manager, and one believable ask.

Build the habit that defeats even perfect fakes: verify unusual requests out-of-band, on a channel you already trust.

Attackers hunt the biggest fish too: what whaling is, and why executives and finance teams see the most convincing scams of all.

Inside the Arup case: a video call full of AI-deepfaked executives convinced one employee to transfer roughly $25 million. Here's how it unfolded.

Defenses that work at any level: slow down, verify big requests on a second channel, and require two approvals before money moves.

Malware is "germs for your computer": what malicious software really means, and the main families — viruses, worms and friends — at a glance.

The common ways malware gets in — risky downloads, disguised attachments, one careless click — and why roughly 450,000 new samples appear every day.

Keep infections out with a few strong habits: prompt updates, trusted sources, built-in protection, and backups.

From the wooden horse of Troy to your desktop: how a Trojan disguises itself as a gift — and why it needs your click to get inside.

Follow Emotet, one of history's most damaging Trojans, and the delivery tricks — tempting attachments and fake invites — that get Trojans through the door.

Unmask Trojans before you run them: question unexpected "gifts", verify the source, and scan first.

A digital hostage-taking: your files encrypted, a ransom note on screen, and the attacker holding the only key.

Step through an attack from the way in, to silent encryption, to the demand — and why paying guarantees nothing.

WannaCry, 2017: worm-powered ransomware hit 200,000+ computers across 150 countries — including hospitals — in a single day.

Make ransomware powerless: the 3-2-1 backup rule, prompt updates, and a calm plan for the worst day.

You can catch it just by being there: how drive-by attacks install malware from a webpage without you clicking anything at all.

How exploit kits probe your browser for unpatched gaps, and how malicious ads plant traps on legitimate sites — and why updated software makes the attack fail.

Stay out of the line of fire: keep your browser and system updated, avoid the web's risky corners, and let built-in protections do their job.