What Is an Attack Vector? 20 Common Ways Hackers Break In and How to Prevent Them

What Is an Attack Vector?

An attack vector is the method or path an attacker uses to gain unauthorized access to a computer, network, system, or user account. These vectors are the entry points hackers exploit to deploy malware, steal data, manipulate systems, or interrupt business operations.

Understanding the full landscape of attack vectors is vital for organizations building proactive defense strategies. Cyber incidents can come with advanced techniques and hackers—but oftentimes, devastating cyber incidents stem from poorly secured, overlooked, or misconfigured systems and users.

Many organizations are undergoing an expansive digital transformation, and as a result, their attack surface is growing. This increases the number of exploitable vulnerabilities on enterprise networks, and organizations must take the necessary steps today to securely defend their cybersecurity tomorrow.

Organizations must gain a complete understanding of the security vulnerabilities across their IT ecosystem so they can create and maintain comprehensive cybersecurity programs. Then, teams can take necessary steps to mitigate risks and establish necessary defenses to ensure everything is protected. Doing so will allow security teams to keep up with cybercriminals as they evolve their attacks to try and stay ahead.

Let’s explore the common types of cyber attack vectors, how they’re leveraged by adversaries, and what your organization can do to defend against them.

How do attack vectors, attack surfaces, and security breaches differ?

To effectively build a cyber risk management program, you must have an understanding of the difference between attack vectors, attack surfaces, and security breaches.

Here are the key differences between each:

Attack vectors

Active attack vectors like phishing or zero-day attacks are the means or tactics by which hackers can gain network access. Attackers often use social engineering tactics, malicious code, or unpatched vulnerabilities to infiltrate systems. Conversely, passive attack vectors aim to intercept data stealthily, such as eavesdropping on private networks.

Attack surfaces

An organization’s attack surface is made up of all of the various touchpoints through which adversaries can gain access to or manipulate the network, or extract sensitive data.

An attack surface includes physical attack surfaces such as endpoint devices, routers, servers, and mobile devices and digital components like cloud infrastructure, software, and ports. Each of these surfaces represents potential entry points for unauthorized users.

Data breaches

A security breach occurs when unauthorized parties access, steal or publish an organization’s confidential or protected information. These incidents often involve compromised credentials, weak passwords, or exploits targeting software vulnerabilities.

Why and How Do Cybercriminals Use Attack Vectors?

Cybercriminals are motivated by malicious intent, with goals ranging from financial gain to espionage. Additionally, the motivation behind an attack may be related to the hackers’ morals and their attacks could be an attempt to diminish an organization’s reputation or harm sales.

 Common strategies include:

• Credential stuffing to exploit stolen user credentials.
• Brute force attacks to guess weak passwords.
• Deploying malware infections, such as ransomware, to lock endpoint devices.

Cybercriminals also exploit unpatched software or security gaps introduced by service providers to compromise organizations’ defenses.

 20 Common Attack Vectors and How to Prevent Them

For many organizations, their digital attack surface is expanding. To effectively secure a network amid evolving threats, organizations must be aware of the leading players across industries.

Below are attack vector examples that demonstrate how adversaries exploit vulnerabilities to compromise systems.

1. Phishing

Phishing and spearphishing remains one of the most effective ways to breach organizations. Attackers craft messages that impersonate trusted sources to trick users into clicking malicious links or attachments.

Phishing attacks are among the most common types of attack vectors and can be one of the harder vulnerabilities to mitigate, given the primary target is not typically tech-savvy. Hackers use social engineering attacks to trick the target into clicking a link or providing confidential information by disguising it as an official email entity or organization. Vishing (voice phishing), smishing (SMS phishing), and impersonation attacks exploit human trust over the phone or via messaging as well..

Example ways to address phishing:
Security awareness training, email filtering, strong authentication, spam filters, and adopting a proactive approach that fosters a culture of cybersecurity awareness.

2. System misconfiguration and Unpatched Software

Misconfigurations often create security flaws that provide easy opportunities for hackers to leverage and exploit vulnerabilities. Outdated systems often have known vulnerabilities with published exploits.

Example ways to fix system misconfiguration or unpatched software:

Routine checks for software updates, continuous monitoring, ensuring that application and device settings remain up-to-date with industry standards, and maintaining a robust patch management program with prioritized remediation for critical CVEs.

3. Distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS)

A Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks involves disrupting traffic on a site by overloading it and rendering it inoperable. Attackers often leverage botnets to conduct these attacks, which create an overflow of requests on the site until it is no longer able to function properly. As organizations adopt new Internet of Things (IoT) devices, they’ll need to implement defenses to keep all devices protected.

Example ways to address DDoS attacks:

Implementing an additional layer of security, such as traffic filtering, can protect against these assaults.

4. Malware and Ransomware

Malware is malicious software. Ransomware attacks are a subset of malware that can cut off a user’s access to critical applications. Attackers will typically seize all control over a database and demand a ransom in return for restored access. These attacks target a wide range of industries, from healthcare to finance, making them a pervasive threat.

Example ways to prevent malware and ransomware attacks:

Regularly applying software updates and using antivirus software.

5. Credential Stuffing

Attackers use previously leaked usernames and passwords to try accessing new systems.

Example ways to address credential stuffing:
Enforce MFA, monitor for credential exposure, and prohibit reused passwords.

6. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

RDP is a popular target due to default settings and poor segmentation.

Example ways to address RDP abuse:
Restrict RDP access, enforce network segmentation, and use VPN plus MFA for remote systems.

7. Malicious Attachments

Email attachments may contain payloads such as ransomware, keyloggers, or remote access trojans.

Example ways to avoid malicious attachments:
Email scanning, sandboxing, and training employees not to open unknown attachments.

8. Drive-By Downloads

Infected websites or compromised ads deliver malware without user interaction.

Example ways to avoid drive-by downloads:
Endpoint protection with real-time monitoring, DNS filtering, and browser isolation.

9. Insider Threats

Insider threats come in all shapes and sizes, both negligent and malicious. A trusted member of the organization, such as an employee or contractor, typically carries out these attacks. Employees or contractors may intentionally or unintentionally leak data, for instance, by sending sensitive information to the wrong user, or selling inside information to an outside source. 

Also, adopting strong encryption methods and enforcing clear policies for behavior for users is essential. Another way to mitigate these attacks is with 

Example ways to prevent insider threats:
User behavior analytics, DLP, privileged access management, zero-trust security, and monitoring.

10. Misconfigured Cloud Storage

Public S3 buckets or open databases are frequently indexed by attackers.

Example ways to address misconfigured cloud storage:
Regular cloud security audits, automated misconfiguration detection, and policy enforcement.

11. Third-Party Vendors

Vendors with excessive access may introduce risk into your environment. While third and fourth-party vendors enable flexibility and improved productivity for many organizations, they must take the cybersecurity posture of third-party vendors just as seriously as their own. Threat actors look for the weakest link—35.5% of all breaches are third-party breaches, a likely underestimate due to underreporting, according to SecurityScorecard research.

Example ways to secure third-party vendor access:
Vendor classification, least privilege enforcement, and a comprehensive third-party risk management program.

12. Exploitable APIs

Hackers can exploit poorly secured or undocumented APIs data extraction or service abuse.

Example ways to fix exploitable APIs:
API gateways, authentication controls, rate limiting, and API security scanning.

13. Public Wi-Fi and Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks

Intercepting traffic on insecure networks allows attackers to steal credentials or session cookies.

Ways to avoid MITM attacks:
Use VPNs, DNS encryption, and enforce HTTPS.

14. Poor Encryption

Without proper encryption, organizations may fall victim to malicious activity like man-in-the-middle attacks as data is transmitted across a network. When users connect to networks or applications that are at risk, the likelihood of sensitive information being exposed in a data breach rises.

Example ways to prevent poor encryption: Proactive and preventative measures should be taken to ensure that all data is being secured as it moves between users and applications. Using strong encryption methods for both data at rest and in transit minimizes exposure.

15. DNS Hijacking, and Typosquatting, Domain Spoofing

Manipulated DNS records redirect users to malicious sites without their knowledge. Fake websites with lookalike domains are used for phishing and credential theft.

Example ways to avoid DNS hijacking:
Brand monitoring tools, domain registration alerts, monitor DNS health, enforce DNSSEC, and lock domain registrations.

16. Software Supply Chain Attacks

Attackers compromise upstream code, libraries, or tools used in your environment.

Example ways to prevent software supply chain attacks:
Use SBOMs, validate digital signatures, and monitor third-party dependencies continuously.

17. IoT Device Exploitation

Unpatched or poorly secured IoT devices can serve as network footholds.

Example ways to prevent IoT device exploitation:
Isolate IoT networks, change default credentials, and apply firmware updates.

18. Compromised, weak, or stolen credentials

Weak passwords or compromised credentials are a leading cause of security breaches. Credentials should not be shared between employees or across devices, as this makes it easier for hackers to turn a single breach into a much larger issue. In brute force attacks, hackers try countless username-password combinations until one works.

Example ways to prevent brute force login attempts:
Clear guidelines for users are necessary to ensure that the proper steps are taken, multi-factor authentication, password managers, rate limiting, account lockouts, and anomaly detection.

19. USB and Removable Media

Malicious USBs can deliver payloads to air-gapped or secure systems.

Example ways to avoid malicious USBs:
Block USB ports, use endpoint DLP, and enforce media scanning.

20. Shadow IT and Insecure Mobile Devices

Employees deploy unauthorized tools or software without IT oversight. BYOD devices without security controls can expose sensitive information.

Example ways to secure shadow IT or insecure mobile devices:
Use mobile device management (MDM), enforce strong passwords, encrypt data at rest, implement discovery tools, foster a secure tech adoption process, and set cloud usage policies

How SecurityScorecard Can Help Secure System Vulnerabilities

Organizations are rapidly expanding their digital attack surface as they adopt intelligent technologies and work with new third or fourth-party vendors. Proactive risk management is key to staying ahead of cyber criminals as attack vectors evolve and become more complex.

SecurityScorecard empowers organizations with threat intelligence by continuously monitoring for security gaps across their ecosystem. By leveraging real-time insights into threat vectors, organizations can identify risks introduced by service providers or software vulnerabilities. SecurityScorecard also enables:

• Behavior for users monitoring to reduce risk.
• Scoring to identify active attack vectors.
• Immediate remediation of issues, including zero-day vulnerabilities.

Why Attack Vectors Matter

No matter how sophisticated your cybersecurity program, a single weak point can unravel the entire defense. Attack vectors matter because:

• They define the tactics used in real-world breaches
  
• They inform how organizations prioritize risk mitigation
  
• They serve as a guide for designing layered defense strategies
  
• They evolve constantly—especially in a cloud-first, hybrid world
  

Modern threat actors don’t always brute-force their way in. They often walk through metaphorical open doors that security teams failed to close.

Risk Prioritization: Not All Vectors Are Equal

Some vectors pose a greater risk than others, depending on the industry, network design, and threat actor capabilities. Prioritize based on:

• Exploitability
  
• Business impact
  
• Existing controls
  
• Asset value
  
• Frequency in the threat landscape
  

Using threat modeling frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK helps identify and prioritize vectors relevant to your environment.

Protect Your Supply Chain with Real-Time Threat Detection

SecurityScorecard’s SCDR solution offers continuous monitoring of your third-party ecosystem, enabling swift identification and mitigation of cyber threats. Enhance your organization’s resilience by proactively managing supply chain risks.​

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