{"id":1354,"date":"2021-10-25T15:01:50","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T15:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ribesalat.com\/types-of-cyber-risk-what-they-are-and-how-to-counteract-them\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T12:46:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T12:46:32","slug":"types-of-cyber-risk-what-they-are-and-how-to-counteract-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ribesalat.com\/en\/types-of-cyber-risk-what-they-are-and-how-to-counteract-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyber-risks and how to counteract them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Any deliberate sabotage<\/b> against the computer systems of a company or an individual is considered a cyber risk. In practice, we talk about <\/span>cyber-risks<\/b><\/a> that can range from the theft of credentials and sensitive data to system lockouts, business interruption, or financial fraud, <\/span>with direct effects on day-to-day operations, client trust, and regulatory compliance.<\/b><\/p>\n

Furthermore, these <\/span>cyber risks<\/b> don’t just affect large companies. Digitisation, remote working, heavy use of email and cloud tools, and reliance on technology providers have all increased the exposure of any business. That’s why knowing <\/span>the most common types of cyber risks<\/b> and understanding how to prevent them is an essential step in reducing the likelihood of having an incident.<\/span><\/p>\n

Against this backdrop, at <\/span>Rib\u00e9Salat<\/b> we offer <\/span>cyber insurance solutions<\/b> for companies with protection tailored to each type of activity. Let’s take a look at the main types of <\/span>cyber risk<\/b>!<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the main types of cyber risk?<\/b><\/h2>\n

These are the <\/span>most common cyber risks<\/b> currently faced by both companies and users in general:<\/span><\/p>\n

Malware<\/b><\/h3>\n

This term is used to <\/span>describe various forms of harmful software<\/b>, such as viruses or ransomware. The <\/span>modus operandi<\/i><\/b> of these attacks is always the same: a <\/span>malicious virus is introduced<\/b> into a computer, system or network without the user’s consent for different purposes: to destroy or steal data or information of all types, disable computer software, block a network, etc. This type of cyberattack can have catastrophic consequences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Phishing<\/b><\/h3>\n

This refers to the <\/span>risk of someone impersonating your digital identity<\/b>, in most cases by obtaining login details and passwords, with all the consequences this may entail: the sending of fraudulent emails, unauthorized banking transactions, destruction of files, data theft, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

SQL Injection Attack\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

This is a <\/span>specific cyber risk affecting SQL servers<\/b>. SQL is a programming language that is increasingly used by companies to store highly sensitive personal information: banking details, credit cards, personal passwords, etc. Malicious code is introduced to carry out these attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Denial of Service (DoS)<\/b><\/h3>\n

This is a sophisticated attack method that involves <\/span>overloading a server with excessive traffic to a website<\/b>, ultimately preventing the service from functioning. The damage to the company can be significant in terms of <\/span>financial losses<\/b> and may also trigger a <\/span>crisis due to reputational harm<\/b> or <\/span>loss of client trust<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Business Email Compromise (BEC)<\/b><\/h3>\n

This involves the<\/span> taking control<\/b> of a corporate email account or the <\/span>convincing impersonation<\/b> of an executive, vendor, or client in order to request payments, change bank details, or obtain sensitive information. It is a particularly dangerous attack because<\/span> it relies more on deception and urgency<\/b> than on complex techniques, and often results in fraudulent transfers that are difficult to recover.<\/span><\/p>\n

Credential stuffing \/ brute-force attacks (password reuse)<\/b><\/h3>\n

This cyber risk is based on testing <\/span>automatically<\/b> combinations of usernames and passwords, usually obtained from previous data breaches, until access to real accounts is gained. Brute-force attacks try multiple possible passwords, while credential stuffing exploits the fact that many people reuse passwords across different services. When successful, the attacker can access emails, admin panels, or critical applications <\/span>without the need for malware<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Exploitation of vulnerabilities (unpatched software)<\/b><\/h3>\n

This occurs when an attacker <\/span>takes advantage of known security flaws<\/b> in operating systems, applications, plugins, or servers that have not been updated. If a company delays patches or maintains outdated versions, it leaves open doors that can allow anything from data theft to ransomware installation. It is a very common risk because it often depends on a shared factor: poor <\/span>maintenance<\/b> of the technology environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cloud risk (insecure configurations and excessive permissions)<\/b><\/h3>\n

This covers incidents caused by incorrect configurations in cloud services, such as overly broad permissions, uncontrolled public sharing, or accounts without strengthened access measures in tools such as <\/span>Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace<\/b>. In many cases <\/span>there is no classic \u201chack\u201d<\/b>: a misconfiguration or weak access control is enough to expose information, allow unauthorised access, or enable attackers to move within the environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Third-party risk (suppliers and the supply chain)<\/b><\/h3>\n

This arises when a<\/span> security breach affecting a vendor, platform, or partner<\/b> ends up impacting your company, whether through shared access, integrations, data exchange, or operational dependence. This type of cyber risk is particularly sensitive because <\/span>it is not always directly under your control: <\/b>your own security may be strong, but a weakness in a third party can open the way to data theft, service disruption, or fraud.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to counteract the different types of cyber risk<\/b><\/h2>\n

Cyber <\/span>risks<\/b> exist, are frequent, and are becoming increasingly innovative, sophisticated, and damaging. This means that <\/span>IT security<\/b> is now one of the <\/span>major challenges facing any organisation<\/b>. To <\/span>counter cyber risks, <\/b>it is essential to implement <\/span>a strategy based on the following pillars<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n