Information System Attack Methods and Techniques

An IS auditor should be aware of the following methods and techniques in relation to IS attacks:

• Alteration attack: In this type of attack, the data or code is altered or modified without authorization. Cryptographic code is used to prevent alteration attacks.
• Botnets: Botnets are compromised computers and are also known as zombie computers. They are primarily used to run malicious software for DDoS attacks, adware, or spam.
• Buffer overflow: A buffer overflow, or buffer overrun, is a common software coding mistake that an attacker could exploit in order to gain access to the system. This error occurs when there is more data in a buffer than it can handle, causing the data to overflow into adjacent storage. Due to this, an attacker gets an opportunity to manipulate the coding errors for malicious actions. A major cause of buffer overflow is poor programming and coding practices.
• Denial-of-Service attack (DoS): A DoS...