In the field of cybersecurity, threats can be broadly categorized into two classes with active and passive attacks having different intents and consequences.
🔸 Active cyberattacks
Active attacks involve direct, purposeful interference with the operation of a system. The attacker actively tries to modify, destroy, or disrupt the operation of data and the function of networks. Examples of common active attacks include:
Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
Malware injection
Data modification
Website defacement
The goal is to cause disruption or gain unauthorized access to devices.
🔹 Passive cyberattacks
Passive attacks do not interfere with operation. Instead, they are silent observations. Instead of altering the data, the attacker is simply monitoring or capturing the unaltered data. Examples of common passive attacks include:
Packet sniffing
Eavesdropping
Traffic analysis
The goal of a passive attack is to gather information or intelligence, such as user credentials or output from an analysis to consider for a future attack
In short:
Active attacks act. Passive attacks watch.
Both are dangerous — active ones cause instant damage, while passive ones silently build the foundation for larger breaches.
