In general, cloning refers to making a copy of something that is entirely the same as the original. When it comes to the cyber world, the world does not fall far from its original definition. In cyber security, cloning refers to making a mimic or a copy of a system or a genuine website with all the characteristics of the original. The copy should be as accurate as the original. You will not find any difference between the copy and the legitimate website. Even when a system is cloned, all the data from the original system is present, and it is the exact copy of the original that makes it hard for anybody to figure out whether they are using the original or a clone.

The main purpose behind cloning in the cyber world is to create confusion and trick the user into giving out confidential and sensitive information. This way, the attackers can steal the data by making people fall prey to their plots and tactics and let out the information themselves.

How is it done?

The attackers will not only copy the look of the website but a lot more is the same. From the design to the layout to the logo of the brand, everything is the same. It is difficult to get the same web address or URL, so cybercriminals come up with creative ways of making the website. They come up with the names of the website that are more or less the same. There will only be a slight difference in the letter arrangements. This way, the user won’t notice the difference right away and might end up using a user interface similar to the original but fake. Phishing attacks are conducted by criminals on regular people or individuals working for a firm to steal data from them. When they go to the attacker’s website and fill out the details, these individuals are basically giving away sensitive data to the attackers themselves. For instance, a cybercriminal has made a fake bank website. It will look exactly the same as the original. When the user enters his or her login credentials, the attacker gets all the details, and your account can be hacked easily. It might even lead to financial as well as reputational issues.

Types of cloning attacks

There are different types of cloning attacks meant to trick people. People dealing with cyber security know better, as they need to be ready for everything that comes their way. One of the cloning attacks that is commonly known to people is spoofing. This is where the genuine website is cloned, and an identical fake website is created to deceive individuals into disclosing sensitive data. Typosquatting is another cloning attack done by cyber criminals and attackers where they make use of domain names that look similar to the genuine website. There will only be a small typo, so when an individual sees it at once, they click on the website, thinking that it’s genuine. It can be caught only when an individual properly analyzes and reads every letter of the domain to know the difference between genuine and fake websites. Although the individual will surely realize after some time that the website they have visited is not the original because the name is not right, by the time this realization strikes, the damage might have already been done. This is why the individual needs to be more attentive and Vigilant before clicking on any website or visiting a domain.

Pharming is another cloning attack that attackers use effectively. When the attackers are planning such an attack, they create a cloned website beforehand, so when an individual tries to visit the genuine website, they are going to redirect them from the original to the fake website they have created. The individual visiting the website will have no idea of him entering a fake website. So when the individual believes that the website is genuine here, she will not be dubious in filling out the details, and the attackers will get what they were looking for.

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Cloning with networks

Although cloning may look all bad, there are positive aspects to cloning as well. Here we will see what the positive and negative aspects of cloning are and how it can affect individuals or an organization.

Positive impact

when cloning is used for the right reasons legally, then cloning will definitely be termed as a positive thing. In cases of a disaster or system failure, when retracting the original data becomes impossible, the cloned system would be very helpful. This is very useful as it will ensure that even in case of a failure, your work will not be hindered, and all the systems will work smoothly.

Negative impact 

Cloning is very good until a malicious play comes into the picture. When cybercriminals use this to create foul play in order to infiltrate the network and compromise its security, then cloning has a negative impact. This will allow the hackers to have illegal and unauthorized access to all your data, and they can use this data for various activities. When a cloned device is used, it is similar to the original, but it is a problem when it is able to bypass security measures normally set for the device, like my passing the intrusion detection system or firewalls.

The bottom line-

Cloning is making a copy or a mimic of the file assistant or a network which can be used for various activities. Cloning is a very good thing until it is used legally and to save the system from any kind of failure. But when Falls actors come into play and use this to trick individuals or organizations into  Giving out sensitive data, which the attackers will use for that benefit, is when cloning turns negative. Cyber security specialists need to keep a lot of things in check, and cloning is one of their priorities because the network can easily trespass into the system by passing all the basic defense mechanisms set for them.