Describing the most common attack techniques

Hackers can be innovative when required, but once hackers find something that works, they tend to stick with proven attack patterns, if not the specific attack implementation. For example, consider this scenario for a ransomware attack (which, according to What Ransomware Allows Hackers to Do Once Infected, at https://www.checkpoint.com/cyber-hub/threat-prevention/ransomware/what-ransomware-allows-hackers-to-do-once-infected/, has moved from just encrypting your files to also stealing your data):

1. Obtain information about an organization using phishing attacks.
2. Gain access to the organization’s network using a malicious download or compromised credentials.
3. Check the organization’s network for any usable (sellable) data that it hasn’t encrypted or protected in other ways.
4. Encrypt as much of the data storage as possible.
5. Send out the ransom message, including specifics about the data stolen and describing...