What is the Island Hopping Attack?

Targeting a large organization directly is often difficult for attackers. The organization may be well-protected. So, attackers instead first target smaller companies that are affiliate to or partner with the large organization. If the smaller company is not well-protected, attackers can easily compromise the networks or systems of the smaller company. Then they can exploit that to gain access to the systems or networks of the target organization and make cyberattacks. This type of attack is called island hopping.

The term island hopping is inspired by the military strategy that was taken by the US against Japan in World War II. It was difficult for the US military to get to mainland Japan directly. So, they targeted some nearby islands like Hawaii, Guan, Marshal island, etc. Those islands were not well-defended and they were capable of supporting the drive to the main islands of Japan. In an island hopping attack also attackers use a similar strategy. Instead of targeting a large company, they target smaller companies that are affiliate with the large company. If the smaller companies are not well-protected, attackers can easily exploit them to launch cyberattacks on the targeted large organization.

How does island hopping work actually? And, how can we prevent this attack? In this article, we will discuss that in detail.