Topic starter
A data salami attack (also called a salami slicing attack) is a type of cybercrime and fraud where an attacker steals very small amounts of data or money repeatedly, so each individual theft is too tiny to notice, but together they add up to a significant loss.
How it works (simple explanation)
-
The attacker skims tiny portions (like fractions of a cent or small bits of data).
-
Each slice is so small that victims or systems usually don’t detect it.
-
Over time, the accumulated “slices” become valuable to the attacker.
Common examples
-
Banking fraud: A malicious program rounds down interest calculations and transfers the leftover fractions of cents into the attacker’s account.
-
Payroll systems: Tiny amounts are deducted from many employees’ salaries.
-
Data theft: Small pieces of sensitive data are slowly extracted to avoid triggering security alerts.
Why it’s hard to detect
-
Individual losses are negligible.
-
Monitoring systems may ignore such small discrepancies.
-
Victims rarely check records at that level of detail.
Why it’s called “salami”
Just like slicing a salami into thin pieces, each slice seems insignificant on its own—but the whole salami is valuable.
Posted : 28/12/2025 10:25 pm
