Cybersecurity has become an increasingly critical part of being on the internet. As hacking techniques become more advanced, we must rise to the occasion and meet the challenges posed. Think about all the high-class cases of data breaches that have happened in the last few decades. It opens to door for worse things as well as potential lawsuits.
No one wants that. That is why it is so important to maintain a security structure for yourself and/or your place of business. If you aren’t sure what these terms mean or why you should invest, keep reading! I’ll explain.
What is Cyber Security?
There are a few prongs to it, and many definitions. You may want to start here on this page as you learn. The definition is the act of defending your device, network, and data from external attacks. This could include forms of criminal activities and unauthorized access. It also involves maintaining high levels of integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information.
This involves several processes, unsurprisingly. As far as what is involved, first there is the security of your network. This is protecting it from external users or attackers who are trying to intrude.
Next there is data security. If you are operating within a server, you are likely holding some sort of data. Depending on what sort of business you may have, you probably have information from or about clients that needs to stay safe. In this vein, you also must protect any databases you have.
Identity management is another facet of this. For the most part, this is simply understanding the permissions that each person within a system has. However, this does need to be monitored and evaluated every so often to make sure that nothing slips through the cracks.
The data that you have in the “cloud,” which is an online storage base (it could be hosted on a variety of sites, it is up to personal preference) must also be maintained and secure. As you can see, there are many different things to keep in mind. You can read further here: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/stem/what-is-cyber-security.
How it Works
There are a few steps to take in maintaining your networks. The first is educating yourself on what you can do to prevent attacks in the first place. After all, education is one of the most important forms of prevention when applied to almost anything.
So, what should you know? It starts with what some attacks look like. It is hard to stop something that you don’t know exists.
Hackers
This is probably the most popular form of attack that we hear about today. Now, they aren’t like the ones that we see in the movies. It is not as simple as typing in a few codes or sitting at a desk and hunching over a laptop. There are even multiple classifications of hackers. You can discover more about them on this page.
This process could involve several things, such as stealing passwords, other personal data, and even holding it hostage via encryption. It is one of the most serious threats to our security online and we must always be vigilant. You may even want to have “white hackers” on your side, which is the term for counter-hackers.
Viruses
Some people may know these as a form of malicious code. However, because they are more colloquially known as computer viruses, that is how I will refer to them. They are also called malware.
There are a lot of programs that exist to protect us from them, but that is not the only step to take against them. Trojan horses are one of the most insidious types of them. You can read more about them here, if you want to know the details: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cybersecurity.asp.
The thing about these is that often, they require a person to take some form of action before they can actually infect your computer. This could be opening an email attachment. This is the most common form. Clicking on a link and going to a specific website could also be a method.
The more insidious types of them masquerade as another form of software. Some examples could be a program that claims it is going to speed up or clean up your computer. Instead, it will harvest your information and send it to the creator of the virus.
Protecting Yourself
This can be somewhat difficult, especially nowadays. Due to the advancement of attackers, defenders must be on their guard more than ever before. That being said, there are many methods that you can take.
You will want to identify any potential vulnerabilities within your programs. Always make sure that any software you are using is kept up to date. If you don’t, this can lead to a potential way for unauthorized users to infiltrate your system.
You may also want to get an anti-virus. If you are very serious, there are network security services out there that can assist with ensuring you and your data stays safe. Programs and services like this can locate malicious codes or flaws in your network and quarantine them or remedy the issues.
Educating your staff is another key part of this. They need to be aware that viruses can be lurking in their email inboxes in particular. Suspicious links or attachments from unfamiliar senders should never be clicked on or opened. Popups that say something like “you’ve won a contest” or similar should be scrutinized. Don’t fall for easy ploys!
Some final pointers I will provide today involve a bit more personal responsibility. You and your workers should never keep default usernames and passwords. Instead, do your best to create new and difficult ones to guess.
Additionally, a multi-factor authentication method might be useful. This is another layer of security for ensuring identity, so even if a password and username are guessed or data mined, an MFA can prevent catastrophe. Using an app or smartphone texting system for verification certainly isn’t a bad idea.
However you go forward, be safe out there. Cyber security is no joke.
