I bet you can’t imagine today’s world without technology. Everything, be it personal or for business is technology-driven. Nothing comes without a cost, and the cost of technology is cybercrime and privacy Breach. Big giants like Facebook, Google and official websites of the countries are continuously get attacked by hackers. In the past couple of years the need to tackle these issues aroused. Thanks to the genius mind who came up with the idea of cybersecurity.
Before going into the further details of what cybersecurity do. I will give you an insight of what cybersecurity is.
It is a practice of protecting your computers, servers, mobiles devices, electronic systems, networks and most importantly data. In short, it is a tool that you can use to defend your overall data from vicious attackers or hackers.
Cybersecurity is a term that can be applied in various contexts, from businesses to mobile computing, it can be divided into other common categories.
Other common names or terms used for cybersecurity are:
a) Network Security
b) Application Security
c) Information Security
d) Operational Security
e) Disaster Recovery
Each term serves a different purpose but they are used collectivity for cybersecurity.
Now let’s discuss each term in detail.
Network Security:
it is practice observed to secure a computer network from intruders. The attack can be targeted or opportunistic malware, but it is an effective practice to protect computer networks.
Application Security:
As the name suggests that it focuses on software and devices, to keep them threat-free. A compromised application can provide access to the data it is meant to protect. The security phase begins in the design stage before a program/software device is deployed.
Information Security:
Any data is sensitive. The main target of most of the hackers and cyber-attackers is data. The information security protects and guards the integrity and privacy of the data, whether in storage and in transit.
Operational Security:
As data itself is sensitive so is the process of handling it is sensitive. This type of security includes processes and decisions of handling and managing data. The permissions asked by the users while accessing a network and procedures determines where the data would be stored and how it would be shared. This all falls under operational security.
Disaster Recovery:
Different organizations respond to cyber-attacks differently. The disaster recovery defines how an organization to these attacks and hackers or other events that result in loss of operations and data. It explains organizations on how to recover and restore the data and operation plus information. It also explains how after recovery information and data, an organization can return to operate in its full capacity.
These types are proving to be very effective in safeguarding data from threats. However, the question arises that to what scale the cyber threat exist?
In the US, the government spends $19 billion yearly on cybersecurity. Yet, the cyber-attacks are increasing rapidly. To combat these attacks the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), suggests a real-time and continuous monitoring of all the electronic devices and resources.
The three types of threats are countered by the cybersecurity are:
1. Cyber-Crime:
Including a single attacker or a group of attackers, cybercrime is carried out for financial gain or to create disruption. The financial data in this case is more fragile and exposed to the threat.
2. Cyber-Attack:
To gain political attention or to trigger the tension between two countries, these attacks are carried out across the world. In these attacks, the attackers hack the official websites of the government of any targeted country to extract sensitive political information.
3. Cyber-Terror:
It is related with undermining the electronic system to create panic and fear among people.
The above three are frequently used by the hackers to keep on creating disruption.
Beside these, the common methods used by attackers to get control over computers and networks include; Viruses, Worms, Spyware, Trojans, and ransomwares.
Viruses and Worms are the worst as they are able to self-replicate, eventually damaging the systems or sensitive files.
Whereas, Trojan and Ransomware are used for manipulating the secret data. Ransomware encrypts all the data and information of the users and to return the access, it demands payment from the users.
Cybersecurity threats are not confined to a few companies or governments but it can affect all the industries, regardless of size. The industries which suffered and reported more cyberattacks in recent years are; healthcare, manufacturing, finance and government. The attack and hacking pattern of the cybercriminals have shown a strange interest in medical and finance data. However, all the businesses that use networks are exposed to the cyber-threat.
User Protection
No business would want to lose its customers and clients because of cyber-attacks. Therefore, it has become inevitable to protect the privacy of the end users.
Cybersecurity depends on cryptographic protocols to encrypt emails, files and other critical and sensitive data. This is used in protecting information in transit and guarding against the theft or loss.
The end user security software is meant to scan computers for pieces of malicious code. Then it quarantines the code and eliminates it from the machine.
These end user security programs are effective enough to remove the hidden malicious codes from Master Boot Record (MBR). They also encrypt or wipe data from the hard drive of a computer.
Electronic Security:
These protocols focus on real-time malware detection. To monitor the behavior of a program and its code, it uses heuristic or behavioral analysis. This security system is used to protect and defend against viruses or Trojan that results is change of the shape with each execution.
The security programs can detect a potentially malicious program and new infections. These programs enable th cybersecurity professionals to evolve new defenses to identify new threats and some new ways to tackle and combat cyber-attacks.
It is important to keep your data and devices save from the attackers. Make sure to save your personal and sensitive data. Report about any person you find involve in cybercrime.
Remember that Cyber-Security is inevitable in today’s world.