Just as you protect your home by locking your front door when you leave, you need to protect your network and your computer with the proper approach to cyber security. Find out why cyber security is important and the different types of threats a cyber security solution can protect you against.
What is cyber security?
Cyber security refers to the protection of systems connected to the Internet against threats present in cyberspace. This approach involves the protection of software, data and hardware and helps prevent cyber criminals from gaining access to devices or networks.
The different elements that make up cyber security
The best cyber security solution should be comprehensive and will include:
Application security
This cyber security solution should also include a disaster recovery or business continuity plan. This plan outlines how the business will recover from any cyber attacks in the future, as well as preventative methods, such as employee training/awareness.
The importance of a cyber security solution?
The importance of a cyber security solution comes down to the strong desire to secure private information, data and devices. In today’s world, individuals store vast amounts of data on computers and other internet-connected devices. Much of it is sensitive data, such as passwords or financial data.
If a cyber criminal were to gain access to this data, he could generate a whole series of problems. He could share sensitive information, use passwords to steal funds or even modify data so that such an operation benefits them in some way.
Individuals need it for similar reasons, although intellectual property is a less important parameter here, however there is a higher risk of losing important files, such as family photos For example, if a cyber attack targeted a power plant, it could cause a city-wide blackout. If the latter targeted a bank, it could be used to rob hundreds of thousands of people.
The benefits of a cyber security solution
By implementing security, businesses and individuals can protect themselves against all of the cyber security threats described below, as well as many other existing cyber threats.
With a cyber security solution, companies no longer have to worry about unauthorized users accessing their network or data. Such a possibility helps them to protect both their end users and their employees.
The different types of cyber security threats
DDoS attacks
A DDoS or Distributed Denial of Service attack occurs when cybercriminals saturate a network or its servers by sending too much traffic. Such an attack prevents the network from processing valid requests and renders the entire system unusable. The latter can completely shut down businesses.
Malware
This malware can include computer viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, worms, and any other program or file that can harm the computer. Malware is usually spread through downloads that appear legitimate or via attachments in emails.
Adware is adware that delivers malware.
Botnets represent a collection of several computers infected with malware and forming a network.
Cyber criminals use them to perform online tasks without the permission of the owners of the affected devices.
Ransomware locks data and files and threatens to leave them encrypted or else delete them unless the victim pays a ransom.
Spyware records a user’s actions, such as collecting credit card information.
Trojans are malware disguised to appear as legitimate software. However, after being downloaded, they collect data or cause damage.
Viruses self-replicate. They attach themselves to a file and then spread through the computer system.
Man-in-the-Middle
An example would be a cyber attack using an unsecured Wi-Fi network to intercept data that the victim sends from their computer to the network.
Phishing
This type of cyber security threat involves sending fake emails from seemingly legitimate sources in order to obtain information such as credit card details or passwords.
Social Engineering
This type of attack tricks users into violating security procedures using human interactions. Cyber criminals usually combine social engineering attacks with others, such as phishing, to increase the chances of the victim clicking on a link or downloading a file.
SQL Injection
SQL stands for Structured Query Language. An SQL injection aims to perform actions on the data of a database and potentially to recover them. It involves inserting malicious code via SQL statements, taking advantage of vulnerabilities in data-driven applications.
Cyber security challenges
Evolution is permanent
Perhaps the biggest challenge in cyber security is the continuous development of technology, which presents cyber criminals with an ever-growing list of opportunities that they can exploit. To make this challenge even more complex, cyber criminals are constantly developing new methods to carry out their cyber attacks .