Some misconceptions about Cyber security that you need to be aware of
In general, most companies’ security departments failed miserably when implementing adequate cyber security measures. They fail dismally at their job because they don’t know how cyber criminals operate and therefore can’t anticipate what line of defense they should implement to keep their systems safe.
First of all, many companies are just not interested in cyber security. Besides trying to save money by scrimping on costs, they can be putting their customers’ data at risk. “The results were eye-opening,” said Teri Robinson, Emerging Technologies Cyber Security Practice director at Unisys Corporation. “For example, 19 percent of the respondents said they believed there was no real difference between using an internal security administrator or an external company for conducting penetration testing.”
What does “cyber security” mean?
In general terms, cyber security refers to protecting networks and information from any unauthorized access or attack. A more technical description would be that it is a collection of tools and techniques to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. On a fundamental level, this means keeping hackers out of our Facebook profile by continuously changing the password so they cannot use it if they ever manage to get in.
Cyber security is not just relevant for people with a high profile who might have a public image to keep up – compromising one’s privacy can have consequences beyond being embarrassed on social media. It has been reported that cybercriminals have managed to break into the medical records of big organizations such as hospitals, and even worse, stolen children’s identities. Consult RemoteDBA.com for more.
Are we protected?
Although cyber security is much more relevant today than just ten or twenty years ago, it has not yet reached its maturity stage. More importantly, the number of people interested in these issues lags behind those affected by them. There are many ways to protect one’s self online – simple measures such as reading through terms and conditions before clicking “I Agree” can drastically reduce the risks; installing security software on one’s computer, smartphone, or tablet; protecting access with complex passwords; verifying whether websites (such as banking portals) use HTTPS:// rather than HTTP://; and much more.
Even though there are many simple measures to protect ourselves online, most people do not take advantage of these measures or even know they exist. Only 52% of smartphone users use a password on their phones, and only 38% use one on their computer. This is quite surprising considering that around 4 out of 10 Americans have been victims of cybercrime in some way or another – that’s about 100 million people.
How can we improve?
As mentioned above, simply reading through terms and conditions is a huge step towards improving cyber security. The average person spends 40 hours per year doing this, which fortunately makes up for a lack of knowledge regarding passwords and overall safety.
Use external company
Using an external company with less knowledge is probably more expensive than its cost-saving may seem to be! It is also more likely that the information will reach the wrong ears, which would be a threat to national security and your security. Another ‘surprising’ result is that only a third of the companies tested had a cyber security policy in place, which could mean they don’t have a formal way of mitigating vulnerabilities and threats.
“It’s surprising because it means two-thirds of the respondents are operating without a clear directive on how to handle sensitive information,” Robinson said. “The lack of a cyber security policy may be why some sources within the organizations say they don’t feel their employers take cyber security seriously.”
People think that cyber security isn’t essential when even if you wrapped yourself from head to toe; you would still be exposed to many types of! Even so, your head is exposed through your mouth, ears, and eyes – you might not be able to see or hear the threats, but they are still there. You also have a bigger chance of being mugged in broad daylight than under darkness cover, which most cybercriminals prefer.
Why would you implement a line of defense that you don’t know will work? Remember, most cybercriminals operate from outside your country, which is one more reason why hiring someone from within doesn’t make sense. It’s like putting up a blindfold on yourself rather than expecting not to bump into things! That’s just pointless!
“It is expected that cyber-attacks will keep growing in number and severity over the next few years,” said John Pironti, president of IP Architects LLC. “Yet many organizations are still in denial about the magnitude of their exposure to cyber-attacks. They tend to not engage with others regarding what they need to do to address this issue, which starts by recognizing that the threat is real.”
So you don’t believe there’s a threat? Well, if your data weren’t out on the Internet, then there wouldn’t be! This means that it may be possible for anyone who knows where/how to look up your information – which could be used for identity theft, for example.
Take precautions, protect yourself, and make sure you know what you’re doing before putting any plans into place! The more expertise your security department has, the better able they can adapt quickly and efficiently.
“A holistic approach, where security is built into each part of an organization’s business process to reduce the likelihood of cybercrime occurring in the first place, will go a long way toward mitigating the impact,” said Rasmussen. “This results in fewer attacks getting through and also reduces the strain on limited resources that are needed to respond to these incidents when they do occur.”
Our lifestyles are now driven by cyber technology, which makes it quite obvious why ensuring cyber security is so important. But what does this term mean? And more importantly, how can we ensure cyber security?
It has been said that we live in a cyber-driven era, and there is no doubt about it. From the moment we switch on our smartphone’s screen to check our messages and instantly share photos and videos with our peers worldwide, from buying products online to running services such as Netflix streaming movies and Spotify music, the internet now drives almost every function of ours.