Cybersecurity, is an area of information security that focuses on digital information technologies. It deals with the way you protect your data, computers, mobile phones, software, corporate applications or computer network against hacking, misuse or theft of your data, which are typically:
- personal data
- money and access to bank details
- accounts and login details
- photos and other files
In other words, cybersecurity is concerned with protecting against cyber attacks.
What are the biggest threats to cybersecurity
The most common cyber-attacks and threats you should protect yourself against as part of your cyber security are:
- Identity theft
- Ransomware and digital blackmailing
- Malware
- Tracking software - botnets and the like
- Data mining using various social engineering tricks, such as Phishing, Man-in-the-middle attack
- Data retrieval using DNS spoofing
Cybersecurity is an approach, process and education
The vast majority of cyber-attacks exploit people's ignorance and lack of knowledge or processes (for example, lack of backups). Some cyber attacks can be prevented by technical protection (for example DDoS attacks or protection against the installation of tracking software or malware).
Cybersecurity is therefore built on several foundations:
Staff training and cybersecurity awareness
- Only people educated about potential cyber threats can defend themselves against them
- Cyber education includes recognizing suspicious emails, links or other situations
- Only people following good habits and processes can prevent some cyber risks
Data backup
- Having your data properly backed up is one of the basic precautions
- You can lose data not only as a result of a cyber attack, but also, for example, if you lose your computer
- Data backup is an essential element of data protection
Software and equipment updates and maintenance
- An outdated and unmaintained system, application, software, always poses a greater risk because it potentially contains more bugs and vulnerabilities
- Keep your software up to date
- Use non-obsolete equipment
Keep an eye on your devices, computers, mobile phones
- Keep an eye on your devices so you don't lose them or have them accessed by anyone else
- Lock your devices, keep your devices set to log in passwords, PINs or other authentication
Passwords
- Use strong, unique passwords
- A good password should be at least 8 characters long and contain upper and lower case letters and numbers
What can happen to your data
Cybersecurity protects your data and information. What can happen to it?
- You'll lose your data completely - for example, if your mobile phone or laptop is lost or is stolen. In short, you lose your data. In the best case, there's no one else to misuse it. For example, you lose all your contracts or photos.
- Someone unauthorised has access to your data. You have your data, but someone else can access it who you definitely don't want to. For example, someone else will know your bank login details.
- Someone else can get the data - if someone steals your phone and gets in, then you don't have the data and the thief does. He can blackmail you.
- Your data may be altered, either intentionally or unintentionally. You may have the data, but you cannot rely on it or it is altered in such a way that you make bad decisions based on it.