Cybersecurity refers to the practice of preventing and stopping cybercrime on electronic systems, servers, networks, data, mobile devices, and computers. It is also called electronic info security or information technology security. Cybersecurity can be divided into several categories, such as operational security, disaster recovery, information security, business continuity, application security, and end-user education.
Cybercrime is a criminal activity involving a networked device, a computer network, or a computer. Most of these crimes are committed by hackers and cybercriminals on a mission to generate wealth for themselves. A single person or an organization can carry it out. Cybercrime fall into two broad categories. Crimes conducted through the internet and crimes that relate to computers themselves. Malicious cyber activity is dangerous to the public’s safety and the country’s economic security. This is why the government has invested extensively in cybersecurity and supporting the FBI to investigate these crimes against their cyber adversaries.
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The scale of cyber threats
As the world develops, the threat increases. The number of data breaches reported each year continues to rise at a rapid pace. Research released by RiskBased Security showed that within the first nine months of 2019, close to eight billion records had been exposed by cyber crooks who have been responsible for most incidents. Public entities, retailers, and medical services are the sectors that experienced the most breaches.
Cybercime varies depending on the job. These industries are more appealing for cyber crime because criminals get access to funds and important data. Some crimes are committed by novice hackers, while others are highly skilled and use state-of-the-art techniques. Most of their missions are always organized. Crimes that are committed for reasons other than money are mostly personal or political.
The IDC – International Data Corporation has predicted the rise of cyber threats in the future. It also reported that the global spending would rise as governments try to assist organizations in implementing effective cyber-security measures.
Threats to cyber-security
With the development of technology and a growing number of people relying on digital devices, there’s a higher need to understand more about the threats. This is because serious crimes can be committed by crooks that are thousands of miles away. Here are a few types of cyber threats.
Phishing
Phishing is a type of crime where victims are lured into disclosing their confidential information through spam emails, phone calls, or text messages sent to a large number of people. Criminals always try to convince victims to do things that undermine their privacy, security, and the security of the organizations they work. Phishing content contains infected links and attachments to malicious sites.
Malware attacks
This occurs when a computer network or system is attacked by a computer virus or any other type of malware. There are several reasons why criminals use malware to compromise computers. Such reasons include causing harm to the data, committing more crimes using the computer, or stealing confidential information. A famous example of a malware attack is the WannaCry attack in 2017 that affected more than 200,000 devices across the world. It caused losses upwards of $4 billion.
Identity theft
Identity theft is a crime that occurs when a person uses another’s identity to access their data or important accounts. They use the accessed accounts such as credit cards and banking to benefit themselves. These criminals can also buy and sell other people’s identities in the dark markets offering all types of accounts, including online auctions, audio streaming, webmail, video, and financial accounts. Most of them target confidential health information.
Other cyber threats include; cryptojacking, credit card fraud, software piracy, cyberespionage, exit scam, and cyberextortion, among others.
How to protect yourself from cyberattacks
- Use lengthy passwords to make them stronger. Ensure they cannot be guessed easily.
- Update your operating systems and software to benefit from the latest security updates
- Install anti-virus software that will help detect and eliminate threats.
- Do not click on unfamiliar links or those sent from unknown sources.
- Avoid WIFI networks in unknown places because they may be unsecure.
- Avoid opening email attachments from unfamiliar senders.
- Use a firewall for internet connection
- Train yourself in security principles
- Control physical access to your network components and computers