The general understanding in the world of information security and national defense is that cybersecurity will only become more relevant as time goes by, especially when we need to protect the new technologies we are coming up with. Some of these technologies are already in use, like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, as well as 5G. Others, like quantum computation, are still in the early developmental phase. All of which will require a cutting-edge level of cybersecurity. This is pretty well-established and there is ample evidence that underlines why this is the case.
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Cybersecurity vs Cybercrime
The biggest immediate factor for focusing on cybersecurity is that we are seeing unprecedented levels of dangerous cybercrime in 2021, a large increase from the previous years. Particularly alarming is that record levels of cybercrime have coincided with the pandemic and an isolated remote workforce. So, that means between 2019 and the present day. However, cyber threats have always statistically been on an incline as far as the timeline can stretch back in history.
Even more alarming is the rise of cyber-physical cybercrime affecting critical infrastructure and other sensitive sectors that deal with customer and patient data such as financial institutions and the medical sector. No industry has emerged unscathed from online threats, even the cryptocurrency industry. Unless a business does not use the internet for its operations and data storage, which is almost a nonexistent occurrence nowadays, the chance of a cyber attack is highly probable.
A rising number of high-risk malicious threat actors, upticks in nation-state hacking activity, and now expected malware and ransomware attacks over the current holiday season are all very good reasons to consider improving your personal cybersecurity or equally so your company’s information security stance.
What is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is just like any kind of security except it is exclusively for the digital realm. Think of it as a police force on the internet. Cybersecurity is the tools, approaches, and knowledge base that relate to the digital defense of digital devices, and most importantly the protection of data, or information security. Digital devices can be anything from large enterprise mainframe servers to home devices such as your smartphone. Cybersecurity encapsulates it all and is a thriving multi-billion dollar industry, particularly as cybercrime and malware have advanced to new heights, an equivalent response is always required from the cybersecurity sector.
How to Improve Your Cybersecurity Stance
Cybersecurity measures, frameworks, approaches and compliance all differ when it comes to home applications vs business/enterprise cybersecurity applications. Indeed, there are points where the two converge which are best practices that apply to everyone (which we can leave for the end section), however, when compliance and enterprise solutions enter the picture it is important to differentiate the two. Let’s dive into expert solutions for both realms.
When it comes to enterprise, things get very complex and multi-pronged. Enterprise cybersecurity, meaning businesses, institutions, industry, and organizational cybersecurity, is quite different from simple home cybersecurity measures. When we talk about healthcare, education, government, the industrial sector, and the tech research sector the rules of information security are very complex and approaches are extremely strict.
The days of simply using a firewall to protect an organization are long gone, just like the days of simply wearing a seatbelt no longer suffice. Multiple security measures are required to fight modern cybercrime and human error. Some of these are;
- Protecting cloud-based infrastructure and on-premise infrastructure
- Mitigation measures against third-party risks
- Applying risk management plans such as risk assessment
- Applying remediation plans
- Evaluating access privileges throughout the infrastructure
- Instating cybersecurity training and awareness programs for employees
- Integrating the business with a managed security solution
- Complying with cybersecurity frameworks
- Complying with data privacy laws and regulations
- Assessing internal threats such as human error, sabotage and, misconfigurations
The main point that separates enterprise cybersecurity from home cybersecurity is the sensitivity and scale of the data involved. That is not to say, however, that home cybersecurity should ever be taken lightly because a cyber breach on one user’s device can have a domino effect on multiple networks.
As far as home cybersecurity goes, the following list narrows it down;
- Securing the home wifi router, which is the first entry point of internet traffic and first potential entry point for cyberattacks
- Using cybersecurity solutions such as premium antimalware programs, Virtual Private Networks
- Employing file encryption or system data encryption wherever possible
- Ensuring that the operating system firewall is activated
- Use multi-factor authentication wherever possible across accounts
Universal Best Practices
As for universal best practices that are a basic framework for all digital device users, many are set in stone and are known to prevent fundamental mistakes and shortcomings that can compromise user, data, and network safety. Some of those would be the following;
- Password hygiene across all devices and accounts is critical. Using predictable, short passwords and especially using identical passwords across multiple accounts is an invitation to have your data sabotaged or stolen
- Connecting to unsecured networks should be avoided at all costs
- The downloading of unverified third-party apps should be avoided
- Avoiding phishing scams that can infect users via malware over fraudulent websites and emails
- Keeping all software on all devices updated to the latest official manufacturer version
- The visitation of potentially dangerous websites such as those offering the downloading of copyrighted material should be avoided
Whether you are a home user browsing YouTube and reading your emails, or a big business that deals with millions of customer files, the rules remain mostly the same. The blistering speed via which data traffic travels back and forth on the internet, coupled with thousands of platforms and billions of users reveals an extremely dangerous environment for all. The internet is not an enforced realm, because it is simply too large and completely out of control. For these reasons, utilizing common sense will go a long way when it comes to the safety and integrity of data, as well as avoiding other catastrophic events such as people’s wellbeing.
