Importance of Cyber Security

We have entered an era where technical devices are getting more advanced and is being used in so many different parts of our lives. There is an ongoing list of “smart technology” or IoTs (internet of things) that is being utilized in our homes and even in our work place to make our daily tasks easier or to protect what is valuable. But what these smart devices that we use are vulnerable to cyber attacks?

So what is Cyber Security and why is it so important? Level of cyber threats are increasing just as fast as technology is advancing. We are more prone to hacks and breaches more than ever, due to the number of users on the internet, cloud services, and especially for organizations that have introduced working from home due to the pandemic. The idea of cybersecurity is to protecting data including personal information, sensitive data, personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI) and more. Cybersecurity is an important factor as it supports any individual and/or organizations to properly protective sensitive information by securing networks, systems, devices and programs from attacks.

Unfortunately, there are so many different ways that an adversary can carry out an attack which includes use of malware, phishing, denial of service, zero-day exploits, social engineering and more. Some of the major breaches that you may remember are Target, eBay, Equifax, Yahoo, Amazon Ring, FireEye, etc. These attacks have impacted millions of users and consumers and these companies were charged millions of dollars in fines. You may think that big major companies are the main targets of attackers, but any individual may also become a target. So what are some things that we can do to protect our data?

1. Use complex passwords. Making your passwords more complex rather than using your pet’s name will make it harder for an attacker to breach your system or your accounts.
2. Enable multi-factor authentication. This simple step will increase the level of security by adding in an extra layer authorization aside from your username and password.
3. Enable access management on your router. You can access your router and edit settings to improve the security measures on your network. Enabling access management will only allow approved devices to connect to your network.
4. Use anti-malware, anti-virus programs. These programs are designed to protect your systems from malware and viruses which may allow the attacker to breach your system.

These four easy steps will improve the security of your network, systems, devices and programs which overall will help you protect your sensitive data. Don’t forget that we are all vulnerable to attacks, even if you think that your data is not valuable.