Cybersecurity is a term that most of us hear on a daily basis, but what does it actually mean? In simple terms, cybersecurity represents all the actions that we take to protect devices, networks, and personal information from hackers, viruses, and other online threats. It helps individuals and businesses alike to keep their sensitive information safe from the bad guys.
In today’s digital world, where virtually everything we do implies using the internet, staying safe online is more important than ever.
Think of cybersecurity like shepherd dogs. When the wolves try to attack the flock, the shepherd dogs alert the shepherd and even fight back against the malevolent wolves in an attempt to protect the sheep. In the same way cybersecurity measures and tools(e.g. Antivirus Software) can protect your devices and network against threat actors(hackers).
Is Cybersecurity Important?
The answer is: absolutely! We must take the proper measures and secure all our devices and data in order to avoid the very detrimental outcome of:
- Having passwords stolen and our accounts hacked
- Losing sensitive personal information that could be used for identity theft
- Becoming a victim of ransomware, where hackers restrict access to our own devices, encrypting our devices’ files and demanding money to unlock them
- Falling for phishing scams, where hackers trick people into giving them sensitive information
- Getting our credit card data stolen and used by hackers to purchase whatever they please
Criminal activities in the cyber sphere show no sign of slowing down. Actually, their rate is expected to grow more by the day. In case anyone was wondering, cybercrimes damage costs are expected to be over $10 trillion worldwide in 2025(Source: Statista). That figure would make it to Top 3 biggest country economies(after USA and China), exceeding that of countries like Germany and Japan.
Types of Cyber Threats
Hackers are very creative and with each day, they discover new ways to attack. However, here are some common attack types:
- Malware – Short for Malicious Software. Viruses that are built with the intention of stealing data, damage or destroy devices.
- Social Engineering – Scams where attackers try to bait people into revealing sensitive data. One of the most popular Social Engineering attack is Phishing.
- Ransomware – Hackers lock your files and demand money to be able to access them again
- Data Breaches – Gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information
How Can We Protect Ourselves Against Online Threats?
Truth is, no matter how strong our security measures are, we are never completely invulnerable to attacks. Even big companies get hacked, despite their gigantic security budgets. If large corporations can be targeted, then it’s safe to assume that individuals and small businesses are even more vulnerable. Despite the fact that we can’t guarantee our online safety, we can at least drastically reduce the risks(to the point where it’s negligible) of being hacked when surfing the web by doing the following:
- Use complex and unique passwords for every account
- Do not click on suspicious links in mails or messages
- Use an Antivirus Software
- Keep your software and OS updated
- Enable multi-factor authentication(MFA) for more security layers
- Use a VPN when connected to public WiFi
- Don’t share any personal data online