Also known as information security,
cyber security refers to the practice of ensuring the integrity,
confidentiality and availability (ICA) of information. Cybersecurity is
comprised of an evolving set of tools, risk management approaches,
technologies, training, and best practices designed to protect networks,
devices, programs, and data from attack or unauthorized access.
Why
is Cyber security Important?
The world trusts technology more than
ever. As a result, digital data creation has increased. Today, companies and
governments store a large amount of this data on computers and transmit it over
their networks to other computers. Devices and their underlying systems have
vulnerabilities that, when exploited, compromise the health and goals of an
organization.
A data breach can have a number of
devastating consequences for any business. It can unravel a company's
reputation by losing consumer and partner trust. The loss of critical data,
such as source files or intellectual property, can cost the company its
competitive advantage. Going further, a data breach can affect corporate
revenues due to non-compliance with data protection regulations. On average, a
data breach is estimated to cost an affected organization $ 3.6 million. With
high profile data breaches that make headlines, it is essential for organizations
to adopt and implement a strong cybersecurity approach.
Common
Types of Cyber security
Network Security: protects network traffic by
controlling inbound and outbound connections to prevent threats from entering
or spreading on the network.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP): protects data by focusing on the
location, classification, and monitoring of information at rest, in use, and on
the go.
Cloud Security: provides protection for data used in
cloud-based services and applications.
Intrusion Detection Systems
(IDS) or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS): work to identify potentially hostile cyber activities.
Identity and Access Management
(IAM) use: authentication services to limit and
track employee access to protect internal systems from malicious entities.
Encryption is the process of encoding
data to make it unintelligible and is generally used during data transfer to
prevent theft in transit.
Antivirus / anti-malware: solutions scan computer systems for known
threats. Modern solutions are capable of detecting previously unknown threats
based on their behavior.
Common Types of Cyber Threats
Malware
-
Malicious software such as
computer viruses, spyware, Trojans, and key registrars.
Ransom
goods -
malware that blocks or encrypts
data until a ransom is paid.Phishing Attacks - The practice of obtaining sensitive information (for example, passwords, and credit card information) through an email, phone call, or disguised text message.
Social Engineering - The psychological manipulation of individuals to obtain confidential
information; usually overlaps with phishing.
Advanced
Persistent Threat - Attack in which an unauthorized user gains access to
a system or network and remains undetected for a long time.
Cyber security is Constantly Evolving
Traditional cybersecurity revolves around
the implementation of defensive measures around a defined perimeter. Recent
activation initiatives, such as remote workers and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
strategies, have dissolved the perimeter, reduced visibility on e-business and
expanded the attack surface.
Today, the gaps are increasing rapidly, despite record levels of
security spending. Global organizations are turning to human-centric
cybersecurity, a new approach focused on changing user behavior rather than an
exponential number of growing threats. Based on behavioral analysis,
human-centric cybersecurity provides information about how an end user
interacts with data and extends security controls to all systems hosting data,
even if they are not controlled exclusively by the company. Ultimately, this
approach is designed to identify behavioral anomalies in order to identify and
prioritize the most serious threats, reducing the time needed for investigation
and detection of threats.
