Intro:
With the rise of new technologies, like AI, cybersecurity has become a big concern for many companies. In 2022 alone, there were 2100 data breaches which led to approximately 22 billion records being exposed. Not only do these breaches put the person whose data is being exposed at risk, but they can also cost the companies affected millions of dollars. The more humans interact digitally the more important it becomes for us to find new solutions for safeguarding data. In this blog post, I will briefly discuss cybersecurity and its impact.
What Is Cybersecurity?
According to IBM, Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting critical systems and sensitive information from digital attacks. Some examples of cybersecurity measures are network security, application security, information security, and operational security. The main goal of cybersecurity is to defend devices against hackers and suspicious software while simultaneously maintaining the privacy of data.
The Problem
As mentioned in the introduction, cybersecurity breaches are widespread. One that has been widely talked about in the media lately is the T-Mobile data breach, which led to approximately 37 million postpaid and prepaid accounts. It took around one month for this attack to be caught. This breach led to customers’ phone numbers, emails, names, and addresses being stolen. It did not include passwords or PINs, bank account or credit card information, Social Security numbers, or other government IDs, according to T-Mobile. This breach alone cost the company approximately 500 million dollars. The company has agreed to pay $350 million to settle customer claims and another $150 million to upgrade its data breach. This is their fourth major data breach since 2015. As a T-Mobile customer, I expect my data to be kept safe, especially since when creating an account with them you provide a lot of personal information including your social security number and bank information. You would not expect your phone company to be the one putting your life at risk.
The Solutions
The biggest downfall when it comes to cybersecurity attacks is that once your information has been exposed, there is no reversing the damage. That is why it is important for companies, especially larger ones, to be focused on ways they can avoid attacks. There are a couple of solutions that we can utilize to help prevent such attacks from happening.
- First, make sure that your staff is well trained. A lot of cybersecurity attacks happen from employees logging in or providing information to miscellaneous links which then gives the hackers access to the company’s systems. Always double-check the links that are sent to you and if you are unsure, just ask your boss.
- The second suggestion that I have is to make sure that your software is up to date. When your software is not up to date that makes it weaker and makes it easier for cybercriminals to gain access to your network
- Third, make sure that you use strong passwords and that you are constantly updating your password at least every 3 months.
- Lastly, consider using a VPN when you are working from anywhere other than your office. A VPN is a “virtual private network’” that is supposed to protect your internet connection and privacy when working online.
These are just four suggestions that I have for avoiding cybersecurity attacks, but of course, there are many others out there. Do your research and figure out which measures will work best for either your personal use or your company.
The Future
As technology is evolving, cybersecurity must evolve as well. According to Field Effect, there are a growing number of threats that businesses should keep an eye on.
- CaaS – CaaS which stands for Cyber Crime as a Service, makes it easier for inexperienced hackers to accumulate knowledge and tools to participate in cyber attacks.
- Malware Automation – Hackers are now able to use a machine to conduct cyber crime which allows them to execute far more attacks a day.
- Polymorphic malware – Malware can now change their identifiable features which makes it easier for them to hide from security teams.
There are also a variety of long-term cyber security concerns that will also affect cybersecurity, like IoT Technology. IoT technology has relatively weak security measures and makes it easy to access highly sensitive information. Another suggestion that Field Effect suggest is to focus on social engineering techniques, such as phishing and compromising business emails.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that cybersecurity breaches are not ever going away, especially as we come out with more technology. We must now up our security and make sure that we find different ways to prevent the breaches because once data is leaked there is no going back. The good thing is that this creates more job opportunities for people like us. Cybersecurity jobs will always be needed and this is a good way for us to help with these cyberattacks.
Citations:
https://www.cshub.com/attacks/articles/the-biggest-data-breaches-and-leaks-of-2022
https://fieldeffect.com/blog/what-is-the-future-of-cyber-security
Hi Erica! Great post! As a T-Mobile customer myself, I had absolutely no idea that this breach even happened, but I’m glad I know now. I really liked how you included ways to prevent (or at least, minimize) cybersecurity attacks from happening, even if it’s something so small as using strong passwords. I feel like whenever Apple suggests a super long and complex password, I just ignore it. But maybe now, I should definitely take those passwords into consideration! 🙂
Also, I didn’t even know that there has been new cybercrimes like CaaS. Last time I learned about cybersecurity, everything was about phising attacks. Super interesting and scary to learn that there’s new ones!
Hey Erica, fun fact I’m a t-mobile user myself! Although Cybersecurity is an area that the majority of those who use technology should learn about because attacks can happen to anyone at any time. Safe practices such as encrypting your data and anti-malware can keep your identity intact. I love how you highlighted the fact that the attacks will never go away because as new technology is presented to the public, new ways of hacking and framing are also created through the internet.
Another point I related to was the part on VPN and its effectiveness. VPN is used on college campuses, even in work places to reinforce the safety of your private data. I’ll build upon my current cybersecurity practices with some of the examples that you named, thanks!
Hey Erica, great post! Something that stood out to me was how companies need to prepare their employees for cybersecurity attacks. During my internship training, we had to complete a module about cyber security. I have heard about companies sending replica phishing emails to employees to test their ability to sense a security breach.
Over the course of my internship this summer and the previous summer, I received around 10 emails that would have led to a security breach. One of the main ways to check the validity of an email – that appears it is from a known contact- is to click on the sender’s email address. Many times, the hackers are able to display a recognizable name within the email or subject line, but when you investigate a step further and look at the actual email address, it is unrecognizable and therefore exposes their false identity.
Your post brings up a lot of other great points related to cyber security and I enjoyed the read! Great job!!
I had to write a chapter on cybersecurity for my most recent book. I knew it was a problem, but I had no idea how big of a problem until I started looking into it. Companies should definitely be thinking about security from both a technical and employee perspective from the moment they start thinking about implementing new digital tools. Security needs to be considered from the outset for it to be effective.
Hey Erica! I really enjoyed reading your post, and the information you provided about cybersecurity. As the cybersecurity field continues to grow, I wonder what we can accomplish in the coming years with new innovations. T-Mobile really needs to rethink how they manage their data security. It seems to e a reoccurring problem, and they’re clearly doing something wrong.
Hi Erica! You made an awesome post! Cybersecurity is a hot topic with the rise of technology and numerous companies are wanting to hire trained personnel to fight against it. I enjoyed reading your suggestions on how to avoid cyber attacks and your thoughts on how it will affect our digital future. I remember being required to take courses on the importance of safeguarding digital information and keeping unwanted people outside of the physical office. It’s almost as if we work harder to keep our information safe than from getting it.