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