What is Cybersecurity? Introduction to Cybersecurity

What is cybersecurity?

Is it something to be concerned about?

Is there cyber warfare going on in the world?

These questions are enough to intrigue anyone to learn cybersecurity.

Here’s an introduction to cybersecurity,

Cybersecurity or information technology security refers to the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital threats. 

It is the cybersecurity expert’s job to ensure that a hacker doesn’t gain unauthorized access to the system or information. These computer network security threats are typically aimed at accessing, changing, as well as destroying sensitive information. 

Consequently, the attackers can ask for money or disrupt the process of a business. 

If you wish to learn cybersecurity, starting by getting an introduction to ethical hacking might not be a bad idea.  However, today we will be focusing on the topic of cybersecurity.

 

 

Categories of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a term that can be applied with context to many things. From the business world to the realm of mobile computing. Common categories in Cybersecurity are:

• Network security – the practice of securing a computer network.
• Application security –  focuses on keeping software and/or devices safe from any and all threats. The design and development stages are when the security of software begins. 
• Information security – this refers to protecting the integrity as well as the privacy of data in both storage and transit.
• Operational security – the process of handling and protecting data assets.
• Disaster recovery and business continuity – Disaster recovery refers to how an organisation recovers after an attack. Similarly, business continuity is the plan which the organisation follows under an attack. For this purpose, this plan explains how to operate functionally with certain resources being blocked. 
• End-user education – this refers to teaching security practices to the users. These practices involve deleting unrecognised emails, using only secured USB drives, and so on.

 

 

Tools used in Cybersecurity

A professional needs his tools, especially the one responsible for security. 

Tools play an important role in ethical hacking as well as in cybersecurity. Tools make the life of a cybersecurity expert easier. For example, you can use Metaspoilt to find vulnerabilities that can help you maintain the computer network security. 

You simply can’t learn cybersecurity without learning its tools. Similarly, you’ll need to learn the various programming languages to operate these tools efficiently. 

Here are the tools without which the introduction to cybersecurity will be left incomplete:

• Metasploit Framework
• Nmap
• OpenSSH
• Wireshark
• Nessus
• Aircrack-ng
• Snort
• John the Ripper
• L0phtCrack
• Google (yes, Google can turn your job from a nightmare to a beautiful dream)

 

 

Importance of Cybersecurity

Ever thought about how much data various organisations store? 

Companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook have been estimated to store around 1.2 million terabytes of data.

Scientists have also come up with a little number – 295 exabytes or 295 billion gigabytes. That’s how much data can be stored in the world. 

This data is extremely valuable to everyone including organisations and individuals.  

Cybersecurity plays a huge role in the protection of all that data. It is also important to keep sensitive information such as financial or personal information safe.

A breach in cybersecurity can result in many things including identity theft, extortion attempts, loss of valuable data, and much more. 

Some of the top world-officials have cautioned that cyber-attacks are amongst the top threat to the world.

This begs the question, are cybersecurity experts in need? 

The answer: Absolutely

Cybersecurity experts are responsible to protect and prevent cyberattacks. Consequently, almost every organization today needs an ethical hacker or a cybersecurity expert.

In case you are thinking about making a career choice, there has never been a better time to learn cybersecurity or becoming a white hat hacker

 

 

Types of threats to Cybersecurity

So how exactly they carry out these cyberattacks? Likewise, what are the various type of threats we face in the cyber-space?

Phishing

Phishing involves sending fraudulent emails that look completely legitimate. The email redirects the user to a website where information like credit card numbers and login information can be stolen. 

Malware

Malware is a software that is designed to gain access and control over a system. The attacker can then use this access to cause damage to the system or to steal, manipulate, and even delete data. 

There are many types of malware that an attacker can use including viruses, trojans, spyware, ransomware, adware, and botnets. 

SQL Injection

An SQL (structured language query) injection refers to inserting an SQL statement in a data-driven application. Attackers can then exploit the vulnerabilities to insert malicious code in the database of the application. 

This then grants them access to sensitive information stored in the databases. 

Man-in-the-middle attack

This refers to the attacker intercepting the communication between two individuals to steal data. 

Denial-of-service (DDoS) attack

The attacker overwhelms the networks and servers with traffic. As a result, the computer system gets prevented from fulfilling requests. Hence, it can leave the system unusable, keeping the organisation from functioning efficiently. 

Tips to protect yourself against cyberattacks

A great tip to keep in mind is to acknowledge that hackers can hack you. For this reason, you need to be proactive regarding your cybersecurity. In addition, taking the necessary steps can, in fact, keep you from harm’s way

You can’t “CTRL+ Z” everything

You can try keeping these tips in mind:

• Update your software and operating system
• Use anti-virus software
• Use strong passwords and similarly, set up different passwords everywhere
• Do not login or use credentials on other devices. Stick to your own devices
• Avoid opening email attachments from senders unknown to you
• Keep a lock on your devices and similarly lock them every time you walk away from them
• Hackers love to trap using links, so think before clicking.
• Avoid using unsecured WiFi networks in public places.
• Back up your data