With the rapid growth of Internet users and the amount of information, including confidential data, that they store and transmit on the network, the need to ensure the protection of personal data is also growing. The purpose of attackers can be both personal information and commercial. Cybersecurity is designed to prevent its leakage. If you are looking for the best cybersecurity compliance solutions, this article is for you.
Table of Contents
Why Cybersecurity Is Important
Thanks to cybersecurity, people get the confidence that they can freely communicate and work on the Internet by transferring data. The two main reasons why cybersecurity is needed are:
- Company interests. Thanks to security systems, businesses can develop calmly even in conditions of an unstable external environment. Cybersecurity allows you to reduce the cost of ensuring security and eliminating the consequences of cyber attacks, as well as new risks. The use of technological solutions allows enterprises to use technology to increase productivity, without the risk of cyber attacks.
- Regulatory Compliance. Regulatory requirements define the measures that a company must take to ensure safety. Failure to comply with these requirements threatens organizations with large fines, in some cases blocking Internet resources. You can consult with UnderDefense regarding the implementation of cybersecurity compliance solutions.
What Is Included In The Scope of Cybersecurity Interests
Cybersecurity technologies are used both on the devices of ordinary users and in commercial organizations and industrial enterprises. These include:
- Security of critical infrastructure: power grids, control systems, transport networks.
- Network security: protection of devices and applications connected to the Internet.
- Cloud security: protection of data, platforms, and online infrastructure.
- User application security to prevent hacking and code theft.
- User training to ensure that the company’s employees follow the basic rules of digital hygiene.
- Disaster recovery in the event of potential threats.
- Operational security is the prevention of information falling into the wrong hands.
- Data storage: encryption, lack of access to copies.
- Mobile security is the protection of data stored on mobile devices.
- The absence of risks from the Internet of Things: devices connected to the network that are used in everyday life or business activities.
- Address protection, which is especially needed if you can access the company network remotely.
Types of Cybersecurity Threats
The most common cybersecurity hazards for both individuals and businesses are:
- Malicious software that contains multiple files that are infected and capable of harming your computer. First of all, these are viruses that damage computer systems or gain unauthorized access to the confidentiality of information, damaging its integrity.
- Ransomware that blocks important files or processes and extorts money from users to unlock them.
- Phishing, or social engineering: attacks on users to obtain confidential information (for example, passwords from credit cards). Phishing is usually the sending of letters that look like messages from reputable sources or advertisements. The main purpose of phishing emails is to steal sensitive data.
- Insider risk, which includes employees and partners, including former ones, who have access rights and the ability to break into corporate records and security systems.
- A DoS attack in which one system sends malicious requests that make a service impossible. If there are several such senders, these are DDoS attacks. DoS and DDoS attacks are most often targeted at government agencies.
- Man-in-the-Middle: the interception of data in the process of their transmission from the sender to the final recipients.
- Spoofing is the creation of clones of domains or programs that unsuspecting users mistake for original ones and enter their data on them.
- Backdoors: penetration into the system to steal stored data. Malicious codes can be embedded in programs, in hardware, or in files stored on a computer.
Targets of Cyber Criminals
The main goal is to steal data using hacking to sell it to competitors or demand a ransom. Most often, state institutions suffer from their attacks. Stolen information is sold very easily. Typically, attackers use the following scenarios to do this:
- Sale of access to computer networks of a certain enterprise or state institution.
- Withdrawal of money through forgery of payment orders.
- Cyber attack to steal data with the subsequent sale.
- Blackmailing companies when an attacker demands money for non-disclosure of confidential information received by them.
- Encryption of data and the requirement of a ransom for access to them.
- Disabling the company’s infrastructure – often hacking is used for this purpose in politics, the military industry, and in the field of global security of countries.
- Spying on behalf of competitors, which allows competitors to gain an advantage in the market.
- Use of malicious viruses for education and entertainment.
Technologies And Practices of Cybersecurity
Hackers are constantly creating new methods, so businesses are forced to look for new technologies aimed at solving the security problem. Measures taken include:
- Securing critical infrastructure for the public interest.
- Preventing hackers from hacking computers.
- Protect applications running locally or in cloud servers.
- Cloud security in storage, during data processing or transfer.
- Information security of confidential data.
- Creation of tools for fast disaster recovery from scratch in case of attacks.
Artificial intelligence is widely used today to improve cybersecurity. Its implementation takes place in three main areas:
- Detection of threats and new risks.
- Automatic launch of protection tools.
- Freeing up human resources through automation.
Some technologies that will help prevent data leakage and ensure security:
- Data Leak Prevention (DLP): systems that track leaks.
- SSO: A single sign-on technology that allows you to sign in to websites and applications using a single credential, eliminating multiple passwords.
- Security information and event management (SIEM): Real-time user activity tracking technology.
- VPN: Services that hide your IP address.
- Antiviruses and firewalls that block malware.
- Intrusion detection systems (IDS) and their prevention (IPS), timely blocking hacking attempts.
Final Thoughts
With the spread of the Internet and the accession of an increasing number of users, cybercrime has become one of the main threats of our time. It is not yet possible to fully protect against it, but attempts can be made. This can be done by building full-fledged cybersecurity systems and following its simple rules with regular use of the Internet. If you are looking for a company that provides support in the implementation of cybersecurity compliance solutions, we recommend that you contact UnderDefense.