What is a Cyber Attack?
A cyber attack is an attack operated by cybercriminals by using one or more computers against a computer or a network of computers. By launching a cyber-attack, hackers can disable computers, access data, or use a hacked system as a launching pad for attacking other systems. Hackers are using different types of ways to originate a cyber-attack. Some of these ways are malware, phishing, ransomware, and denial of services.
What is Cyber Security?
Cyber Security is the application of technologies, methods, and checks to secure a computer, network, applications, gadgets, or information from cyber attacks. The purpose of Cyber Security is to minimize the risk and vulnerabilities of the system against Cyber Attacks. In this article, we will discuss in detail Cyber Attacks and Cyber Security.
Cyber Security vs Information Security
We often mix Cyber Security with Information Security, but these are two different things.
- Cyber Security emphasizes the protection of computer systems against illegal access for criminal activities.
- On the other hand, Information Security is a more comprehensive category that protects all types of information assets. It does not matter if it is in hard form or soft form.
Why is Cyber Security important?
Cyber Security is the most important tool against a Cyber Attack. We will discuss some important things about Cyber Security.
The costs of Cyber Security breaches are rising
There are several laws that are ensuring Cyber Security. Some of these laws are GDPR and DPA 2018. Organizations with Cyber Security breaches may face heavy fines under these laws. With Cyber Security breaches, a company may lose its reputation and users that are also very important to run an online organization.
Cyber attacks are increasingly sophisticated
Hackers are conducting Cyber Attacks with new methods every day. They are also making these attacks sophisticated. Some of the common methods are social engineering, malware, and ransomware.
Cyber Security is a critical, board-level issue
Cyber Attack is a big challenge for online users. Companies need to work on their Cyber Security against a Cyber Attack. If a company needs to grow it should make strategies to tackle these attacks and discuss these on the highest level.
Cyber Crime is a big business
Cyber Crime is a big business. According to a study by Bromium, the Cyber Crime economy was worth 1.5 trillion dollars in 2018. That is why Cyber Crime is on the rise. There are factors like political, ethical, and social that are causing the rise.
Challenges of Cyber Security
The decrease in the Cyber Threats that a company may face is a challenging task. It is more challenging if you focus on working remotely because you do not have much control over your employees. You also do not have control over their devices and behavior. It is a better approach to keep a close look at your IT infrastructure and manage risk assessment exercises.
What are the consequences of a Cyber Attack?
Cyber attacks are costing companies a large amount of money all over the world. These damages are not financial but moral as well. Companies lose their users if their online security gets compromised with a Cyber Attack. Companies may also lose their important data which costs them a lot.
Managing Cyber Security
A company must have an effective Cyber Security policy in order to tackle a Cyber Attack. It must be an organization’s top priority. The company must maintain a Cyber Security culture and conduct regular training on it. Every employee of the organization must take responsibility for Cyber Security on an individual basis. Companies can make themselves secure against a Cyber Attack by making a strict policy on Cyber Security.
How to approach Cyber Security
Companies must follow a proactive approach against Cyber Attacks. Regular checking is important to keep things in the right direction. Companies should make Cyber Security risk assessments to recognize and assess the risks of Cyber Attacks. It does not matter if you have strict Cyber Security, still, you need to keep a close eye on the risks and vulnerabilities.
Cyber Security checklist
There are certain things you can do to protect your company from a Cyber Attack. We have gathered some methods to protect your company in the following paragraph:
Installing SSL Certificates
Another way to tackle a Cyber Attack is Domain Validated SSL certificate. An SSL certificate encrypts the transmission between a web user and a web server. Some of the SSL certificates use the most advanced encryption of 256-bit. It makes it impossible for a hacker to decrypt the transmission without a public key. Installing an SSL certificate is the most effective way against a Cyber Attack.
Staff awareness training
Human errors are the biggest cause of a successful Cyber Attack. It can cause data breaches. It is important to educate your staff about these risks and threats. Your staff should have at least basic knowledge for tackling the risks. You can do this by awareness training on a regular basis.
Application security
Another thing is vulnerabilities in the application or software you are using. These vulnerabilities can make a way for a hacker to breach security. These are a major source of a data breach so, you must focus on the application or software security. For this purpose, you can install Anti Virus software to enhance your Cyber Security.
Network security
Network security is key for the protection of usability and honor of a network and data on it. You can do this by carrying out a network penetration test. This test will evaluate your network for risks and security problems.
Leadership commitment
Leadership engagement is vital to face Cyber Attacks. Without a committed leader, it is very difficult to build or implement practical methods. A visionary leader does not hesitate to invest in suitable Cyber Security resources, such as awareness training.
Password management
It was discovered in a study that almost 50 percent of the population of the UK uses ‘123456’ or ‘qwerty’ as its password. You must execute a password management strategy that guides you to make sure that your staff generates strong passwords and keep them private.