Cyber Security
The computer was originally created as a harmless aid to do complex processes. Over the years, however, the harmless machine, which is charged with almost limitless potential, has become the ground work for cyber crimes. These crimes, which affect individuals, organizations, and even governments, call for tight cyber security to cut short the possibilities of inflicting further harm. But what is cyber security exactly? And how does this protect the whole cyber community?
The proliferation of cyber crimes
In 2007, a report identified 500,000 computers as “zombies” after being hijacked by hackers. “Zombie” computers respond to the prompting of the hackers and allow them to freely break into the systems and gain access to important files and personal information through backdoors. This can inflict danger—from making unauthorized purchases through someone else’s credit card to imposing threats to the national security.
There is no solid figure just how many affected computers there are now today, but reports said the numbers are higher. In fact, there was not a point of dwindling down; hacking has been projecting an upward trend. Proof to that is the unbelievably high cyber crime rate in 2008.
The current crisis in cyber insecurity puts many banks, airports, hospitals, and governments in the danger zone. It opens more opportunities to identity theft, virus dissemination, system breakdown, and other similar cyber crimes. In a much larger scale, it makes launching highly sophisticated terrorist attacks much easier.
Here comes the rescuer
To avoid such threats, computer users are advised to take cyber security measures. Cyber security is a set of techniques or guides that aim at protecting systems from any form of cyber attacks, which may creep into the system in the form of malware (virus and spyware), intruders, and hackers. Cyber security also lessens the risk of falling prey to Internet frauds, scams, and bogus transactions.
Individual users and organizations are liable to keep their computers updated, loaded with the latest security technologies, and regularly checked by a security technician. The goal here is for every computer owner to be individually responsible for his system’s security. And education plays a major part. Authorities recommend every computer owner to be informed about the latest trends in cyber crimes as well as the latest security technologies to abort any threat of attacks.
There are also efforts from the government, computer companies, digital experts, and other parties to come up with a more secure, stricter, and restructured cyber environment that is regulated by enforced laws and technological systems. With the existing setup, hackers and other cyber criminals reign free in the Internet, but further security and system developments in the cyber community will allow for more fluid Internet usage and transactions with lesser risk for frauds and cyber attacks.
Globally, however, much should be done. Currently, law enforcement faces limitations in many countries for many reasons. In some instances, local concerns and issues overshadow the need for implementing efficient cyber security measures. But cyber security can’t be employed by only two to three governments alone. Cyber crimes affect all nations where the Internet holds a primary place in running the government, military, economy, business, and other vital sectors. And if one nation is heavily compromised, it is not impossible for the world as a whole to become a cyber crime victim.
So, what is cyber security? It is the world’s counterattack to the damaging threats of the virtual world called the Internet. And it calls everyone to action.
What is Cyber Security All About?
In this age of technology and communication convergence, you cannot help but be involved in technologies and innovations that revolve around computers, cellular phones and the World Wide Web. But as we go around our daily lives with these technologies and what not, there are times that we begin to feel really paranoid on our own safety.
May it be our physical safety or the security of our personal hardware and software. What is cyber security all about? It is in fact protecting your personal information or any kind of digital asset stored in your computer or in any digital storage device.
The first thing that you will have to understand is the kinds of threats that you could encounter in cyber space. There are different kinds of threats and each one has their own degrees of seriousness which require their own levels of solutions. The higher level the threat, the more advance or complicated the approach to implement safety measures to protect yourself from such harm.
From simple malicious codes, otherwise called as malware and spywares to serious virus that can erase the whole contents of your computer and hackers that can access and use your personal information for their own personal gain, these are the risks that you will need to address.
Oftentimes, those malicious codes or malware pass through your security system when you access a particular website or even when you open an email. These codes, exploit the loopholes in various applications and insert themselves within the computer system which enable them to replicate and infect other computers by attaching themselves to the emails that you send out or through your local network. These malicious codes are sometimes quite tricky. They claim to do something but instead they will go on a totally different path in infecting your system. These malicious codes are not isolated to malware and spyware but also refer to virus and worms which are deadlier and cause more harm.
Even though those malicious codes are quite harmful, another dangerous intruder would be hackers or attackers. No matter how you look at it, virus and worms can only do what the original programmer has intended it to do. But hackers are people and they can get the information they want and use it for their own benefit. Sometimes hackers are just testing their skills and deliberately invade your system not because they want your info for personal gain but because they are just plain curious or are just doing some mischief.
It is these kinds of things that you need to avoid that is why you have to know about cyber security and know how to handle the various threats. You will need to know how vulnerable your computers are. You have to loon into your firewall and virus protection software to se if your current setup can prevent attacks from the outside.
This is why it is important to continuously update your software since new threats are being created everyday and having an updated system can help protect you from being attacked. Another precautionary measure would be to create passwords. The passwords will serve as a deterrent and help you keep your whole system protected.
With proper protection installed, you can keep your files and information safe. It is very important that you keep in mind cyber security. Cyber security is all about keeping your information safe from those who wish to access them. It is an important aspect of our lives and should never be disregarded most especially in today’s computer age.
Cyber Security Tips For Your Protection
Many people are put off with the term cyber security. They think it involves highly technological processes and elaborate computer knowledge. Not at all. Cyber security is foremost about identifying threats and taking measures as simple as creating an indecipherable password. There is nothing too technical about that. In fact, cyber security measures are all too simple to follow. Check out the following cyber security tips.
1.) Use strong passwords. Avoid using names, birthdays, addresses, and other personal information as password. Do not use a word found in the dictionary as well, since hackers have found a way to decipher dictionary-generated passwords using certain tools. In general, a good password is at least eight-characters long and should be hard to crack. You can combine upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. One good practice is to form a password from a phrase. For example, you can create t1$!C4gtMpSd from “This is so I can’t forget my password.” You can use other methods with which you can form unique and cryptic passwords.
2.) Change your password periodically. This is important especially if, at some point, you have to disclose your password. Remember not to write it down, or if you should, discard the paper immediately. You never know the danger negligence can impose on your security.
3.) Be scrupulous with emails. Unsolicited emails are sometimes the onset of cyber attacks. Remember not to open attached files from unknown senders, as they may contain malware that can open backdoors for hackers. Clicking on the links can also direct you to some compromising websites, so be cautious. If a link looks suspicious, look it up on the web and do a quick research. Avoid giving information to unknown senders as well. The rule of thumb is to ignore seemingly malicious mails. Do not reply to and forward them.
4.) Install security programs on your computer and keep them updated. It is very important to have anti-virus and anti-spyware software and to keep your firewall on. Poorly secured systems are open doors for attackers and intruders, but these software programs keep viruses and spyware from penetrating and crippling your system. The firewall, on the other hand, guards your system from unauthorized access to your computer. Some operating systems allow automatic security updates. Check if yours have this option.
5.) Avoid opening files sent through Instant Messenger. These files do not undergo scanning and might carry security threats to your computer.
6.) Ignore the links on pop-up windows. Block pop-up ads and windows to close an entryway for malware and other forms of attack.
7.) Avoid downloading files, programs, applications, or tools from unknown websites. More often than not, these free downloadable stuffs are loaded with threats. Before you download, make sure the website is a credible source.
8.) Make sure to keep your system clean. Remove any tool, application, or program that is not used. Check also unused default programs installed on your operating system. It’s better to have few programs than have many but unused ones, which can only slow down your computer and be an opening for malicious attacks.
A poorly secured computer runs the risk of being hijacked and left as a zombie machine. Secretly, the hacker uses this computer to gain access to personal and confidential accounts and information. Next thing you know, your credit card has been used for unauthorized purchases, your savings account has been ransacked, your competitor has spied on your company, and the list can go on and on.
But some simple and easy-to-follow cyber security tips can eliminate the possibility of falling prey to any of these cyber crimes.
