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Cyber Security and its Benefits

Overview

The entire world today is connected to the Internet and the pace at which the Internet is growing is much greater than our capability of securing it. In 2019, there were around 4.39 billion internet users all over the world. It is becoming increasingly difficult to secure businesses, considering that the numbers of threats are growing, so is the interconnectedness of devices and the fact that data is constantly getting vaster does not help either. This year the data volumes online are expected to be more than 50 times greater than that in 2016.

Cyber Security is protection against cyber-attack intended to steal data or to harm the network systems. In today’s day and age, Cyber Crimes are increasing exponentially, and is one of the primary criminal activity that humanity will have to face in the forthcoming future. Some Cyber Security experts predict that cybercrime would cost the world economy in excess of $6 trillion annually by 2021. Cyber Crimes can destroy, damage or steal data, money, and intellectual property and has the potential for huge damage costs. One of the prime reasons for this sharp increase will be the unpreparedness of organizations to tackle cyber-attacks.

Cybercrime is not only the fastest growing crime but is also becoming more sophisticated. In the last few years, we have had massive data breach cases all around the world. The Yahoo hack impacted 3 billion user accounts, while the Marriott hack impacted 500 million user account and there are many other cases like these. Most often, the personal data stolen is sold on the dark web. Similarly, ransomware attacks and spyware threats on businesses are becoming more and more frequent. Close to 50 percent of cybercrimes are committed against small scale businesses, and these numbers are expected to rise in the near future.

Thus, there is a strong need that each business’s digital journey is secured through robust cybersecurity measures. This will ensure that we maintain our client’s trust by safeguarding their crucial information and protect our organizations too.

What is Cyber Security?

Cyber Security is the protection of organizations through various processes, technologies and protocols which prevents cyber-attacks. These cyber-attacks are intended to harm the network systems and to access unauthorized data.

Through comprehensive IT security solutions, organizations can protect themselves against a huge variety of cyber-attacks. A multi-layer security protocol is required to provide comprehensive security against cyber-attacks. These solutions should include:

Firewall
Anti-Virus
Anti-Spam
Online Content Filtration
Wireless Security

What are the Threats against Cyber Security?

There are three major categories of Threats against Cyber Security of an organization. These are:
Ransomware
It is a kind of malicious software the prevents a user (business or individual) from accessing their systems, unless they pay a certain ransom (amount of money).

Spyware
It is a kind of malicious software that ‘infects’ systems and records all their actions and sends that information back to the hacker.

Adware
It is a kind of malicious software that floods systems with advertisements. If a user accidently clicks on an advertisement, it allows other viruses to enter and infect the system.

Network Security Solutions

To ensure a multi-layered IT security solution, an organization should consider these options:

Network Security Solutions
Email Security Solutions
Data and Content Security Solutions
Risk and Compliance Solutions

Network Security Solutions
Network Security Solutions prevent attacks and security breaches in real time. For end to end security across the business’s network, it should offer a range of solutions that deliver real time detection and mitigation by blocking malicious traffic, while allowing legitimate traffic to flow. The solutions should include:

Firewall and Unified Threat Management
Intrusion Detection and Prevention
Firewall Audit and Optimization
Endpoint Security

Email Security Solutions

Email Security Solutions are required to be included in the collective measures used to secure the access and content of an email account or service. The solution should protect the overall access to one or more email addresses/accounts in organizations. The solutions should include:

Anti-Spam
Anti-Phishing
Anti-Spoofing

Data and Content Security Solutions

Data and Content Security protects digital business’s against external threats, ensures reliability and significantly reduces business disruption. The solutions should offer end-to-end traffic management and secure Internet gateways, to protect the enterprises’ content and privacy. The solutions should include:

Secure Web Gateway
Anti-Malware and Anti-Virus
Anti-Ransomware
Encryption Solution

Risk and Compliance Solutions

Risk and Compliance Solutions dramatically reduces data breaches across the business. It can reduce the impact of security events and eliminate business losses by preventing potential security and data breaches. The solutions should include:

Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing
Digital Exposure Monitoring
Governance, Risk and Compliance Consulting

Benefits of Cyber Security

Protection for your Business/Personal Information
A comprehensive cyber security solution will let a business and its employees’ function seamlessly without having to worry about potential digital threats. It not only allows businesses to operate without interruptions, but also ensures that company and personal information remains secured. In today’s digital age, getting access to anyone’s personal information can render those individuals at the mercy of the hackers. Banking and financial information are very crucial and if someone gets access to them, it could mean potentially losing monetary wealth. Thus, it is always imperative to safeguard business and personal information.

Protection of Employees and their Productivity
With the growing numbers of cyber-attack cases, businesses and its employees are at a constant risk of digital threats. Viruses and spywares can infect and corrupt your systems, which can seriously hinder productivity. Infected systems don’t just waste an employee’s time but can also bring a business to a grinding halt eventually.

Prevent Website Crashes
Digital virus infections can have very damaging effects on systems and businesses. Such cyber threats can not only bring down systems but also hosted websites of the businesses. It means productivity loss, monetary loss through missed transactions, and most importantly losing the trust of the clients.

Protection against Spyware and Adware
Spyware is a kind of malicious software that ‘infects’ systems and records all their actions and sends that information back to the hacker. On the other end, Adware is a kind of malicious software that floods systems with advertisements. If a user accidently clicks on an advertisement, it allows other viruses to enter and infect the system. A comprehensive cyber security solution prevents such malwares from stealing your information and always keeps the business, its actions and other details safe.

Instilling Confidence in your Clients
A business which is fully secured from any sort of cyber crimes and has a comprehensive cyber security solution instills a sense of confidence in the clients. Once the client is aware that their information is secure with the business, they can continue to transact without hesitation or worry. Instilling confidence in your clients is a sure shot way to ensure repeat business.

How to Self-Secure against Cyber Crime

The best way to self-secure against cyber-crime is to have uncrackable passwords. Hackers can use software that can make up to 350 billion 8-digit password guesses per second, thus the need for a very strong password is critical in protecting ourselves against cyber-attacks. We also need to protect ourselves from phishing scams which pose a huge threat, and only we can protect ourselves from them by being diligent.

Creating Strong Passwords

Create a password which has more than 12-15 characters.
Ensure to use Upper- and Lower-Case Letters.
Include numbers and special characters.
Use Multiple Words or Phrases.
Don’t use sequential numbers or letters, or obvious words. (Like Password/12345/QWERTY)
Never use personal information. (Like Name or Date of Birth)
Never use common substitutes. (Like PASSWORD = P@55W0RD)
Preferably, use a complete sentence for a password and use special characters and numbers in it.
If possible, use a 2-factor authentication process. (login password, with OTP on phone)

Examples of Weak Passwords

123456
123456789
Qwerty
111111
Password
Abc123
Password1
123123

Avoiding Phishing Emails

Through social engineering hackers today trick or pressurize people into doing things unsuspectingly. A phishing email usually informs you that there is something wrong with your account and in order to correct it, you need to click on some link that they have provided. The link would redirect you to a dummy website created by the hacker, which would look very similar to your account. The moment you key in your confidential information, they would get access to it and can misuse the information in many ways. Phishing is now not only confined to emails but has progressed to phone calls too. With phone calls, scammers try to extract whatever sensitive information they can from you, over a conversation. They would always try to make the situation sound urgent, to hurry you into sharing information without thinking. We all must be very careful when dealing with phishing scams.

Some aspects of phishing emails are

Often from someone who you are associated with
Dummy website looks legitimate
Often contains spyware which takes remote access of your computer
Create a sense of urgency

A way out of phishing scams is to be very observant and look for small details to ensure the authenticity of such emails and calls. Usually phishing emails have poor spelling and grammar, and that can help you spot them.

Examples of Phishing

Example 1

MailBox Email Administrator

Hello abc@xyz.com,
We got your request @ 22:00HRS to disable your account.
Please confirm request for abc@xyz,
Click here to continue using our service

Thank you, however if you do not cancel this request, your account will be suspended.

One account for all.

Best Regard,
Mailbox Service Information.

Please Note: This link could be a click-bait, a spyware or a malware. It could also redirect you to a payment site and persuade you to key-in your confidential information.

Example 2

Hi Peter,

I am planning a surprise for some of the staffs with gift cards and your confidentiality would be appreciated in order not to ruin the surprise.

I need you to get some purchase done, email me once you get this.

Regards,
Alex Connor (Name of the Owner of the Company)

Please Note: The email address would be different from that of Peter’s Boss; however Peter might respond thinking that the email is from his boss and would not pay attention to the email address. The scammer wants you to respond, and the moment you do they will use different tactics to coax you into divulging information.

Suggestions for Secure Computing

Anyone can be a Target
Regular Installation of Software Updates
Avoid Phishing Emails and Calls
Ensure Strong Passwords
Careful with your Clicks
Never leave Systems Unattended
Track Digital Footprint
Secure Sensitive Data
Create Data Backup
Be Cautious of Social Engineering

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