What is Cyber Security and Why do you need it?
Cyber security is the application of technologies, processes, and controls to protect systems, networks, programs, devices, and data from cyber-attacks. It aims to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and protect against the unauthorized exploitation of systems, networks, and technologies.
In simple – Cyber security is the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks.
Why do you need cyber security?
The importance of cyber security comes down to the desire to keep information, data, and devices private and safe. In today’s world, people store vast quantities of data on computers and other internet-connected devices. Also, Companies/Businesses need cyber security to keep their data, finances, and intellectual property safe.
Who needs cyber security?
It is a mistake to believe that you are of no interest to cyber attackers. Everyone who is connected to the Internet needs cyber security. This is because most cyber attacks are automated and aim to exploit common vulnerabilities rather than specific websites or organizations.
Cyber Security can be categorized into – Critical infrastructure Security, Application Security, Network Security, Cloud security, and Internet of Things (IoT) Security.
Further, there are many types of cyber security threats – Malware: (malware is malicious software such as spyware, ransomware, viruses, and worms), Phishing, SQL Injection, and Brute-Fore Attacks.
Phishing attacks are the practice of sending fraudulent communications that appear to come from a reputable source. It is usually done through email. The goal is to steal sensitive data like credit card and login information or to install malware on the victim’s machine.
The Most Common Examples Of A Phishing Email –
- The Fake Invoice Scam.
- Email Account Upgrade Scam.
- Advance-fee Scam.
- Google Docs Scam.
- PayPal Scam.
- Message From HR Scam.
- Dropbox Scam.
What are phishing indicators?
Suspicious sender’s address.
Generic greetings and signature – Both a generic greeting—such as “Dear Valued Customer” or “Sir/Ma’am”—and a lack of contact information in the signature block are strong indicators of a phishing email. A trusted organization/Person will normally address you by name and provide their contact information.
Spoofed hyperlinks and websites – If you hover your cursor over any links in the body of the email, and the links do not match the text that appears when hovering over them, the link may be spoofed. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com vs. .net). Additionally, cybercriminals may use a URL shortening service to hide the true destination of the link.
Never ever click on any suspicious direct links in your email or messages instead you can copy the link and test by pasting that in your browser address bar. Also, look out for Spelling/layout of the email or messages and Suspicious attachments.
Any Organization or Professionals will not send emails from an address that ends ‘@gmail.com(Public email domain) They always use their legitimate professional email services to send emails.
- Get free anti-phishing add-ons.
- Don’t give your information to an unsecured site.
- Change your passwords regularly.
- Install firewalls.
- Don’t be tempted by unnecessary links, banners offer, etc.
SQL Injection – It is a web security vulnerability that allows an attacker to interfere with the queries that an application makes to its database.
Some common SQL injection examples include: Retrieving hidden data, where you can modify an SQL query to return additional results. Subverting application logic, where you can change a query to interfere with the application’s logic. UNION attacks, where you can retrieve data from different database tables.
SQL injection attacks cause repudiation issues such as voiding transactions or changing balances, allowing the complete disclosure of all data on the system, destroying the data or making it otherwise unavailable and becoming administrators of the database server.
The only sure way to prevent SQL Injection attacks is input validation and parameterized queries including prepared statements. The application code should never use the input directly. The developer must sanitize all input, not only web form inputs such as login forms.
Brute-Fore Attacks – A brute force attack uses trial-and-error to guess login info, encryption keys, or find a hidden web page. Hackers work through all possible combinations hoping to guess correctly. This is an old attack method, but it’s still effective and popular with hackers.
So, use strong passwords combinations of letters, numbers, special characters and try to use longer passwords instead of easy-to-remember passwords, use 2FA authentication, and never leave your device unattended.
How to Prevent Malware Attacks?
- Keep your device and software updated.
- Use a non-administrator account whenever possible.
- Think twice before clicking links or downloading anything.
- Be careful about opening email attachments or images.
- Don’t trust pop-up windows that ask you to download software.
- Use Anti-malware/Anti-virus/System-care software – there are free but the best anti-malware software available.
- Learn more about Cyberattacks on Wikipedia and follow our other blogs at Webtirety Blogs.
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I’m Manas Ranjan Sahoo: Founder of “Webtirety Software”. I’m a Full-time Software Professional and an aspiring entrepreneur, dedicated to growing this platform as large as possible. I love to Write Blogs on Software, Mobile applications, Web Technology, eCommerce, SEO, and about My experience with Life.
