What is cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity refers to a set of measures, technologies and processes whose basic aim is to protect computers, servers, networks and programs against unauthorised access, misuse or damage – that is, against cyber threats and attacks. Above all, it is the data and information on these devices that need protection.

The people behind cyberattacks are hackers. This group aims to gain access to your devices, systems and networks in order to steal sensitive personal data or other compromising material. Hackers then trade these data, information and content, sell them, or use them to blackmail the victims.

Hackers are often very well equipped with IT skills and frequently have the latest technologies. That is why it is important to look after your data, systems, networks and devices regularly and protect them adequately against misuse.

In practice, protection concerns mainly these two basic factors:

The human factor

This area includes following the basic principles of personal data and privacy protection. In practice, this means paying attention to what data about your work and private life you share with others, on which platforms and in what form. It also includes caution when using passwords, opening suspicious messages and emails, taking suspicious phone calls and clicking on various unverified websites.

The technological factor

Hackers often have an advantage over you not only thanks to their advanced IT skills, but also because they have modern and advanced technologies. In practice, it helps if your technologies are newer or at least regularly updated. Old technologies sometimes do not allow the use of new and sophisticated protective features. When it comes to technology, a high-quality, regularly updated antivirus and firewall provide key protection.

Why is cybersecurity important?

Cyber threats lurk at home and at work, and their insidiousness lies mainly in their ability to endanger your sensitive points and, in the worst case, your entire livelihood. Cybersecurity helps protect you against misuse of personal and company data.

Information at risk

• Personal and contact data relating to your identity, such as your first name, surname, birth number and other personal data, as well as your contact details (phone, email, address and others)
• Health data and information about your physical and mental health
• Financial data, loan data and similar sensitive information
• Data on your marital status, spouse, children and other family members

All of the information above – passwords, account numbers, personal data and data on work activities and companies – can be misused and can cause you various physical, material, financial and psychological harm.

Basic principles of cybersecurity

Many personal and work activities take place online. With that, the importance of cybersecurity and the need for protection in this area are growing. From ordinary people to large corporations, everyone is exposed to potential cyberattacks, with children and older people being particularly vulnerable groups.

Following cybersecurity principles can significantly help you reduce the likelihood of data misuse and theft.

Cybersecurity factors:

• Strong and unique passwords: use a combination of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters. Set a different strong, unique password for each service.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA): this adds another layer of protection when signing in to your devices and various accounts.
• Regular updates: regular updates keep your operating system and applications current, and many of them also improve and upgrade various protective features.
• Data backup: regularly backing up important data, information and documents to external drives and/or the cloud also helps protect your data.
• Vigilance with emails and links: do not click on suspicious links or attachments from unknown senders. Keeping track of various scams and hacker techniques also significantly increases awareness of potential threats and risks. Most of these scams rely on your inattention. Conscious attention, caution and fact-checking help here too.
• Antivirus and firewall: these tools belong to the basic equipment of every device and everyone active online. They do a great deal of work for you in protecting against intrusions into your systems, networks and devices.

The most common types of cyber threats

Staying safe online can be challenging, but it is possible if you follow the basic principles of cybersecurity and pay conscious attention. It also helps to know what potential and real risks exist and what may threaten you.

Here are some of the ones you may commonly encounter:

• Phishing: fraudulent emails or messages that try to obtain sensitive data.
• Malware (malicious software): viruses, Trojans, ransomware. All of these can damage your device and steal your data.
• Brute-force attacks: automated attempts to guess the passwords to your systems, accounts and applications.
• Social engineering: manipulating people in order to obtain confidential information from them.
• DDoS attacks: overloading a server in order to disable a particular service or an entire website.
• XSS (Cross-Site Scripting): a cyberattack on web applications in which hackers inject malicious scripts directly into a web page.

Think about prevention

The basics of cybersecurity are today just as important as locking the door to your flat or house. The more you know about this topic, the better you can protect yourself against growing digital threats and potential cyber risks. In this area too, prevention is a simpler and often cheaper solution than the complicated repair of damage afterwards.

This article is an output of the project “Multitenant Cybersecurity Operations Center Delivered as an Open Cloud Service with Machine Learning Elements.” Project code – 09I05-03-V02-00010.