Episode 0: Cybersecurity.. Why would I be concerned ?

There was a time where firewalls and anti-viruses would get anyone’s cybersecurity game covered, however it is no longer the case.
Modern technologies are growing exponentially every day. New IT practices became present and common in our daily life such as social media, smart connected objects, online payment, and cryptocurrency. The more complicated technology gets, the more cybersecurity becomes a bigger concern.Let’s take a look at numbers : There is a cyber attack occurring every 39 seconds. (check the Live Cyber Threat map now ! ). Statistics also prove that 64% of companies have experienced web-based attacks. 62% experienced phishing & social engineering attacks. 59% of companies experienced malicious code and botnets and 51% experienced denial of service attacks. On average, in 2019 an organization fell victim to ransomware every 14 seconds !Moreover, the average cost of a data breach in 2020 is $3.86 million, which is a 10% rise over the last five years ! Another alarming 2020 news : since COVID-19, the US FBI reported a 300% increase in reported cybercrimes ! As if a pandemic isn’t scary enough !This has been said, the frequent question remains always the same: why would attackers be interested in my data as a simple individual ? What would I protect if I don’t have important or critical information ?Well, there’s a proverb that answers this specific question : one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error. When attackers target an individual or a company, their weakest link is the human being.The most common example being downloading a malicious file, that would release malware into the internal network, which can slowly leak private and confidential documents of every type : pictures, videos, papers, and worse, credit card information or passwords saved as plain text !Without raising awareness and providing deeper understanding of better practices, any anti-virus or firewall is rendered useless. The threats are coming from you.

In addition, while you scroll through social media or share your personal information through participating in picture challenges, you should know what you are giving access to. Even if you don’t overshare with your friends on social media, you may still be shocked to learn what you’re actually sharing with those corporates. The world’s largest social networks seem to track your geographical location through GPS or Wi-Fi signals. When you allow an application to use your photos and videos, this doesn’t just give access to the ones you post but to the entire content of your device’s media library. And you agreed to this when you agreed to their terms and conditions. These giant corporations won’t likely use that information for anything other than their business, but this information could potentially be hacked and end up in the wrong hands.

If you’re still not convinced on how crucial it is to protect your data, here’s another thought : even with nothing important on your computer, your identity itself can be stolen. Identity theft continues to pose challenges for consumers as criminals develop new mechanisms to commit fraud. The number of consumers who were victims of identity fraud was up to 14.4 million in 2018 !

Thus, as university students who believe in the importance of cyber-awareness, SecuriNets invites you all to learn some tips and good practices about the cyber world. Don’t wait until you’re attacked, your prevention starts now !

 

Resources :

Hackers Attack Every 39 Seconds
30 Surprising Small Business Cyber Security Statistics (2020)
Why Educating Your Employees on Cyber Intelligence And Security Will Reduce Risk
Facts + Statistics: Identity theft and cybercrime
5 Reasons You Should Protect Your Private Data