Cybersecurity, or information security, is the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, and other systems from virtual attacks. This is also known as information technology security.
What is cybersecurity?
When discussing cybersecurity, it is often associated with cyber threats and cybercrime. However, it also involves implementing best practices to protect information and to prevent or detect cyberattacks that any organization or individual may be exposed to. Threats to cybersecurity can come through harmful or malicious programs that install themselves on a device or access it via the cloud.
Thus, cybersecurity is the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks. It is also referred to as information technology security or electronic information security. The term is applied in various contexts, from business to mobile computing, and can be divided into several common categories.
- Network security is the practice of protecting a computer network from intruders, whether targeted attackers or opportunistic malware.
- Application security focuses on keeping software and devices free from threats. An affected application could provide access to the data it is meant to protect. Effective security begins at the design stage, long before a program or device is implemented.
- Information security protects the integrity and privacy of data, both in storage and in transit.
- Operational security includes the processes and decisions for managing and protecting data resources. The permissions that users must access a network and the procedures that determine how and where data can be stored or shared fall into this category.
- Disaster recovery and business continuity define how an organization responds to a cybersecurity incident or any other event that causes its operations to halt or data to be lost. Disaster recovery policies dictate how the organization restores its operations and information to the same operational capacity as before the event. Business continuity is the plan the organization resorts to when attempting to operate without certain resources.
- End-user training addresses the most unpredictable cybersecurity factor: people. If good security practices are not followed, anyone can inadvertently introduce a virus into an otherwise secure system. Teaching users to delete attachments from suspicious emails, not to connect unidentified USB drives, and other important lessons is crucial for the security of any organization.
What are the objectives of cybersecurity?
It aims to establish standards that minimize risks to information or IT infrastructure. These standards include operating hours, restrictions to certain locations, authorizations, denials, user profiles, emergency plans, protocols, and everything necessary to ensure a good level of cybersecurity while minimizing the impact on the performance of workers and the organization, and as a primary contributor to the use of programs created by programmers.
Cybersecurity is designed to protect IT assets, which include the following:
- Computational infrastructure: This is a fundamental part of information storage and management, as well as the very functioning of the organization. The role of cybersecurity in this area is to ensure that equipment operates properly and to anticipate failures, thefts, fires, sabotage, natural disasters, power outages, and any other factor that threatens the IT infrastructure.
- Users: These are the people who utilize the technological structure, communication zone, and manage the information. The system must be protected so that their usage does not jeopardize information security, nor make the information they handle or store vulnerable.
- Information: This is the main asset. It uses and resides within the computational infrastructure and is utilized by users.
Cybersecurity, therefore, is a key component in information management, just as a virtual private server, also known as VPS cloud, is.
For example, with an adequate VPS cloud service, you can accelerate information loading. By not sharing RAM or storage, the process of loading a web page is significantly faster with VPS cloud. This is a very important aspect for the service provider but especially for the user, particularly considering that we have only a few seconds for the user to decide whether to continue the page. If it takes too long to load, the user is likely to leave.
What are the most common cyberattacks?
Cyberattacks are primarily based on data hijacking. Hospitals, small, and medium-sized enterprises have been the main victims in recent years. However, even large companies are not safe from cybercrime.
Telefónica, the Spanish telecommunications giant, was a victim of attacks on its corporate network in 2017, forcing employees to shut down all computers at its headquarters in Madrid. This was a massive ransomware attack not only against Telefónica but also against several other organizations.
These are the three most common cyberattacks or cyber threats you should know to prevent your company from becoming a victim of one:
1. Ransomware
Ransomware, also known as ransom malware, is characterized by restricting access to a computer system and demanding a ransom to remove the block. This type of cyberattack can be fatal for a company because it involves massive data loss, in addition to economic damages.
WannaCry and Petya, two types of ransomware, operate in the same way: during the attack, the data on the infected computer is locked, whether it be documents, photos, or videos, and to decrypt them, the program typically demands payment of a sum of money, most often in bitcoins. If the ransom is not paid in time, the data is either deleted or permanently locked.
2. Denial-of-Service Attack (DDoS)
With the digital transformation of banking services, financial risks have changed, and fraud or operational failures have increased, along with cybercrime. Among the most common and dangerous attacks is the DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service), which involves causing a server to crash by overloading its bandwidth. These actions force a website to go offline.
In the case of the financial system, DDoS attacks are used to flood online services of banks and trading platforms with a large amount of traffic, causing the server to collapse and cease functioning.
3. Banking Trojans
Cybercriminals have pursued mobile phones long before the use of smartphones for banking transactions increased; now they are increasingly targeting these devices to carry out their misdeeds. The biggest threat to mobile devices is banking trojans, another form of malicious software that initially appears harmless but is very dangerous and targets banks.
Trojans can be installed on any device by visiting an infected website, downloading an email attachment, or even by installing an app. Once this virus is installed on a phone, it detects when online banking services are used and captures personal and banking information.
Why is Cybersecurity Important?
In today's connected world, everyone benefits from advanced cyber defense programs. On an individual level, a cybersecurity attack can result in everything from identity theft to extortion attempts and the loss of important data such as family photos.
Everyone relies on critical infrastructures, such as power plants, hospitals and financial services companies. Protecting these and other organizations is essential to the functioning of society.
All benefit from the work of cyber threat researchers who investigate new and emerging threats and cyber attack strategies.
Everyone benefits from the work of threat researchers who investigate new and emerging threats and strategies for cyberattacks. They reveal new vulnerabilities, educate the public about the importance of cybersecurity, and reinforce open-source tools. Their work makes the Internet safer for everyone.
Working to protect your privacy is very important. For example, another significant advantage of VPS cloud is privacy. IP addresses and bandwidth are not shared. These aspects are critical for creating a much safer environment for all users.
Additionally, the best thing about VPS cloud is that it also allows for increasing capacity as needed, ensuring you always have the necessary space and memory to provide users with the best possible experience.
Protect Your Company
Companies are constantly at risk of cyber threats; therefore, follow these tips to protect it:
- Update your software and operating system: This means you will benefit from the latest security patches.
- Use antivirus software: Security solutions like Kaspersky Total Security will detect and eliminate threats. Keep your software updated for the best level of protection.
- Use secure passwords: Ensure that your passwords are not easy to guess.
- Do not open email attachments from unknown senders: They may be infected with malware.
- Do not click on links in emails from unknown senders or websites: This is a common way for malware to spread.
- Avoid using unsecured Wi-Fi networks in public places: Unsecured networks leave you vulnerable to “man-in-the-middle” attacks.
Investing in security will allow your company to enjoy peace of mind. Furthermore, having exclusive resources with a VPS cloud makes it possible to customize applications, install specific software, databases, and many other functions. This freedom facilitates the creation of more powerful and customizable websites. Therefore, cybersecurity plus VPS cloud is a winning formula for your business.
Monitor and Update
Changes to the structure of the database and unauthorized attempts to access critical data can be warning signs that the network may be threatened. To prevent this, use tools that help you monitor databases and log unauthorized access attempts.
Therefore, the best way to ensure that company equipment operates well is to take inventory of all available hardware. Afterward, choose a plan to manage your equipment most effectively.
There are two ways to do this: train your employees to perform updates periodically or automate the process through a tool that updates the system automatically. The latter option will allow updates to be downloaded at once and then distributed throughout the company.
Protecting your data and resources is always a good investment. It is also a good investment to have a good hosting service to ensure proper management of your web presence, that is, a VPS cloud.
VPS cloud is positioned as the best in terms of value for money. Dedicated servers are very expensive, and shared hosting may be fine to start, but it will quickly fall short of everything you need; in addition to security gaps, a topic that is also very important. Therefore, VPS cloud stands out as the best option.
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