Cyber security: why we can't live without it

Imagine that the care robots are hacked, or your personal data ends up on the street. This digital society entails many vulnerabilities. That is why the Cyber Security branch was created.

CYBER SECURITY DEFINITION

Cyber security: why we can't live without it

This term did not exist forty years ago, but it is a very important part of society today. But what exactly is cyber security?

Cyber security stands for internet security. Internet security refers to all measures taken to protect programs, computers, and networks against digital crime. This protects governments, businesses, and consumers from cybercrime.

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?

The world is digitizing. ICT is widely used in all aspects of society. This development offers many advantages in terms of employment and economic growth, but also new dangers arise.

Every day there are digital attacks and news articles about databases with personal data that have been leaked. These attacks are not carried out by hackers with a hobby, but by organizations, well trained and specialized in hacking.

That is why a decisive approach is needed from governments, users, and the business community. The vulnerabilities associated with digitization must be minimized. Experts in the field of digital security are therefore urgently needed.

INTERNET SECURITY APPROACH

Cryptography (encryption), network security, web security, privacy protection. There are all kinds of things that come with internet security. Several measures are taken to contain the threats:

Hardware measures
Software measures
Physical measures
User measures
Hardware measures
Hardware must also be well protected. People keep very sensitive and essential information on their computers. Harsh measures are not superfluous.

Some examples of hardware measures:

Techniques must be implemented that protect computers from butter-overflow attacks. Think, for example, of XD-bit or NX-bit. Encryption is also an important part. Files and data streams must be properly encrypted.

Measures in the field of software

The software of programs and systems must be very well secured. To achieve this, numerous Cyber Security measures are taken.

Some examples of software measures:

Software should scan for adware, spyware, and viruses. Anti-malware software is built for this. Wrong traffic is blocked with a firewall, so that the software is protected against hackers. In addition, measures are taken to prevent programs or criminal organizations from writing to the system partition. Files and connections are encrypted using encryption. Complex passwords make access to a system or program more difficult.

Measures in the field of physical

Physical measures are also necessary. Cyber-criminal activities can also take place on the equipment itself.

Some examples of physical measures:

A USB port is a vulnerable input. There are more and more possibilities to close this entrance. An air wall is a physical protection of insecure networks. This measure is particularly important for open Wi-Fi connections. Or think of computer safes and anti-theft systems based on steel cables.

Measures for users

The most vulnerable group are the users. They are most at risk for viruses and computer theft. The reason for this is the ignorance of ICT. It is particularly necessary for users to increase their knowledge of cybercrime and the protection against it.

Some examples of measures for the users:

Default passwords are easy, but dangerous. It is better to opt for complex passwords. In addition, it is important that consumers and organizations are aware of how vulnerable they are and what they can do about it. So, at the moment there is a lot of attention for awareness and getting to know each other.