Cybersecurity Essentials: How to Secure Your Data in a Fast-Changing Threat Landscape

Cybersecurity Essentials

Incidents of cyberattacks involving artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, phishing, and ransomware are on the rise. These new and constantly evolving cyber threats place information and data assets at constant risk.

Individuals, governments, and corporates are on high alert. Cybercrime is becoming more widespread and sophisticated, and your approach to ensuring data security should also evolve.

Digital threats become increasingly complex nowadays, we are not only dealing with less sophisticated versions of malware like Trojan horses or worms like a decade ago. Traditional antivirus software can detect, stop, and remove known threats, but it’s not enough to defend against newer, more advanced threats.

 

Here are three cybersecurity threats that you should be concerned about in 2020.

 

Social Engineering

Cybercriminals can exploit human psychology to trick people into exposing sensitive information. Social engineering attacks such as phishing use digital messages such as email to lure people into giving attackers access to sensitive information. Such attacks allow cybercriminals to fraudulently obtain login credentials, credit card information, sensitive financial data, etc.

IoT Attacks

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to an ecosystem of connected devices that communicate with each other. The number of connected devices is growing by the day and is expected to hit 75 billion by 2025.

Hackers can exploit vulnerabilities in IoT devices for illegal ends. The rising number of connected devices increases the risk of cyberattacks targeting IoT networks.

AI-Enhanced Cyberthreats

Advances in intelligent technologies are taking cybercrime to a whole new level. Hackers are now using AI to up their game, making attacks more sophisticated. For instance, phishers are using machine learning to create more convincing emails and obtain information more easily. This level of sophistication makes AI-enhanced threats more difficult to defend against.

Top Security Tools

Regular antivirus software is not enough protection in the face of fast-evolving and highly sophisticated cyber threats. But we are not saying that you should completely do away with antivirus. While antivirus is still an essential tool in 2020, you need more to protect yourself. Here are the top cybersecurity tools to consider.

• VPN

  A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is one of the easiest ways to ensure cybersecurity. It acts like a middleman between you and the sites you visit, allowing you to browse the internet privately and securely. Always use a VPN to encrypt connections when using public Wi-Fi.

• Password manager

  A lot of people use the same password for multiple accounts because they are unable to keep track of multiple strong, unique passwords. This makes it easier for hackers to gain access to your online accounts at once. A password manager tool can help you store passwords for all your online accounts, you only have to remember one.

• Encryption software

  Smartphones and laptops are stolen every day. These devices often end up in the hands of cybercriminals. Using encryption software is the most effective way to protect your data against physical theft. Encrypting your hard drives makes it impossible for hackers to access information stored in them in case of theft.

• Vulnerability scanner

  Risk assessment is one of the most important aspects of cybersecurity. This process requires an audit of the entire system and helps you identify vulnerabilities in your system. A vulnerability scanner can help you evaluate the vulnerabilities in your computer system and help you fix security holes as well as strengthen network weaknesses.

• Email security

  Phishing attacks are mostly executed through emails. Email security is essential to cybersecurity and can help you prevent these attacks. There are numerous email security tools out there. A good email security solution will provide helpful tools and resources to defend against common email threats.

Conclusion

Cyberthreats are becoming increasingly sophisticated these days. Incidents of cyberattacks involving artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, phishing, and malware are on the rise. Relying on detection-based antivirus is not enough. To effectively defend against these threats, we need a more proactive approach. Using the aforementioned cybersecurity tools in addition to antivirus software ensures that you are better protected against emerging threats.

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