The term cybersecurity-many times replaced with cybersecurity-means all those means whose purpose is to protect systems, networks and data from digital harm. And in a world where any information about people and companies is stored on technological media, the digital sphere automatically becomes the battleground between those who must ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability of data, and those who want to appropriate it for various reasons, usually political or economic.
Some data on cybersecurity
For example, 2022 ended with the number of detected attacks at 12,947: a number that in itself might tell us little, but corresponds to more than double the 5,334 of the year before. The number of people investigated amounted to 334 compared to 187 in 2021. There were 113,226 alerts issued last year : more than 300 per day.
The figure of the hacker, so much recounted in the movies, painted in oversize black sweatshirts with hoods covering his face and immersed in a jungle of incomprehensible codes, has become reality, and what he does is no longer borderline fantasy, but naked truth. And let’s not even think that the target of hacker attacks is only big corporations; tightening the matter, those who hold sensitive data are like a drawer that guards our lives and identities: if the lock of the drawer blows, we are the ones who are kidnapped.
In fact, the devices that can be hacked are computers, servers, mobile devices, networks, and electronic systems-so all of these elements must be the subject of cybersecurity at the highest level , and it takes commitment, perseverance, and research for companies (whether large, SMEs, or in the public or private sector) to ensure the cybersecurity of the data they have. And on the part of businesses, attention to issues arising from hacker attacks is increasing more and more, while the legislative sector is also making its own path aimed at protecting citizens.
As Alessandro Piva, Director of the Cybersecurity & Data Protection Observatory, stated:
“The first step has been taken: organizations have laid the foundation for making cybersecurity a key element of their business, embarking on a structured path to a new phase. Organizations must not let their guard down, but move forward by developing a long-term cybersecurity strategy.”
The three principles of cybersecurity- CIA
Properly managing, protecting and securing computer data means acting on three basic principles of information security:
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
- Availability
Let’s look at them in detail.
Information Security: Data Confidentiality
Data confidentiality means the assurance that data released by individuals or companies will be protected from potential access and use by unauthorized parties.
This must be guaranteed at all times, not only in a phase of data transfer and acquisition, but also in the subsequent phases (use and exchange in a network of connection). We can say that confidentiality is indispensable to guarantee that privacy that each of us cares so much about; if confidentiality is not maintained, the damage is not only to the company that was supposed to protect the data, but also to the privacy, precisely, of the individual.
In order to ensure the confidentiality of data, the most commonly used methods are:
- CRYPTOGRAPHY, used for authentication, consisting of user name and password
- PIN CODES.
- BIOMETRY, like fingerprinting
In broader terms and beyond the individual, when we think of all the data to be protected, we cannot forget the financial, national-level security, economic, health, and many other contexts that are integral to society.
Information Security: Computer Data Integrity
By data integrity we mean ensuring that data are not in any way modified or deleted by anyone who is not authorized to do so. This obviously includes incidental variations.
For cybersecurity and maintaining data integrity, it is necessary to implement well-defined authentication policies: this includes passwords, which we all use to access technological devices and online services, but which are also used at the corporate level. The choice of password must be reasoned, and its use must be equally thoughtful. Among the main causes of cyber attacks is precisely the misuse of passwords by users.
Information Security: Data Availability
The third and final principle of cybersecurity concerns data availability: by this is meant the ability to access data by those who are authorized to do so.
This requires that there is no interruption in the time period in which the data is being used, neither as a result of a cyber attack nor due to other events, including natural disasters.
Some of the most effective measures to have data availability include:
- Redundancy, failover and Raid
- Network and server control facilities
- Data recovery and business continuity plan in case of data deprivation
Learn about Lecs devices for your cybersecurity
Types of cybersecurity threats
As we have already said then, cybersecurity is what is needed to cope with hacker attacks and any kind of cyber threat.
We assume that the purpose of a Hacker attack is to steal data and then demand a ransom; the data that is stolen can be leaked to the dark web and be used for illegal purposes. Think, for example, of stealing credit card numbers; even if we are not cyber security experts and believe that there is nothing too interesting in our lives, for ‘attack experts’ this is not really the case.
Let us look together at some types of malware.
Malware
It is software that moves into the network, hacking it and exploiting its vulnerability. It is obviously malicious and can be used to steal data of various kinds, including e-mails and passwords.
If our computer is under Malware attack, we will notice that:
- we are redirected to sites we did not request
- high frequency of pop-up ads
- slowdown in performance
To prevent our devices from being attacked, we can:
- never click on pop-up links
- Keep the operating system up to date, because older software is a good target for hacker attacks
- Install only the apps we use frequently
- select the sites we visit
- Doubt emails requesting personal data
Phishing
With phishing , victims are literally baited: it is accomplished with an e-mail or other type of communication that seems trustworthy, and the victim is persuaded to release personal or otherwise confidential information. In addition to all this, malware is sometimes downloaded onto the victim’s pc.
Phishing can also be the initial stage of ransomware threats.
Man-In-The-Middle Attack
Attack and manipulation of Internet traffic: imagine an intruder hacking into our communications in order to steal information.
This type of attack can be enacted either in the wi-fi network or on our smartphone or apps.
To protect ourselves we can:
- Do not conduct transactions by relying on free wi-fi
- always up-to-date antivirus
- Do not use your own pc for transactions
- Ensure that a website’s URL begins with HTTPS.
In conclusion, we can say with absolute certainty that the issue of cybersecurity cannot go by the wayside at all, but represents a global emergency. It is now clear that the world does not stop at what our eyes perceive, and the need for tools that can protect us from all that ‘unseen’ is increasingly an obligation on the part of those who guard our data.