Cyber Security Meaning

Cyber threats loom over nearly every industry in the world. The number and severity of cyber crimes have gone up, especially in recent years due to the surge in remote working.

The prevalence of threats has increased the importance of cyber security, meaning that companies are recommended to implement a cyber security course of some sort for their employees who handle sensitive data.

A cyber security introduction course can be helpful to organizations looking to improve their cyber security measures. For example, businesses may want to obtain a course introduction to cybersecurity Cisco. But before getting started, it is helpful to get a definition of what cyber security really is.

A common cyber security definition may mention it is the measures a company employs to protect itself against cyber crimes. If you dive in deeper, the definition may talk about the differences between cyber risk, threats, as well as vulnerabilities. It may talk about how you need a strong cyber security posture so that you are adequately protected.

What Is Cyber Security

To better comprehend what is cyber security, businesses may want a what is cyber security PDF handed out to their employees who work with sensitive information and assets. Essentially, cyber security is the protection of computers and related systems from being disrupted, stolen, or otherwise misappropriately used. It is meant to protect organizations and individuals from cyber threats, such as malware, ransomware, denial of service, and other malicious and disruptive attacks.

Looking at an example of cyber security threats can also benefit organizations that are still hesitant to put resources into their cyber security.

Here are some cyber security examples that may be beneficial to an organization.

• Introducing a mandatory cyber awareness training course for employees
• Using cyber security software to enhance the company’s cyber security measures
• Hiring a full-time cyber security/IT security team
• Obtaining cyber insurance, especially for liability

These are just a few examples that can give organizations an overview of how to raise their cyber resiliency. These days, it is critical to stay on top of cyber security updates. What worked years ago may be exploited and weak today. For example, new supply chain attacks have exposed how older security efforts that were once seen as robust may not stand the test of time enough to still be used today.

Types Of Cyber Security

There are many different types of cyber security because of the diverse types of cyber security attacks that exist. The more advanced and comprehensive your cyber security measures, the more likely you are to either avoid or recover from cyber attacks. If you have good cyber security measures but not enough variety in the kinds of attacks you are prepared for, you may still be under threat. The idea is that you should be prepared for multiple sorts of attacks that might disrupt your particular company.

Here are some of the commonly discussed types of cyber security:

• Application security — Web applications are prone to security flaws. Injection, misconfiguration, broken authentication, and harmful scripts are just a few of the example risks that come with using web apps. Application security may serve to prevent bot attacks and stop interactions with entities that are potentially malicious.
• Cloud computing security — More organizations are adopting cloud computing services than ever before. The problem is that cloud computing is currently harder to secure due to certain vulnerabilities unique to cloud infrastructure. While clouds often have their own security measures, businesses may want to gain additional protection by procuring third-party cloud security solutions.
• Network security — Solutions are usually made for network security to block attacks made over the network. Identity access management efforts, data loss prevention, and advanced firewalls are a part of network security.
• Internet of Things (IoT) security — As convenient as IoT can be, it can also expose your company to a whole new area of threats. IoT security helps prevent the exploitation of your devices that may be vulnerable and may help you obtain more control over your network.
• Zero trust — This is a security model that essentially makes your organization a stalwart castle by creating a strong perimeter around all of your assets and systems. It is very strict towards outsiders and potential outside threats. However, zero-trust technology may not be able to protect you from insider threats. In fact, it may even make insider threats more difficult to deal with.

These are of course not the only types of cyber security. More measures and platforms are constantly evolving to match the demand and needs of companies.

While taking cyber security notes, you may want to jot down the various types of cyber security threats that exist as well. Ransomware has become a dominant form of threat because of how profitable it can be, thus skyrocketing the number of attempts. DDoS attacks are also commonly used in tandem with ransomware because they further incentivize the targeted victims to meet ransom demands.

Meanwhile, malware is still ever-present and going strong. Cyber criminals may seek to disrupt operations, destroy your data, or steal data.

Why Is Cyber Security Important

You may be wondering why is cyber security important, especially if you are a smaller business that has fewer assets. The advantages of cyber security can actually be felt by organizations of all sizes. If you have sensitive information, cyber criminals may target you with a data breach in mind. Even if you think you do not have any informational assets, criminals can still steal your financial information such as credit card numbers. Cyber criminals often engage in phishing and social engineering, which may result in your company’s money being stolen or operations being seriously disrupted.

In recent years, some sectors have been getting hit by more devastating cyber attacks than others. The healthcare industry has lost extreme amounts of money because of cyber attacks. As the landscape continues to become more dangerous for companies that rely on digital space and systems to run efficiently, more security measures are being developed and put in place.

Millions if not billions of dollars are being lost every year by companies because of cyber incidents. Does your company have abundant amounts of disposable income? No matter the response, cyber criminals can make your company’s safety compromised and threaten your finances. If data is breached, your company may have to alert all your customers, not to mention have to deal with the furious reactions of shareholders. High-profile attacks can ruin an enterprise’s previously sterling reputation.

If someone asks, can you explain cyber security with example cases, it can be quite hard. The question of what cyber security is often answered in an abstract manner. People may say that cyber resiliency is important and that staying ahead of the curve can reduce your chances of being attacked. But how does cyber security actually work in the real-world setting?

Let us say you have a cyber security solution for phishing threat detection. It can assess the threat levels of all incoming emails. If an email has a suspicious link or file format, the solution may be able to alert your employees so that they do not interact with them.

If you are worried about vulnerabilities but do not know where to begin, penetration testing can be helpful. Employing the expertise of an ethical hacker can help simulate real-world risks. They can assist you in discovering where your vulnerabilities are so you can tackle them with more focus and efficiency. For example, your software may not be updated to the latest version, or it may not be compatible with your systems in the first place. The more testing is done routinely, the higher your chances of catching bugs or gaps in your security.

Cyber Security Awareness

Cyber security awareness typically refers to how much your employees know about the cyber security risks that your company faces, how human error can be costly, and how they can use cyber security best practices within the organization so they reduce the risks that they bring. Spreading awareness is no joke — it can seriously improve the security of your organization, especially because human vulnerabilities are often targeted by opportunistic cybercriminals.

One of the most important things a company can do to boost its cyber awareness is to implement cyber security awareness training. A lot of companies still do not implement mandatory cyber security training. The truth is, a majority of breaches in cyber security involve the human element.

October is the global cyber security awareness month, a period of time during which there is an emphasized importance of how essential cyber security is to the health of your organization.

Because of how many evolutions the cyber space undergoes every single year, it has made an annual checkup more important than ever. Even viruses, which have existed for decades, are rapidly evolving to become more threatening.

The more aware your employees are of what constitutes a security threat, the less likely they are to unknowingly compromise your company’s security.