Many things annoy us in life. Some we come to terms with, others keep on nagging us for years. Surprisingly, cybersecurity falls in both categories. That is, we have made our peace that it will be ever-present, and yet it will continue to irritate us. However, is there truly nothing efficient that we can do against cybersecurity attacks?
Well, of course there is. That’s why we wrote this article.
First and foremost, cybersecurity attacks are assaults by cybercriminals using one or more computers against other computers or networks. An attack of this kind can maliciously incapacitate computers, steal data, or use a breached computer as a starting point for similar purposes. The people – whom we now call cybercriminals, utilize many methods to implement a cyberattack.
Some of them include phishing, malware, ransomware, denial of service, and others. Although helpful tools to protect yourself or your company exist, there probably isn’t a 100% bullet-proof defense against them. Therefore, the only thing you should focus on is what you can do about it and stop endlessly worrying. Seriously, stop it―at least until you read Cyber Espionage – All You Need to Know.
For one, learn as much as you can and adopt the best industry practices to prevent cybersecurity attacks. Easier said than done, you say? Well, let’s take an in-depth look at the tremendous threats everybody who uses the internet today faces. And that’s something like 4.66 billion folks—more than half of the world’s population.
Threats to Worry About
We know we said that you should stop worrying endlessly. But what if we told you that just a bit of worry is necessary and productive? It will keep you alert and interested in your online security.
For example, the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats never bores information security industry specialists. They are always on high alert. And what choice do they have? Just about any information available on the internet can be subject to breaches and manipulation.
You logged into your Gmail or Outlook account? Brace yourself for a slew of potential risks if you enter your sign-in information into inappropriate places. You have a Facebook or Twitter account and are reckless about sharing your private data? Be prepared to witness the power of cybersecurity criminals.
Pretty much everything you do and everywhere you go on the internet, you are likely being watched. It sounds more like stalking to us, but whatever.
Of course, not everything is as it seems – and danger doesn’t lurk behind every corner on the internet. But to make sure that you can protect yourself, perhaps you should consider the following three potential risks in our modern era:
- Deterioration or rapid advances in intelligent technologies and conflicting demands of evolving national security and individual privacy regulations,
- Distortion or the international spread of misinformation, including those that bots and automated sources disseminate,
- Disruption or over-reliance on fragile connectivity, creating the potential for deliberate internet outages and increased risk for the use of ransomware against the Internet of Things.
Common Cybersecurity Attacks
Experts from Cybersecurity Ventures estimate that damages from cybersecurity attacks will hit USD 6 trillion by the start of 2021. That seems too much for anyone’s budget. Moreover, here are the most lucrative of all cybersecurity attacks this year:
- Phishing or sending prudently targeted digital messages to trick people into clicking on a link. By doing so, they install malware and expose sensitive data. To make matters worse, hackers are now upping the ante and using machine learning. They are doing this to be quicker in crafting and distributing fake messages. The most straightforward methods to save yourself from phishing are examining every email critically, hovering over links, and analyzing email headers.
- Ransomware attacks or hackers using technologies that allow them to seize an individual or organization’s databases. The goal is to keep all of the information for ransom. It’s been working out pretty nicely for the hackers since they acquired billions of dollars and ruined many companies. To avoid this kind of attack, train employees to increase IT security awareness.
- Internet of Things assaults or more devices brings greater risk. If you use one device, good for you. But data show that most of the world’s population uses at least two internet-connected devices. The bigger the number of laptops, computers, phones, and tablets in your possession, the greater the risk you face. The aim of these attacks? You guessed it: financial gain. This doesn’t necessarily mean you should give up on your devices.
When you face a physical confrontation with somebody, it’s easy to simply learn hand-to-hand combat from someone. The next time they pick on you, you know how to respond. But what do you do when malicious attackers charge at you with all their online might?
The Conclusion
In a different article on EP Wired, we discussed the 10 Best Cyber Security Tools in 2021. These include Comodo, HackerProof, Netsparker, UpGuard, Acunetix, and others.
Cybersecurity is one of the fastest evolving fields, alongside medical services and related industries. So we were interested in finding out more about the companies that will spearhead 2021 in terms of popularity and revenue. Here are our top 6.
The Biggest Cybersecurity Companies Out There
With revenue of around USD 50 million, Cisco prides itself on firewall and malware protection, endpoint security, and other services. Additionally, their email security program price starts at approximately 20 dollars for a one-year subscription to the premium bundle.
ScienceSoft is a company that offers vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, securing code review, and other stuff. Their revenue is as high as USD25 million.
HackerOne is worth the same as the second company. Its services include bug bounties, compliance testing, vulnerability disclosure programs, and more.
Cipher is number four on our list and offers a free trial for eligible companies. It provides its users with managed security services, red team services, cyber technology integration, and many other things.
A giant in the industry, CyberArk is worth more than USD 261 million. This company provides its users with access security, application identity manager, and more.
Speaking of giants, FireEye is an even bigger company in terms of revenue. It offers network security, endpoint security, managed security, and other essential services.
Whichever of these you choose, you won’t make a mistake. We promise. We researched and found out that most customers look favorably upon these six companies on our list. So, get into it and never again spend sleepless nights thinking about your online security.
Okay, just because you haven’t had one of those yet, doesn’t mean you won’t start freaking out at some point. Trust us, we know.
