In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dependency on personal SMART devices has only increased. According to research conducted by Statista, in 2021, the number of internet users at any given point in time is around 4.66 billion users. These people access the internet for research, community spaces, a simple google search, or most likely, surfing or creating their social media channels.
The internet started as a medium or platform that promotes interconnectivity. Now, it has become an enormous platform where anything is possible. With enough data collected by the various websites you use and your ISPs, the internet can be a very tailored and personalized experience. For all the benefits it offers, the fact that it is a place where most people upload and download their financial, most personal information, also makes it a place that you should visit with utmost caution.
October 2021 marks the 18th year of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, dubbed by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). We at Ignitec hope to commemorate this awareness month by generating as much consciousness as possible. The first step toward achieving this goal is ensuring that you can protect yourself and your organization from various threats.
Personal Awareness
The social model of today is such that regardless of the age group, ironically, people believe that the most secure or the most encrypted place to store their most personal and financial resources is the cyberspace. This dogma is only valid if internet users take the responsibility to develop safe internet habits, some of which are mentioned below.
- Use safer passwords: A password is one of the most common first-level protections, a literal barrier whose efficacy is determined by the randomness of the characters used. Either use a digital password manager or make an effort to make your password as strong as possible.
- Do not click on unfamiliar links: Don’t fall victim to phishing emails or phishing ads by clicking foreign links.
- Do not download pirated/free software: Paying a little money for software is worth it. Considering the alternative is being infected by ransomware that holds all your personal and important files hostage in demand for a high payment.
- Limit the share of your personal information: Hackers nowadays do not need to work too hard to guess a password or target you with inescapable personalized phishing ads. They get all the information about you from your social media pages so limiting the information about yourself can further safeguard you.
Business Awareness
Businesses have been gradually pushing their marketplace to the online platform. It’s easier to scale, market and generate customer loyalty. However, with increased dependency on cloud technology, third-party vendor websites and a lack of secure data storage facilities, the best bet is to partner with an expert company specializing in comprehensive security solutions.
Businesses need to choose a company that can provide:
- Cloud Security: The cloud is where most of the sensitive data is stored and one of the places that need to be the most protected. Businesses need to enable Posture Management (CSPM), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Zero Trust Architecture, and Workload & Serverless Multi-Cloud Network Security.
- Identity & Access Management Solutions: Limiting access of individuals to classified/sensitive information is vital. Ensuring a system that guarantees access management for Web & Mobile, Enterprise Single Sign-On, IAM Architecture Design, and Cloud Single Sign-On would be incredibly beneficial.
- Information Security: Data and information security have to be a top priority. A data protection and privacy framework need to be in place. At the very least, the company should also conduct data flow assessments, DLP incident analytics, and data protection audits.
- Effective Threat Management Model: Every business needs to have a plan of action to test for vulnerabilities, analyze every piece of software and hardware for discrepancies and conduct comprehensive audits. The company also needs to ensure its employees are all aware of compliance through seminars and constant training.
- Pre-emptive Measures: The business needs to pre-emptively analyze their entire network, conduct regular threat visualization & analytics, user entity behavior analytics and generate comprehensive audit logs.
The internet has no bounds, and the laws governing cybersecurity need to be subjected to further scrutiny. Your or your business’ safety on any given digital platform starts with your ability to choose the right cybersecurity partner. It is primarily your responsibility to do everything to avoid any human error and plug your business’s vulnerability. #DoYourPart. #BeCyberSmart.
