Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is the collection of various processes, technologies, and practices used to protect systems, networks, devices, servers, and programs from malicious attacks or unauthorized exploitation. It is also called information technology security or electronic information security.

Some of the biggest cybersecurity threats right now are phishing attacks (the attacker generates an official-looking fraudulent email or website to trick people into giving away sensitive information), ransomware attacks (the attacker encrypts all your data and demands a ransom if you want your data back), and deepfakes (creating fake videos to spread fake news).

You can protect your digital privacy by regularly updating your device software, using complicated passwords and two-factor authentication for your accounts, installing a password manager to store and access complicated passwords, and avoiding the sharing of personal information on social media. It's also important to stay alert for fraudulent emails or websites as they may steal your data.

While larger organizations are ideal targets for sophisticated hackers, small organizations are easy prey for hackers who are not so sophisticated. This is because no matter how small your business is, you're likely to have valuable information stored online. Since your business probably has weaker online security, you might be more vulnerable to attack.

A firewall is a hardware or software system that acts as a barrier between your device and malicious traffic online. It filters the information passed through and received by your computer over the internet, analyzes if the data is safe, and either blocks the information or allows it to pass through. Without a firewall, an attacker or hacker may connect to your computer and compromise your data.

If you store all your data only on paper, data protection would not apply to you. But data protection doesn't just apply to the sensitive information. If you have a credit card, a mortgage, a bank account, or even an email, at least some of your information is online and needs to be protected.