What is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity refers to the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks. These cyberattacks are usually aimed at accessing, changing, or destroying sensitive information; extorting money from users; or interrupting normal business processes. Implementing effective cybersecurity measures is particularly challenging today because there are more devices than people, and attackers are becoming more innovative.
Basic Terminology and Concepts
To fully understand cybersecurity, it’s important to be familiar with some basic terminology and concepts:
- Malware: Short for malicious software, malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network. Examples include viruses, worms, and ransomware.
- Virus: A type of malware that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code.
- Worms: Malware programs that replicate themselves to spread to other computers, often without human interaction.
- Ransomware: A type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.
- Phishing: A method of trying to gather personal information using deceptive e-mails and websites.
- Social Engineering: The use of deception to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential or personal information that may be used for fraudulent purposes.
- Encryption: The process of converting information or data into a code, especially to prevent unauthorized access.
- Firewall: A network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
- VPN (Virtual Private Network): A service that encrypts your internet traffic and protects your online identity by hiding your IP address.
- Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): A security process in which the user provides two different authentication factors to verify themselves. This method adds an additional layer of security to the authentication process.
Understanding these terms and concepts is the first step in appreciating the breadth and depth of cybersecurity challenges and solutions.