The Benefits Of Using Cybersecurity Services In Our Homes

We are surrounded by cybersecurity. Not only is it in our phones, our laptops, and the internet, it is also in our nation’s most critical infrastructure, keeping our country’s economy and the public safe from hackers and cybercriminals.

It protects our data, our information, and our devices’ overall wellbeing, whether that be their hardware, software, or our data that’s stored on them. It’s one of the largest, and probably the most crucial, sectors of the tech industry.

However, unless you are an expert, such as someone with a cybersecurity masters degree, or a massive computer whizz, the chances are you probably don’t know all too much about it. In fact, you might not have realized that it is as essential as it is for the normal running of our technology-dependent society.

Cybersecurity keeps us safe from many threats that we might face on the internet or from those around us with malicious intent. It stops huge corporations such as Amazon from getting hacked into and having their customers’ data and bank details being shared with whoever wants them, which can be massively expensive and cause irreversible damage to a company’s reputation and could potentially ruin the lives of many of their customers.

Such functionality is very difficult to maintain, and cybersecurity is a constantly adapting firewall against viruses, hackers, and terrorists, manned by cybersecurity experts such as those with a cybersecurity masters degree who are highly trained and experienced individuals.

There is never a time when your data isn’t at risk of being stolen, and cybersecurity services try to whittle down the chances of it happening as close to zero as they possibly can. But this is very difficult, as it is estimated that half of all of the data breaches will occur in the United States of America by 2023.

This is a very tough sector to work in, and as digital data is under constant threat from both inside and externally, those that work in this field such as those with a cybersecurity masters degree, must constantly be on their toes, and these experts are often trained to protect against all threats.

This can be using OPSEC (operational security) software, which means that they can even see friendly interactions that might make it easier for a hacker to gather information to either hack into the organization or to group data together that will be enough to steal or vandalize the firm’s IT system.

In 2018, there were a total number of 80,000 cyber attacks per day in the United States of America alone. This means that there were at least 30 million cyberattacks that year alone. Anyone with a cybersecurity masters degree will tell you that cybersecurity is the most crucial part of keeping your data safe while online. The other part is down to you.

As a result, it can be very difficult and challenging for those in the cybersecurity sector to keep on top of protecting their data if you are just giving it out on your social media. A hacker can find out a lot about your life by simply using your address, if you have it online, or your real name.

Unfortunately, a lot of people have an ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude towards cybercrime. In addition to this, as a society, people aren’t very protective of their passwords. They make them easy to figure out as they are told they must be memorable.

Most people also never ensure they are on a secure, private network before they make a financial transaction from their bank account, but instead, make them using a public WiFi server or HotSpot. This can be like having a high-end lock on your front door then leaving it wide open when you leave for work in the morning.

This is why cybersecurity not only helps protect your data, but it also helps you recover quickly from a cyberattack. Cyberattacks often leave a hole that needs to be patched up quickly to stop any more damage from being done to your data and files.

This can be a crucial period when it comes to keeping your data safe, so the smaller this window is, the better. When such things are handled by experts, such as those with a cybersecurity masters degree, they can generally be solved quickly, although it is near to impossible to get all your data back.

How Can I Use Cybersecurity To Protect My Tech At Home?

The general definition of cybersecurity is the protection of internet-connected devices against destruction, alteration, or unauthorized access.

This can be anything on your computer or devices, such as your hardware (physical destruction, theft, or alteration), your computer’s software (protection of digital files on your computer from said threats), or your personal and sensitive data (your bank details, login codes, IP addresses). These are at constant risk of theft.

To put this threat into perspective, nearly 60 million Americans have been a victim of or affected by, identity theft, with an estimated 21% of affected files not protected in any way. Cybersecurity stops these figures from being even higher, but often, many people don’t take the care or the time to invest in cybersecurity measures or software, or even employ someone with a cybersecurity masters degree.

So, that’s the explanation of how it will protect your home use tech. But what from? There are many different threats that we need to be constantly vigilant about. These are things that we are probably all too aware of, such as Social Engineering, a kind of scam that relies on human psychology to succeed, on which 98% of cyber attacks rely, and Phishing.

These are some of the many reasons why we are never told to reveal our personal data online, or over the phone during scam calls. These are often targeted at elderly people, but can also be delivered on a more widespread basis.

You wouldn’t have thought that these kinds of scams are as successful as they are, but 30% of phishing messages are opened, and 12% of this number open the encrypted and harmful link on the message in America alone.

Then there is Malware and ransomware, both things we were probably bombarded with information about by both our schools and more tech-savvy parents and carers that surrounded us when we were growing up.

Despite this, 49% of malware was installed via email, even though we have all been raised on the general idea of, ‘if you don’t know what an email is or the link on a text message is about, don’t open it.’

But there are some more hidden and subtle ways that your data can be taken, and you might not be aware of it happening.

These are things such as Advanced Persistent Threats, or APTs. These are when a network is infiltrated by an attacker, however, the aim is to remain undetected by all users of that network. To add to this, these attacks are often targeted, so the attacker already knows what kind of information they are looking for. They are often prolonged, long-term attacks that are very difficult to pinpoint if you don’t know what you are looking for, or you aren’t a trained professional such as someone with a cybersecurity masters degree.

There are other kinds of threats too, that will threaten your business if you are working from home, as 41.8% of Americans currently are. Cybersecurity threats need to be known by both staff and employers, as a staggering 58% of Malware victims identify as a small business, and only 3% of employees report scam emails.

Not only will experience a data breach leak the company’s data and files, but it also puts all those working at home at risk, too. This can be very stressful for all those involved, especially as being a victim of a scam is often seen as quite an embarrassment and the victim will often keep it to themselves.

This is why people must protect the technology they use at home. Some form of defence is far better than none. Even if it feels as though the threats are too sophisticated for your level of protection for your business (which is true for 60% of small businesses), it might help your business recover. Things such as Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery help when things have been breached, so you have a quick backup if your data does get stolen.

What Can Cybersecurity Protect Me Against If I’m Running A Business From Home?

Due to the current pandemic, many of us are working remotely. So, it’s no surprise that businesses are having to be run from home as well. As we touched on earlier, when you are working from home, it’s not only your business that is at risk of infiltration, it’s your family, too.

Another risk on top of this is that you can’t see what your peers or employees are up to, meaning that you are at a potentially higher risk of Insider Threat, which causes 5% of data breaches in small businesses. These are data breaches or data losses that are caused on purpose.

These can be people such as your employees, customers, or even contractors. These can be malicious in intent or of a more negligent nature. For example, 41% of companies have more than 1,000 files that contain sensitive details (such as health records and credit card details) unprotected.

This is an example of negligence, which makes it far easier for third parties and hackers to infiltrate and steal data, therefore causing a data breach.

Some 48% of small business data breaches result from a negligent employee or contractor, which can cost a business as much as $225 per lost or stolen record in the United States. As the average amount of files stolen per data breach is approximately in the thousands, we can safely say that these are incredibly expensive issues that are so blatantly overlooked.

Seeing that 60% of small businesses go out of business half a year after a cyber attack, it’s generally a good idea to ensure it doesn’t happen in the first place. You can invest in software, such as anti-virus and anti-malware programs, and employ someone with a cybersecurity masters degree to help things run more smoothly within your business.

They will also help your end-users (people at the end of the product chain) to access your material that they are authorized to see remain well protected too.

What Are The Other Benefits Of Cybersecurity?

There are many other benefits to having a good cybersecurity service at your fingertips. This can include massively improved trust and confidence from your customers and your employees. It also gives your family extra protection at home and will stop you from joining the aforementioned 60 million Americans (and counting) who have become victims of identity fraud and theft.

Not only this, but it creates massive amounts of job opportunities. Despite being one of the most essential sectors in the technology industry, there is a predicted gap of 3.5 million unfilled positions in 2021.

Even if you are not in a business or looking for someone with a cybersecurity masters degree to have on your employment team, it might be wise for you to get a cybersecurity masters degree to progress your own career.

As a qualified cybersecurity professional, you would be able to keep those around you safe and well educated against the risks that complacency poses to keeping data secure or being targeted by a cybercriminal for cybercrime.

The varied cybersecurity positions are all in high demand, and as well as higher-than-average salary expectations, qualified professionals should experience long-term job security, with zero percent unemployment in many cybersecurity roles since 2016.

To end on a positive note, there are legions of highly talented individuals working tirelessly to combat the scourge of cybercrime, and though the headline crime figures might give reason for concern, the steps required to stay safe are well-established and easy to implement. All it takes is a little time and effort and you’ll be all set to engage over the internet with peace of mind.