Everybody who runs a business or works with data knows the importance of cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is a thing that everyone in the company should keep in mind, whether it be a customer service representative or the CEO. We live in an age of data, businesses depend on data, and cybersecurity is no longer something that only the IT department should be concerned about. It is important for the entire workplace because if you forget about it, the consequences might be severe.
The Cybersecurity Challenge
Businesses lose about $1.41 billion per year because of hacker attacks and data breaches. Therefore, the importance of cybersecurity is hard to overestimate. Cybersecurity is a term that refers to the practice of developing and maintaining the protection of devices, networks, and data from cyber-attacks. However, such a brief definition doesn’t reflect the whole meaning of cybersecurity. Today, cybersecurity includes identity management, information management, backups, network architecture, multi-factor authentication, mobile device management, and firewalls.
The main challenge cybersecurity experts face on a daily basis is that new threats appear all the time. Even if you’re completely protected today, there’s no guarantee that you won’t be hacked tomorrow. As a result, cybersecurity becomes a sort of race. As hackers discover new vulnerabilities, we need new patches, updated firewalls, etc. Cybersecurity requires constant maintenance and growth.
Many modern companies work entirely in the digital area. Some businesses don’t even have any physical offices, and everything they have is on the internet: their money, information, and even products. Sometimes, such businesses quickly expand, entering new markets. For example, an e-commerce shop that used to sell goods to Americans can grow and ship its products worldwide. The first thing such companies think about is making their services accessible to everyone. For instance, they need to invest in localization, using services like The Word Point. However, as the business grows and expands, the number of threats also increases.
Data breaches can destroy such businesses in just a few moments so cybersecurity becomes crucial for them. Fortunately, the cybersecurity industry constantly evolves, and it offers a variety of tools that can help you protect your data and money. Here are the five types of cybersecurity tools you should know about.
Antivirus software
Many people think that the words “antivirus” and “firewall” are synonyms, which is a common misconception. If you want to protect your information, you need both antivirus software that updates regularly and a strong firewall. These are the most basic elements of cybersecurity that are crucial for your safety.
Antivirus software will inform you about malware and viruses and enable you to delete infected files. It may also automatically quarantine potential threats. Quite often, antivirus software also includes additional tools. For example, some programs might scan your emails and make sure that you won’t get malicious links or attachments. There are many antivirus solutions so you can always find something that fits your needs and your budget.
Firewall
Firewalls are another crucial element of cybersecurity because they are aimed to prevent unauthorized access to your system. Even though firewalls are one of the oldest types of cybersecurity software, they are still as necessary as ten or twenty years ago.
While antivirus software mostly focuses on files, firewalls protect your network traffic. A firewall monitors connection attempts, analyzes them and decides whether or not they should be allowed on your computer or network. Unfortunately, firewalls also have their limitations. Hackers have already created many programs that can trick firewalls into believing that a connection is trusted. However, good firewalls are still able to detect less sophisticated threats, protecting you from them.
Managed detection services
As hackers come up with more and more advanced methods and techniques, businesses also have to invest in more sophisticated cybersecurity tools. Modern businesses cannot simply react to threats that have already happened. They need to predict possible threats and identify suspicious activity in advance, choosing a proactive approach.
Fortunately, there are modern cybersecurity solutions that can detect potential security issues, analyze weak points in your system, and try to prevent future attacks. Such technologies as artificial intelligence and machine learning enable developers to create software that learns from historical data and predicts malicious activity.
PKI services
PKI stands for Public Key Infrastructure. When talking about encryption technologies, most people think of TLS or SSL, which encrypt server communications. Of course, SSL is very important for both websites and internal networks. However, PKI can take care of many cybersecurity pain points that are impossible to protect when using SSL only. PKI can be used to:
- Create Trusted Digital Signatures that authenticate your identity and protect the content of your documents;
- Enable multi-factor authentication, making sure that only approved devices and users are able to access your network;
- Protect your code and digitally sign it, making sure that all the code comes from verified sources and protecting it from malware elements;
- Encrypt your emails and authenticate the sender’s identity. This way, it becomes possible to quickly see the difference between legitimate and phishing emails, verifying the origin of a message;
- Make IoT ecosystems more secure by giving every device in the network its unique identity.
Penetration testing
Penetration testing enables you to test your security system by simulating dangerous behavior. Cybersecurity experts can use the same methods as hackers to detect potential vulnerabilities and simulate attacks. Penetration tests can simulate a vast variety of cybersecurity threats, including phishing, passcode-cracking, and code injection. After the test, you can understand what areas of your security system need to be improved, getting actionable insights into its structure along with useful recommendations.
Final Thoughts
The importance of cybersecurity is hard to overestimate. Hackers constantly improve their methods and come up with new techniques that allow them to steal user’s data. Investing in cybersecurity is a necessity for everyone, and there are many tools that allow you to protect your data from attacks.
Companies should understand that all the employees must be aware of the basic principles of cybersecurity, using reliable passwords and avoiding suspicious emails and websites. We hope that our tips will help you choose the right cybersecurity software that will protect your data and your business.
