What does the term "cyber security" truly mean & how to achieve this?

Take for example a worker who is doing some data entry on her computer. In the background, a hacker is going through the private files of her company in an unauthorized manner. He then sells the crucial information he has obtained to criminals, who use it to blackmail the corporation into paying a ransom so they can make a profit.

It sounds like something out of a movie, but unfortunately, incidents like this are all too often in the world of the internet today. Because of this, cyber security has evolved into an essential component of any business strategy, and as a result, the demand for qualified cyber security professionals is higher than it has ever been. Cybersecurity refers to the practice of protecting computer networks and devices from assaults launched from the outside. In most cases, companies will hire professionals in the field of cyber security to protect sensitive information, keep their employees productive, and increase the level of trust that customers have in their products and services.

The realm of cyber security is governed by the industry standard known as the CIA, which stands for confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Privacy means that data can only be viewed by authorized parties; integrity means that information can only be added, edited, or removed by authorized users; and availability means that systems, services, and data must be available on demand within the parameters that have been previously agreed upon.

The implementation of authentication protocols is the single most crucial component of a secure computer network. A user name, for instance, is used to identify an account that a user wishes to access, whereas a password is a method that validates the user is who he claims to be in order to prevent unauthorized access to an account.

Cybercriminals often employ a wide number of strategies in an effort to profit from their illegal activities, including the following:

• Denial of Service, often known as DOS, is when an attacker uses up all of a server's resources, making it impossible for the server to be accessed by users who are authorized to use it.

• Malware refers to the infection of a victim's electronic devices by a worm or virus that renders those devices useless.

• Man in the Middle: This hacking technique involves the hacker inserting himself between the PC of the victim and a router in order to intercept data packets.

• Phishing refers to the act of a hacker sending a user an email that appears to be real and asking for the victim's personal information.

Examples of cyberattacks include cross-site scripting attacks, password assaults, eavesdropping attacks (which may or may not include physical intrusion), SQL-injection attacks, and birthday attacks based on algorithm functions.

10 steps for achieving cyber security: 10 steps towards achieving an effective cyber security plan

1. Risk management regime: Put in place an acceptable risk management regime in order to evaluate the dangers that could be posed to the information and systems of your firm. The Board of Directors and top management ought to be on board with this. Make sure that every worker, contractor, and supplier is aware of the methodology as well as any risk boundaries that may be relevant.

2. Securing the configuration: If you have a plan for determining the technology builds that should serve as a baseline and methods for ensuring the configuration management, you may considerably increase the level of system security.

You need to come up with a plan for deleting or turning off unnecessary functionality in systems, in addition to coming up with a plan for quickly correcting any identified vulnerabilities. If this is not done, the risk of a compromise to the system and the information it contains will almost likely increase.

3. Security of the network The fact that your systems and technology are connected to the Internet and any other partner networks leaves them open to the possibility of an attack.

Developing easy-to-implement regulations and appropriate architectural and technological remedies, in addition to lowering the possibility of an attack on your systems and technologies, is a good way to cut down on the risk of an attack.

Your company's networks almost certainly span numerous locations, and the usage of mobile or remote working, in addition to cloud services, makes it difficult to define a stable network boundary. Cloud services also make it difficult to maintain network security. Instead of concentrating simply on the physical connections, you should think about the locations of your data storage and processing, as well as the places where an enemy could potentially interfere with it.

4. Managing user privileges: The risk of misuse or compromise is increased when people are granted unnecessary access permissions to the system or the data it contains. According to the role that they play in the system, each user need to be given an equitable—albeit fundamental—collection of privileges and rights. It is imperative that the delegation of extremely high-level system privileges be carefully handled and monitored. This idea is sometimes referred to as the "least privilege" concept.

5. User education and awareness Users play a vital part in the security of their organization, thus it's important to educate and raise their awareness. It is essential to educate employees on the potential cyber hazards that could affect them so that users can do their duties while also contributing to the organization's overall security.

6. Incident management: At some point or another, every organization will be faced with a security incident.

Making an investment in robust incident management policies and practices will help to enhance resilience, promote business continuity, boost customer and stakeholder confidence, and maybe reduce any harm that may have been caused. You should locate recognized sources of specialized experience in incident management (internal or external).

7. Protection against malware: Any code or material that has the potential to produce a malicious or unpleasant impact on systems is referred to as destructive software, which is also commonly referred to as malware. Destructive software is an umbrella term. Any kind of information exchange carries with it the possibility that a virus will be sent along, which might have significant repercussions for your systems and services. The danger can be mitigated to some extent by formulating and carrying out appropriate anti-malware tactics.

8. The process of monitoring is one that identifies actual or attempted attacks on the systems and services of a corporation. Monitoring is absolutely necessary in order to respond to attacks effectively. In addition, monitoring gives you the ability to ensure that systems are being utilized appropriately and in compliance with the policies of your organization. When it comes to satisfying legal or regulatory obligations, monitoring is frequently a crucial duty that must be performed.