Major Project themes

 Cyber Security

 cyber security definitiion

In short, this is how companies and people reduce the risk of cyber attacks. (Gov.UK)

Cyber attacks come in various forms these attacks use a malicious piece of code to alter, logic, data or the computer itself and there are different defense mechanisms to prevent these attacks or reduce the damage which can vary from clearing the memory of the computer using expensive antivirus software to just uninstalling a problem app on the device.

                

 Importance of cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is crucial because it safeguards all types of data against theft and loss. Sensitive data, personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), personal information, intellectual property, data, and government and business information systems are all included. Your organisation cannot defend itself against data breach operations without a cybersecurity programme, making it an easy target for thieves.(Why is cybersecurity important?)

Governments all over the world are paying more attention to cybercrime. GDPR is an excellent example. It has exacerbated the reputational harm caused by data breaches by requiring all organisations operating in the EU to:

• Inform people about data breaches.
• Designate a data protection officer.
• Require user permission to process data.
• To ensure privacy, anonymize data. (Why is cybersecurity important?)

 Common form of cyber attack in recent year

• Malware - This is any program or code which was designed in a way to do harm to a computer there are many different types of malware.
• Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks - This is a targeted attack that tries to disrupt operations within a business by flooding its networks with false requests.
• Phishing - This is a type of attack that uses SMS, Emails, or Phone to tempt the victim into sharing sensitive information such as credit card details.
• Spoofing - This is a technique in which the criminal disguises themselves as a well-known and trusted source with the main goal of stealing information, extorting money, or installing malware.
• Identity-Based Attacks - This is a type of attack that is very hard to detect because the criminal gains the other person's account information and so the criminal operates with valid user credentials and operates the account as the victim.
• Code Injection Attacks - This is where the offender injects malicious code into a computer so they can change the course of action of the computer. 
• Supply Chain Attacks - This is a devastating attack on businesses and works by targeting trusted and reputable vendors who offer services and software which are vital to the supply chain
• Insider Threats - All companies have to be vary of insider threats these can be current or former employers that have access to sensitive information and may give it out to the public for individual or monetary gain.
• DNS Tunneling - This cyber attack leverages the Domain Name System (DNS) queries and responses to bypass traditional security measures and transmit data and code within a system.

(Crowstrike.com,2021)

Reason behind the increase in Cybercrime

Theft of information is the most expensive and fastest-growing type of cybercrime. This is mostly due to the increased accessibility of identification information to the web via cloud services.However, it is not the main goal. Power grids and other infrastructure can be damaged or destroyed if industrial controls are disrupted or destroyed. Identity theft isn't the only goal of cyber assaults; they might also try to undermine data integrity (delete or modify data) in order to instill distrust in an organisation or government. Cybercriminals are growing more clever, shifting their targets, how they affect organisations, and how they attack various security systems.

Social engineering is still the most common type of cyber assault, with ransomware, phishing, and spyware being the most common access points. Third-party and fourth-party vendors who process your data and have poor cybersecurity practises are another prominent attack vector, emphasising the importance of vendor risk management and third-party risk management.(Why is cybersecurity important?)

 Tools and vendors for cybersecurity

Cybersecurity vendors often provide a wide range of security products and services. The following are examples of common security tools and systems:

• IAM stands for identity and access management.

• Firewalls

• Endpoint security

• Antimalware/antivirus

• Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IPS/IDS)

• Data loss prevention (DLP) is the prevention of data loss.

• Detection and response to endpoints

• SIEM stands for security information and event management.

• Tools for encryption

• Scanners for vulnerabilities

• VPNs (virtual private networks)

• Platform for cloud workload protection (CWPP)

• CASB stands for cloud access security broker.

Check Point, Cisco, Code42, Crowd Strike, FireEye, Fortinet, IBM, Imperva, KnowBe4, McAfee, Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, Rapid7, Splunk, Symantec by Broadcom, Trend Micro, and Trustwave are among the well-known cybersecurity firms(Shea, S., Gillis, A. S. and Clark, C. ,2023).

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Reference List:

What is cyber security? (no date) Gov. UK. Available at: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/about-ncsc/what-is-cyber-security (Accessed: 12 April 2023).

(No date) Ieee.org. Available at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/mediastore_new/IEEE/content/media/7371414/7371418/7371499/7371499-fig-1-source-small.gif (Accessed: 12 April 2023).

Baker, K. (2021) 10 most common types of cyber attacks, crowdstrike.com. CrowdStrike. Available at: https://www.crowdstrike.com/cybersecurity-101/cyberattacks/most-common-types-of-cyberattacks/ (Accessed: 12 April 2023).

Why is cybersecurity important? (no date) Upguard.com. Available at: https://www.upguard.com/blog/cybersecurity-important (Accessed: April 23, 2023).

Shea, S., Gillis, A. S. and Clark, C. (2023) What is Cybersecurity? Everything You Need to Know, Security. TechTarget. Available at: https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/cybersecurity (Accessed: April 23, 2023).