What Is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is the collection of practices and technologies used to protect computers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks and data from hackers. It includes measures like encryption, firewalls and anti-virus software. It also encompasses data backup and restoration, password protection and multi-factor authentication.
Cyberattacks have become increasingly frequent and costly, with experts predicting that they will increase in sophistication and frequency. High-profile breaches have brought cybersecurity into the spotlight, with governments and regulators imposing new policies, such as the General Data Protection Regulation in Europe, that threaten to fine companies up to 4 percent of global revenue for not protecting customer data.
Many cybersecurity professionals focus on keeping hackers out of a company’s network by installing antivirus programs and firewalls, ensuring that employees follow cyber security best practices and by using strong passwords that are difficult for hackers to guess. They also monitor networks and applications to detect suspicious activity, such as unusual traffic patterns or the appearance of malicious files. They then respond accordingly by shutting down affected accounts, blocking IP addresses and isolating infected endpoints.
Robust cybersecurity also helps businesses protect intellectual property, such as patents and trade secrets. It ensures that competitors do not gain access to proprietary information, which may give them a competitive advantage. Besides, it can prevent the loss of critical business functions such as ordering and payment processing by safeguarding sensitive data with encryption. Companies that lose this data could suffer from disruptions to supply chains, lost revenues and the reputational damage associated with a data breach.