What Is Cyber-Security?
Cyber-security protects computer systems, networks and devices from hackers and unauthorized access. It includes the study of identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities to cyber attacks through formal assessments, backups and insurance.
The cybersecurity industry is a people-oriented field as well as technically demanding. People who do well in this career tend to be competitive, curious and willing to continue learning to keep pace with rapidly changing technology.
Today, sensitive information is stored and accessed across wired digital communication networks like intranets and the internet, on mobile devices and in the cloud. This highly valuable and accessible data is a target for criminals and evil doers. Cyberattacks happen in the form of malware, viruses and spyware. These attacks are designed to steal information, interrupt operations, degrade or destroy hardware and software or cause other damage.
As the demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to grow, the number of jobs in this career is expected to increase by more than 20% over the next decade. However, the shortage of qualified cybersecurity workers remains significant.
The main entities that need to be protected are: endpoints like computers, smart devices and routers; networks; and the cloud. Technologies that provide cybersecurity include next-generation firewalls, domain name system (DNS) filters and malware protection solutions.
The heterogeneous endpoints in a company require an integrated approach to security. Technological evolution and bring your own device (BYOD) policies mean that IT must secure a wide range of devices, including some it does not even own. Effective network segmentation and centralized threat detection are critical to reducing the attack surface and lowering risk.