Since the concept “technology” and “security” has been brought into this world, there have always been various factors that could potentially try to find loopholes in these innovations. As a simple concept, between complexities and ease of use, complexities inevitably create more vulnerabilities and weaknesses. These flaws draw the attention of cybercriminals who hides in the digital world. The motivations and intentions of these hidden people are never the same, instead, they have their own independent purposes. Some may do it for fun, pranks, illegal dealings, while others do it to gain undeserving profits by taking users' systems down and asking for ransom, declaring digital wars against the government, and so on.
To simply put Cybersecurity is the process/practice of protecting and securing different aspects like networks, online systems, electronic devices, and other infrastructure that seek either online or offline connections and communications to digital platforms. Since 2010, the rapid development of small or large businesses has been occurring, and to make the working environment feasible and increase productivity, various tools and methods are introduced. In a similar way, this has brought the idea of cyber damages.
In 2020, nearly $6-7 trillion has been damaged by cyber-attacks. No doubt, the major victims were Banks, tech companies, hospitals, government agencies, and other Multinational companies. You might have heard a famous attack called Ransomware Attack. Initially introduced in 1989 to attack the healthcare industry, is now attacking and exploiting many other targets including government agencies, education hubs, and normal users like us. The purpose of addressing this information here is to make the point that attackers and hackers have a different mindsets. Their motives may start from a small scale but if unnoticed or unchecked, they might become plenty of threats to the cyber world.
Hence, understanding cybersecurity is very important. We will explain some concepts of why cybersecurity is important.
Why cybersecurity is important?
Before we start. Let’s look what is the main reason for being oneself as a potential target or victim? Well, we as users do not care about our own data. We cannot blame anyone for our own mistakes. Not only us, even many so-called established companies knowingly or unknowingly repeat the same mistakes. Once the weak string is found, it will be easier for an attacker to pull a big heist. Phishing, scams, and ransomware still might become major factors even after creating a secured environment. Because these types of attacks are done from both side’s i.e. client as well as vendor. So let us dive into major points why cybersecurity is important.
i. Protecting Users data
Like said, people have been indulging themselves in different sectors of technology and each of them has their own personal data. Platforms like online sites save huge tons of user’s data and users hope that their information remains safe. Data can be of any kind whether it is in online sources like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or offline devices like hard drive, pen drive, and whatsoever. In order to safeguard those data security aspects like encryption, password, security key, etc. are required. But, the way these walls are set depends upon user’s mindset that for far are they willing to go to protect their data. Simple passwords can be easily guessed by brute force and boom, data stolen. So systematic and full understanding about how to use passwords, their lengths, and combinations, and of course, an area where they are provided must be carefully considered. Remember one of good security means ensuring data is secure and well protected.
ii. Mitigating threats factors
To simply explain this, users must be able to understand their systems and how they are operated. While surfing websites or downloading anything from the internet, one must be aware of what they are doing because most sites contain advertisements and external links that seem interesting. Dues to the beauty of such banners, users are tempted to click on those sites, which in fact might be the malicious ones. And one thing led to another, their systems will be infected. Factors like Phishing, Social Engineering, malware, and worms play a significant role in this process. Organizations are required to equip themselves to prepare for tight security measures and the best cybersecurity solutions like security risk assessment tools, anti-phishing, and fraud monitoring tools to look for vulnerabilities and to track your brand online. Hence, users must be able to understand this kind of threat and thus cybersecurity is required.
iii. Unexpected digital loss
Each year, nearly 59-70 million data are stolen or lost. Crucial data like banking details, employee details, and social media accounts are hacked and stolen without the knowledge of users. Devices like lost Pendrive, hardrive, laptops, and mobiles contain a huge ton of data. The main place to find such items is a cheap market where thief sell their items and hackers buy them. The data extracted are sold in Darknet. Sometimes, there are often cases that users' login details are sold to another company that pays them. To prevent such unexpected loss, understanding cybersecurity is required. Awareness plays a significant role.
You might be wondering how much do cyber experts make per annum. In the current scenario, jobs in the cybersecurity field are increasing rapidly. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that jobs for information security analysts will grow by 31% through 2029. Cybersecurity consists of various security roles and average salaries depend on postings made by organizations.
Cybersecurity roles
i. Security Technician- skills focus on information, network security, and Information Assurance. Average salary about $87,000-90,000.
ii. Crime Analyst- skills focus on forensics, information security, and reverse-engineering. Average salary about $91,000-93,000.
iii. IT auditor- skills focus on auditing and planning, risk assessment. Average salary about $96,000.
iv. iv. Security analyst- skills focus on systems security and threat analysis. Average salary $96,000.
v. Penetration tester- skills focus on vulnerability assessment, software testing. The average salary is $103,000.
vi. Security Manager- skills focuses on project management and risk management. Average salary about $105,000.
vii. Security engineer- skills focus on cryptography, encryption, and network security. Average salary about $107,000.
viii. Security Architect- skills focus on software security, authentication, and information security. Average salary about $130,000.
ix. Chief information Security Officer- skills focus on the overall security of the organization, client-side and server-side security. The average salary is very high nearly about $150,000-200,000.
Remember this is not an entry-level salary. As fresher, you might get somewhere between $30,000-$50,000 per annum. Above mentioned salaries are for nearly 5 years, experienced experts. If you ever land in the cyber job as a fresher, we would highly recommend taking it at least for 2 years. At the initial stage of the job, do not expect too much. With time and experience, a salary hike is guaranteed. Most people find it difficult on finding cyber jobs, where to start, what to do, what to expect, and are confused with many unanswered mysteries.
These are a basic understanding of cybersecurity, we will soon upload new content. In the next blog, we will be explaining about above-unresolved queries. Keep updated to learn what is required to be a cybersecurity expert. Furthermore, we will upload some course-related topics too. Hope to see you soon and stay tuned.
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