WHAT IS CYBER SECURITY?

At its most basic definition, cyber security is the practice of ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility (commonly known as the CIA triad) of data and information.

Confidentiality: The creation and enforcement of authorized restrictions on access to and disclosure of private information, such as personal and proprietary data.

Integrity: The enforcement of safeguards against the unauthorized or improper modification or destruction of information. This includes verifying accuracy and authenticity.

Accessibility: The assurance and maintenance of reliable and timely access to information.

These three attributes make up the core goals of all cyber security efforts, and every action taken towards more secure data can be linked to one or more of the triad.

Cyber security should be a top priority for all businesses that work in connected spaces, whether that means a basic internet connection or an expansive private network. Not only is poor cyber security a bad business practice, it also falls on organizations to protect themselves, their employees, and their customers from misuse of private information in a world where data is more public than ever.

Cyber Attacks

While cyber security addresses much more than malicious attacks, cyber crime tends to take up a lion’s share of the topic’s press coverage. Attacks can range from relatively simple programs that are easy to execute to sophisticated network breaches, but regardless of how the attack is carried out, a successful breach can be devastating. Here are some of the most common forms that cyber attacks take:

• Malware: A favorite tool in a cyber criminal’s shed is malware, which can refer to a wide variety of harmful software. Many forms of malware, including viruses and ransomware, can allow the attacker to take control of the infected device, monitor actions, and access, send, and delete data. Usually, malware is installed on a device unwittingly by an authorized user via deceptive practices, such as disguising the executable file as a document or PDF attachment in an email.

• Phishing: Phishing goes hand-in-hand with malware, as they often rely on one another to do real damage. In order to get you to download and install malware, attackers know they have to give you the motivation to do so, and will send fraudulent emails or messages that look like they’re from trusted sources. Besides acting as a vehicle for malware, phishing is also used to gather account and password data for websites by directing viewers to a lookalike website and collecting the entered information. Be wary of anything that seems “off” about an email, such as strange grammar, URLs you don’t recognize, and requests for your password.

• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Used to target the users of a particular website, cross-site scripting or XSS involves injecting malicious code into the site, which runs on the visitor’s browser without anyone being any the wiser. Then, any sensitive data entered on the site can be collected by the attacker. XSS attacks are commonly executed by embedding a link to malicious JavaScript in a page’s comments, making them hard to control due to sheer volume.

• SQL Injection Attack: Structured query language, or SQL, is a programming language for communicating with databases. Many website servers that store critical website information use SQL to manage that data. Similarly to XSS, SQL injection attacks insert malicious code into a website, but rather than targeting visitors, they target the website itself, getting the server to give up information stored in databases such as user and company information.

• Credential Reuse: How many applications and websites do you have logins for? If you’re like most web users, probably too many to count. It’s tempting for people to reuse login credentials (username and password) to make memorizing accounts easier, but doing so puts you at risk of giving up access to some or all of them if a single account is compromised. Attackers rely on web users’ tendency to reuse passwords and can gain access to high-security platforms such as online banking by gathering data from a less-secured website, such as a hobby forum.

• Denial-of-Service: When a website or application is inundated with more traffic than its server can reasonably handle, it becomes practically impossible to access. Called Denial-of-service, or DoS, attacks, this phenomenon can happen normally, like if a highly-advertised promotion for an online store goes live and the site stops loading. However, DoS attacks can also be malicious, and businesses and organizations can be massively impacted by the loss of revenue and reputation. In some cases, when the traffic is caused by many computers at once, the attack is called a DDoS, or distributed denial-of-service, which makes it harder for network administrators to determine the source.

Another term commonly associated with cyber security and attacks is “data breach,” which has been on the minds of many after years of large-scale breaches associated with big brands and companies such as Equifax, Yahoo!, and Target. The term refers to any instance where confidential and secure data is accessed and either lost or stolen. While it’s commonly associated with cyber attacks, a data breach does not necessarily entail hacking or other methods of digital access. For example, a data breach could occur because of a database malfunction which deletes a section of information, or because an authorized user left information unattended. As such, data breaches and cyber attacks are deeply connected, but not directly analogous. Both, however, are addressed through cyber security solutions.

Areas of Focus

In the digital, connected world that we live in, information and data make up so much of our environment that our points of access are nearly impossible to quantify. But for organizations and businesses, a cyber security strategy should target several key areas of focus for optimal coverage:

• Network Security: Many companies and organizations utilize private networks to allow information to be transferred within the organization more securely. Because of this, networks both public and private are common targets of cyber attacks. A good starting point is ensuring that adequate access controls, such as extra logins, are in place, and that credentials are not being shared.

• Cloud Security: Businesses large and small are moving databases, applications, and more to the cloud, but don’t make the mistake of conflating cloud instances with security. Many cloud providers are consistently making improvements to their security practices, but some are not, and distinguishing between good and poor security responses is critical when making the move.

• IoT/Connected Device Security: These days, connected devices can mean anything from your smartphone to your refrigerator as tech designers and manufacturers add more functionality to everyday utilities and change what we think of as “smart.” Collectively known as the Internet of Things (IoT), as long as they’re connected to a network, these devices are avenues for entry. Many successful business cyber attacks find their way in through a connected device such as a security camera or printer, which creates unique challenges for cyber security.

• Application Security: Often abbreviated as AppSec, application security is one of the most important areas of focus for overall cyber security because it’s one of the weakest points of attack. Proprietary web applications are often developed with the intent of getting them usable and productive as quickly as possible, prioritizing business goals over secure development practices. The best way to ensure application security is to begin during development – after that’s completed, the task becomes harder to manage.