Cybersecurity Awareness is the practice of being aware of your presence on the internet and how to reduce the vulnerabilities that come with your presence.
I’m interested in this topic because I’m currently pursuing an associate’s degree in cybersecurity, so it’s extremely important for me to be aware. I also enjoy educating my peers and family on the topic and how to stay safe.
I reviewed my notes of what we can do to stay protected on a normal basis- but researching the statistics reminded me of just how vulnerable we all really are.
“According to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) data breach analysis, there were 1,291 data breaches through September 2021. This number indicates a 17% increase in data breaches in comparison to breaches in 2020, which was 1,108. The report also found a steep increase in the number of data compromise victims (281 million) during the first nine months of 2021.”
-Spanning Cloud Apps
Malicious Code
Malicious code is what is used against us during cyberattacks. This is code that is written to perform activities such as deploying malware or acquiring information from the user.
Phishing Emails
Phishing emails are fake emails that are sent out with the goal of obtaining information from the person that opens it. These emails tend to come across as authentic but often have easily spotted flaws. They are one of the most common cyberattacks.
Cybersecurity statistics provide important insight as to what’s happening in the cybersecurity world -it’s important to stay updated.
Basic Awareness Tips
- Create secure passwords
- Pay attention to updates on apps/websites that you use
- Educate yourself on phishing scams
- Be wary of insecure/strange looking websites
- Trust your gut
Cybersecurity awareness can teach others what to look for when using the internet and the common attacks launched on users. The graph on the left displays the development of malware infections growth between 2009 and 2018 by the millions. This further shows why we must be aware.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity Awareness is just as important for casual internet users as it is for organizations. Every person that is on the internet is vulnerable to a cyberattack. The only way to truly be safe is to not have a presence on the internet. Regardless, we can always try our hardest to stay safe and aware.
The creation of this poster only further motivated me to expand my knowledge of cybersecurity. I want to help protect people and organizations from such rapidly developing vulnerabilities.
References
blog/cybersecurity-statistics-2019/
- https://www.snhu.edu
- Identity Theft Resource Center
- https://purplesec.us/resources/cyber-security-statistics/