WHAT?
What is cybersecurity?
The internet and its underlying infrastructure are vulnerable to a wide range of threats stemming from both physical and virtual entities and hazards. Sophisticated cyber actors and nation-states exploit vulnerabilities to steal information and money and are developing capabilities to disrupt, destroy, or threaten the delivery of essential services. A range of traditional crimes are also now being perpetrated through cyberspace. This includes the production and distribution of child pornography and child exploitation conspiracies, banking and financial fraud, intellectual property violations, and other crimes, all of which have substantial human and economic consequences. Read more at the Department of Homeland Security.
What can I do to protect myself?
There are several strategies that you can utilize which will help you protect yourself from being the victim of cyber crime such as financial loss or having your personal data exploited by hackers. You can read about some of these strategies in the following Forbes article: 5 Ways to Protect Yourself from Cyber Attacks.
WHO?
Who is affected by cybersecurity?
Check out this awesome infographic developed by Utica College which depicts the answer to the above question at The Impact Cyber Attacks Have on Us.
WHEN?
When should I be aware of cybersecurity?
Whenever you logon to a computer with network access, use the Internet, watch videos on YouTube, use your smartphone to make a purchase, listen to music through your vehicle’s Bluetooth connection, cybersecurity applies. Any active connection has the potential to be hacked by people with bad intentions. In this day and age, pretty much everything that we do is affected to some extent of Internet connectivity; therefore, we should always be aware of cybersecurity.
WHERE?
Where should I implement cybersecurity?
If you own any sort of Internet-connectable device, it is a very good idea to look at things you can do to secure the device from being hacked. Things like mobile phones, laptop computers, tablets and the like can all be accessed by a hacker if a vulnerability is discovered and exploited. For a more detailed explanation regarding cybersecurity implementation, please see 10 Basic Cybersecurity Measures.
WHY?
Why should I care about cybersecurity?
Taken from the book At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy: Some Basic Concepts and Issues, the following linked chapter “Why Care About Cybersecurity?” outlines reasons why one should care about cybersecurity in business and everyday life: https://www.nap.edu/read/18749/chapter/3.
HOW?
How do I learn more about cybersecurity?
The following links are provided so that you can read more about cybersecurity:
National Security Agency (NSA): https://www.nsa.gov/
Department of Homeland Security: https://www.dhs.gov/topic/cybersecurity
National Institute of Science and Technology Computer Security Division: http://csrc.nist.gov/
SANS: https://www.sans.org/security-resources/
DDOS Protection Services: Top 100+ Cyber Security Blogs: http://ddosattackprotection.org/blog/cyber-security-blogs/