Even if you know very little about technology, it’s likely you’ve at least heard of cybersecurity and know about the concept. Cybersecurity includes various security measures for individuals who spend time online. The term also extends to companies that use online resources.
Cybersecurity is not a new idea, but these days, even individuals who did know very much about it previously have to learn the basics. If they don’t, they risk something unfortunate happening, either in their personal or professional life.
If you’re not sure why you need to think about cybersecurity these days and be aware of it, we’re here to help. The following article will make clear why cybersecurity needs to be on your mind more than ever in 2021.
Data Breaches Are More Widespread Than Ever Before
If you look at certain studies, you’ll see that data breaches happen now more than they ever did in the past. Leveraged credentials often cause them.
For example, passwords cause 61% of data breaches if someone unauthorized can figure one out. This is why many companies and individuals like to use multi-factor authentication to protect their smart devices and networks.
There are hackers out there, some of whom work on their own, and others who work as part of collectives. The collectives are systematic, and some of them are well-funded as well.
They have various motivations for doing what they do. Some of them are purely profit-motivated, while others have grudges against certain industries or individual companies.
Whatever the reason, though, a hacker or hacking collective that breaks into a government entity, online workplace, etc., can sometimes access data treasure troves. That data might include worker or customer full names, addresses, phone numbers, and even social security or bank account routing numbers.
Once hackers have access to all of that information, it can be a nightmare trying to work through it. You might have to cancel your credit cards, and you’ll need to keep a close eye on your credit report to see if anyone is taking out loans in your name. Data breaches are one of the main reasons why you should practice excellent cybersecurity habits, but there are many more.
More Individuals Work from Home Now Than Ever Before
The pandemic brought about an unprecedented experiment. Many companies who previously did not let their employees work from home felt like they had no choice but to do so. Other business entities that already allowed a little online work had to expand that model considerably.
In many ways, working from home has gone well. It has gone so well, in fact, that some companies are still letting their workers do it, even now when there are vaccines available, and there is not so much Covid-19 danger as before.
While working from home is great for most employees, it does open up some potential cybersecurity dangers. If you have workers logging into your workplace’s software suite from a central location, that makes it easier to keep track of everyone. If you have employees logging in from all over town or all across the country, that’s a little more challenging.
Still, if you have the right cybersecurity measures in place, your company should be fine. If you have the proper safeguards available, that means there will be no network breaches, and you should be able to thrive within your niche by using this new system.
More Businesses Have Websites Than Ever Before
You might also notice that more companies have their own websites now than ever used to be the case. There are barely any business entities, no matter how small, that can get away with not having a website. It’s one of the first things for which a potential client or customer will look, so you will probably need to hire someone to create a site for you if you’re a company owner or operator.
If you have a business website, that will send the message that your company is modern and ready to take on new clients. However, your website might also be vulnerable to hackers.
The solution is to have robust cybersecurity measures in place to protect the site. The same individual who set up the site might install your security, or you might need a whole IT team to do it if you have a very large, complex website. Generally, the bigger the company, the larger the site, and the more features you will need it to have.
More Businesses Have Apps Than Ever Before
You will also probably notice that more businesses have apps right now than used to be the case, as well as websites. Not every single company will have an app, but many of them will.
If your company or business does have an application, you might get a lot of use out of it. Maybe you find that your customers love it, and they cannot get along without it.
You want excellent engagement for your app, but, like your company’s website, you also need to have cybersecurity in place so that no one can access your app to use it in improper ways. A determined hacker might try to disable your app.
If that happens, it can send the message that you don’t have the best online security. If so, your would-be customers might shy away from doing business with your company or buying anything through the app. Strong cybersecurity for your app can mean an uptick in business, while weak security measures and a buggy application can sink your company in a hurry.
A Hacker Attack Can Mean a PR Disaster
If you have the best available cybersecurity in place for your app, website, or your company’s software suite that all the employees use, you should be in good shape. You will be able to lure in new clients, and you might also have other companies who want to partner and do business with you.
If there are hackers out there who don’t want you to succeed, though, they might try to expose internal company documents at an inopportune time. Maybe they hack your network and post some confidential information right when you are about to take the company public.
If you are about to launch an IPO, a successful hacker attack might cause the company’s value to plummet. Your investors might feel like you don’t have the proper security measures in place, so they won’t want to trust you.
You might have to hire a public relations firm to try and mitigate some of the damage. Your CEO getting up in front of a microphone and trying to persuade investors and the public that the breach was a one-time thing is not a good look for your business entity. You have to avoid this sort of embarrassment at all costs.
You Might Have Information Online About Which You Don’t Want People to Know
Maybe you have some information online in your personal life about which you don’t want specific individuals to know. For instance, perhaps you’re active on some dating websites, and you’re exchanging flirtatious messages with various singles there. Maybe you’ve even shared some private pictures with them.
There’s nothing wrong with that, in theory, but you still want to keep that part of your life private. You might also have personal correspondence on your home’s laptop, tablet, or desktop that you would not want anyone else to read or see.
Your home computer might show you communicating with medical personnel through a telehealth portal. You might have some medical diagnoses on there that you don’t want your family to know about yet. Perhaps you got some test results that you’re waiting for the right time to share with them.
You don’t want anyone to get that information and post it without your consent. There are plenty of things we do online that are private. They might not necessarily be illegal or unethical in any way, but that does not mean you want everyone in the world to find out about them.
If you think about these sorts of reasons, it becomes very obvious why cybersecurity matters more than ever before right now. As more and more of us spend time online, either in our personal lives, for work, or both, we need to make sure to have every possible measure in place to prevent anything personal or unauthorized from getting out.
Luckily, while there are more online threats than ever before, such as phishing attacks, malware, etc., there are also more security measures that you can put in place as well. You should try to remember and use them both at home in your private life and at work.
If you have things like multi-factor authentication in place, not to mention biometric access like fingerprint and optic readers, you should be fine. You should also try to remember to change your passwords frequently and never to use the same ones for all your accounts.
