7 Summer Cyber Myth Busters!

Hey there! Thank you for joining me this Tech Thursday! Going to the SecureWorld Chicago Conference today was so informative and thought-provoking. I got to see the companies out there protecting the systems, the cloud, and the interfaces we use every day. It opened my eyes to see how important it is that we have this multitude of task forces with protection plans. After all, cybersecurity is truly everywhere. Let’s get started with your summer cyber-myth busters for you to remember- listen closely, these will be important whether you’re lounging by the pool, vacationing off to the coast, or spending time with the family. The reality about online safety does not disappear once school ends! Here we go!

• Someone else will take care of it. I can’t do anything because I can’t code.

Although it may seem that because these problems are “IT” problems, it really is upon us to secure our personal systems and learn how to act, react, and prevent attacks. Knowing how to code is needed for writing the software to protect the device. Although it is an important skill (and a fun one to learn!), we have to protect our devices even if we do not know how to code.

• It’s never happened to me- I’ll deal with it once it does.

You may not have experienced cyber-attacks firsthand, but they can be truly unprecedented. When they do hit you, they are most frequently large-scale attack. We HAVE to protect ourselves for the worst case scenario because it does happen. This is precisely why companies spend billions of dollars yearly protecting their systems. Even with personal devices, this is vital!

• If the business is small, it won’t get attacked.

Untrue! According to an HM Government report, in 2015, 74% of small and medium-sized enterprises reported security breaches. Also, CFO magazine took a survey of 233 small and medium size corporations to find that 1 in 5 reported cyber attacks over a two year period. These numbers are now only on the rise. All types of companies have to protect themselves.

• I have no important information that a hacker would care to use. “I don’t have anything worth stealing.”

Small businesses are beginning to have this mentality. Although it may not seem like your phone has anything that could “hurt you,” what about your bank account, your social media accounts, your pictures, your messages (your privacy in general?) There’s a lot to lose in the digital world!

• If we have anti-virus, we’re fine.

Anti-virus does a good job of protecting your device, but with it, comes a substantial responsibility to take precautionary measures on the user end. There is no point to having anti-virus but also having bad “digital-manners,” clicking sketchy links, opening phishes, downloading from unauthentic websites, and more. Yes, you should have anti-virus, but you should also learn and spread the knowledge of digital knowledge.

• If a computer is not connected to a network or the internet, it cannot be attacked by a virus.

Sure, it decreases the chance of certain attacks, but what about plugging in a foreign USB? Inserting a USB without knowing the contents is very dangerous, as the said contents, including malicious code, can run on the computer. According to We Secure App, many cybersecurity specialists see the USB Thumb Drive as the biggest security risk.

• Digital security is unrelated to physical security.

This is wrong, as the two complement each other, going together hand in hand. As a result of the growing Internet of Things, devices such as the elevator, electric grid, CARS, and public transit system are being connected. With this, it becomes a matter of PHYSICAL safety too when systems are hacked. Imagine the Dallas Siren Hack for instance, when the sirens in Dallas began blaring in the morning because of a hack into the infrastructure. Now, we have hacks to cars (which are getting dangerous and scary), making us wonder what we can do to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Hacking is NOT just an IT problem.

Thanks for joining me this week! Have a SAFE summer online,

Detective Safety

Sources, Check them out!: The Cyber Advocate, We Secure App, Forbes