What is Cybersecurity? | Types, Threats & Best Practices

When living in a digital world, your information is constantly under threat. Whether you are working on university Wi-Fi, online banking, or submitting an assignment, someone could access your data. This is why it is essential to understand what cybersecurity is and how it protects our data from various online threats. Here at Locus Assignments, your reliable assignment helper in the UK, we will simply explain cybersecurity protection to help you understand it better and protect yourself online.

The threat of identity theft and data breaches does exist and is very real, but you can always safeguard yourself and your information with education and knowledge. So, knowing about cybersecurity and its importance is necessary.

What is cybersecurity?

In simple terms, cybersecurity is the process of protecting computers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and one's own data from malicious online threats such as hackers, viruses, and scams. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) describes cybersecurity as how individuals and organisations can reduce the risks of cyber attacks.

To achieve this, there are lots of technologies and approaches designed to protect data and to keep data confidential, accurate, and available when needed, usually abbreviated to the CIA triad.

Cybersecurity protections do not just apply to businesses or governments. Keeping data safe from cyber threats is as important to university students as storing essays, passwords, and even financial details on their devices.

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Why Is Cybersecurity Crucial for Personal Information?

Let's be honest: we are all becoming more and more digital. Just consider how much personal information you have out there in the digital space:

Financial account information – Your bank and credit card account numbers, debit card numbers, and PayPal account, basically all the information stored on any device, along with shopping sites, bank apps, etc.

Identity data – Your National Insurance number. Passport number. Number from your driver's licence. Date of birth. Most of the time, this is required for some application or registration to be completed.

Health records – There are a lot of health and health-related applications and online platforms now that sometimes store sensitive personal health data, which is sometimes secure.

Social communication – Your emails, texts, and social media (even private) communication on phones are a source of information about you.

Passwords and login credentials – Every username and password you have ever created for everything from course registration at university to your streaming services and favourite websites.

Now, consider the impact if this information were placed into the wrong hands. The fallout of a possible breach could include any of the following:

Identity theft and fraud: Someone could use your information to open bank accounts, take loans, or even commit crimes in your name.

Monetary loss: Bank account theft or making fraudulent purchases with your card information.

Reputation damage: If personal messages or any personal information were to be let out into public, it would hurt your ability to take it back, unless there is a clear indication that it was not an accurate representation of your character or personality.

Emotional trauma: Dealing with a cyber attack can cause great stress and anxiety.

Loss of privacy: The feeling of having your personal space invaded and your private activities publicly disclosed.

When we speak of cyber safe practices or cyber safety training, we mean much more than reducing the chances of attacks; we mean being able to retain control over your identity within the digital world by staying informed about the latest threats out there.

Cyber Security Key Pillars/Components

Cybersecurity protection is not a thing; it is an approach – one that consists of many key components:

Network Security

This one is all about protecting your internet connection from someone unauthorised so that they cannot access, misuse or damage it. There are many tools, such as firewalls, which act as walls, and virtual private networks (VPNs), which create secure tunnels for your data.

Application Security:

This security pillar is about securing the hardware and software you are using.
It’s about making sure the apps you use, whether for banking or university, are built and updated to keep your info safe, from coding the application to vulnerability testing to security updates.

Software updates are essential. When a vendor discovers weaknesses, they will push patches and updates through their software, which is why organisations have to keep their software updated.

Information Security (Data Security):

This focuses specifically on protecting the information itself, whether that is travelling over the internet or is just sitting on your hard drive. Think about encryption like turning your files into a secret code; only someone with the correct key can read it, while everyone else sees gobbledygook. Access controls may also be used, limiting access to sensitive information, in which a user has the permission to read, change, or delete files.

Operational Security:

This involves the processes and decisions that go into the management and protection of digital assets. This includes things like who gets access to your files and how often they are backed up. It’s your data’s day-to-day security routine.
Having the proper procedures for handling the care of data is also a significant part of cyber safety.

End-User Education:

This may be the most significant pillar because it involves educating people on cyber threats and how to avoid them. It's about showing you how to recognise sketchy emails, how to make good passwords, and how to work safely on the Internet. Remember, you're typically the first line of defence in cybersecurity protection. 

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity:

This principle is more often associated with organisations, but is equally applicable to an individual. For you, it’s as simple as having backups of your university work and knowing what to do if your accounts get hacked. This would include planning for what to do when there is a cyber attack or other catastrophic event.

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Common Cyber Threats Targeting Personal Information

Digital threats are everywhere, and students are no different from everyone else. Knowing what types of threats are most often present in the digital landscape will help you to be better prepared.

Malware: Malware is a shortened name of malicious software, which is any software deliberately designed to damage or take your information, including viruses, ransomware, spyware and adware.

Phishing: Fake emails or messages that fool you into providing sensitive information that typically appear to be communications from banks or your university.

Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks: Related to damaged communication, MitM attacks occur when hackers intercept the communications of two parties, which leads to the theft of your personal information.

Insider Threats: Derived from the organisation itself, an insider threat is considered to be a student or staff member abusing their access intentionally or unintentionally.

Password Attacks: Hacks that involve using brute force or sacred credentials to gain access to your account. Weak passwords make an easy target.
 

How Cyber Security Protects Your Personal Information (Practical Steps)

So we know what cybersecurity is and identify risks; now we can talk about how you can practically protect yourself. We can think about this in three parts: prevention, detection and response. Prevention is number one when it comes to good cyber safety:

Strong Authentication:

This is where you start and where you will have the most protection

Always turn on two-step verification when you can. It’s like a double lock for your accounts. Secure and randomly generated passwords for every account. Don't duplicate passwords! A password manager can help with this situation; it can securely store all of your complex passwords.

Software Updates: This is extremely important. Don’t ignore those update pop-ups, as they often fix serious security holes.

Antivirus/Anti-malware Software: You need to install and maintain a good antivirus and anti-malware software on all your devices. Make sure it is set to scan regularly; think of it as your device’s health check.

Firewalls: Your operating system will generally include a built-in firewall. Ensure that it is enabled within your operating system. Firewalls block bad traffic, kind of like a security guard that checks what goes in and out.

Encryption: When performing sensitive activity online (such as banking or shopping), check for "https://" in the website address bar and a padlock symbol, which means that your data is being transmitted encrypted versus in plain text.

Detection: 

Watch for unusual activity on your accounts or devices. Your security software should be running and configured to alert you to threats.

Response & Recovery:

Have Data Backups: Make sure to regularly back up your important schoolwork, pictures, and other important files. Use an external drive or a trusted cloud service – just in case your device crashes or gets hacked.

Know Your Steps: If you find yourself suspecting that you have been breached, know what to do. This might include changing the password immediately or, if your bank information was breached, informing your bank. Additionally, report to the appropriate authorities and/or the university IT support department.

At the end of the day, there are many tools and technologies available to protect you from cybersecurity intrusions, but personal responsibility comes first. You, as an individual, are the first line of defence, as you are most responsible for maintaining your cyber safety. So, don’t wait for something to happen; start taking small, smart steps today.

Conclusion

So, that’s it. Knowing what cybersecurity is not a thing reserved for IT types or large companies. It is something to consider when navigating our increasingly online world, especially for a university student like you. It is about being proactive and choosing to take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from all the online threats that exist.

We encourage you to take these best practice tips we’ve shared and apply them to your digital lives. Strong passwords, phishing recognition, and keeping your software up to date. Each of these steps is small, but they contribute to considerable cyber protection.

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