- The era of the Internet and new technologies
As we live in a very dynamic world that is constantly changing, in which new information and ideas are changing at a very fast pace, we should notice that data protection and security of critical information play an essential role in sustaining our daily lives. In the age of the internet and new technologies, we have to deal with various types of cyber threats, risks, and attacks. This modern time has brought numerous benefits to the human race, but also some security problems that are rapidly spreading and growing, even for whole countries or big companies. We seem to be at risk more than ever before. The cyber environment may seem friendly and comfortable, but realistically it can bring a lot of headaches to its visitors.
Insecurity practice, it is still necessary to define the terms critical information, critical infrastructure, as well as intelligence. Critical information is any information or data that is essential and vital to the functioning of a cyber system. The notion of critical information is strongly related to the notion of critical infrastructure. In reality, critical infrastructure relies on critical information. However, what exactly is critical infrastructure? It is an infrastructure that is of strategic importance to a state or nation. Examples of critical infrastructure include power plants, airports, telecommunications systems, government departments, information or cyberinfrastructure, transportation systems, and so on. In other words, it means everything that plays a vital role in the life of a country and its people. Critical information is any information transfer within the digital or cyber part of a critical system on which that system depends. Lack of communication or data exchange within the system can cause damage or even catastrophic consequences for critical infrastructure.
- Intelligent security systems
It should be noted that modern security systems are becoming very intelligent. Although, it’s not just about popularity. It is also about the pretty good practical results that this concept can provide. In principle, today’s security systems rely on intelligence. By definition, intelligence is information with applied analysis.
In the past, it was the information that accompanied the operation. The modern trend requires that the security service produce the intelligence that will lead the operation. First, let’s try to imagine a cyber system that depends on intelligence. That cyber system can be a computer set or an entire network. As is well known, computer systems are guided by a set of rules or instructions. This set is also known as an algorithm. If we now try to apply the concept of intelligence-driven security, we will notice that we have a system, which in this case is an algorithm that can adapt or monitor information. As is well known, cyber systems in the past had an algorithm that guided information, but today the set of rules is one that is guided by intelligence.
- Cyber threats and the importance of cyber metrics
Some define a cyber threat as a person or organization that intends to cause harm at the cyber level. It is generally believed that there can be many cyber risks and attacks in cyberspace. The main risks that the cyber community has the opportunity to feel these days are:
- Cybercrime
- Cyber espionage
- Cyberwarfare
- Activism.
Next, we would try to illustrate and understand these types of threats.
Let’s start with cybercrime. What is that? Cybercrime is any form of illegal activity that takes place on a computer or network, the purpose of which is to bring in money. At the beginning of the cyber era, cybercrime was related to breaking into someone’s computer, making changes in it, and leaving it. But now, it’s about money. More precisely, it is about stealing credit cards, confidential information, passwords, and the like to achieve the benefit. Cybercrime can usually be detected using various types of diagnostics in cyber forensics.
Cyber espionage, on the other hand, concerns information gathered through someone’s covert activity through some type of cyber device. This type of activity can have a different background and in practice, economic and military espionage differ. It is obvious what gathering information in secret would mean in terms of economic interests and what in terms of military goals.
The next term we need to explain here is cyber warfare. It sounds spectacular, but it isn’t. It is something that happens in the world every day. There are very many governments and non-government programs that aim to sabotage or cause damage to computers or equipment of specific individuals or groups. Also, there is much such malware in the world, such as viruses or worms, that were created to protect the state or organization from terrorism, organized crime, hackers, and the like. The well-known advanced threats of today are those that cannot be detected easily.
Finally, we should say a few words about activism. Activism is just none of the above. In this case, too, it is an intrusion into a computer, but to show an individual or a group that it is capable of doing so and in that way sending a social or political message, disturbing its targets, etc. These are people who can do it and who will do it, just to show that they can.
On the other hand, cyber metrics are defined as a set of measurements that can be applied with the aim of controlling, understanding, and, in the event of a threat, defending a cyber system. In practice, it is a matter of finding quantitative values of certain cyber parameters such as the number of infections, the rate of data intrusion, the amount of virus in the system, and so on. Metrics can be expressed in numbers, percentages, and averages.
- Using passwords as a form of protection and the importance of password managers
Everything changes very quickly and sometimes it is very difficult to follow all those changes. In reality, what is used to provide valuable information? Encryption, of course. It is necessary to protect the system and valuable information. To do that, it is necessary to use strong and complex passwords, which is made possible by the password manager.
Use these applications. With one, the main password, which is very complex, access to different platforms is performed. The Keeper password manager can use two-factor authentication. It can be connected to other devices, the interface is very simple and easy to use. Automatically fills in files and queries. How important passwords really are and how carefully these things should be approached is shown by the data on a large number of people who had problems and who lost valuable data, information, or some kind of great value.
