Why is there so much talk about cybersecurity these days? What’s really going on?
To understand this, we need to look at it in the context of the rise of computing and the internet.
What Cybersecurity Used to Look Like
In the 90s and early 2000s, cybersecurity often boiled down to:
Installing an antivirus to prevent viruses from deleting all the data on our computers.
Installing a firewall to block unauthorized interactions on the internet and communication via certain ports (the ports for accessing the computer from the internet).
…and that’s about it!
When we think back to this time, we were always talking about viruses—people would often ask, “Have you installed an antivirus?” or “Which antivirus do you use?” Antivirus software was like a sort of magic vaccine protecting us from “computer diseases.”
Viruses were most often created by individuals acting alone, often just to see what the virus they created could do. They stood to gain nothing from their handiwork—the virus would be installed, wipe the computer, and that was that.
Back then, cybersecurity issues were simple. The internet was still in its infancy, and very little data was digitalized.
Cybersecurity Today
How times have changed! We’ve gone from a simple, mostly offline world to a much more complicated, highly connected one. There is now simply far more data stored online and much wider use of IT for essential services like electricity and hospitals.
Things move at a much quicker pace now, and cyberattacks are no longer limited to destructive viruses. There are now many more types, such as:
Data breaches: These are the ones we hear about all the time: gaining access to databases to steal confidential information. This includes passwords, but also private information such as addresses, religion, sexual orientation, etc. These are the cyberattacks that make waves when the public becomes aware of them, for obvious reasons!
They’re also becoming more and more frequent. There were 1108 reported data breaches in 2020. In 2021, there were 1291 reported data breaches by September 30—that’s a 17% increase!Ransomware: A relatively new type of virus that doesn’t delete data but rather encrypts it to prevent anyone from accessing it. There is generally no way of recovering the data unless you have a key… which you can only get by paying a ransom. (And even then, the hackers could decide not to hold up their end of the bargain and lock up your data forever!)
Threats to infrastructure: As IT is now an essential part of all infrastructure, some attacks go further than wiping a computer’s contents—they can have a real impact on people’s offline lives. This was the case in Ukraine, for example, where hundreds of thousands of people were left without electricity after an attack on power plants.
The impact of these attacks can be devastating. You could have your central heating cut off in the depths of winter, traffic lights could be hacked to cause accidents, hospitals’ medication distribution systems could be paralyzed and administer the wrong medications...the possibilities are endless and ever more frightening.
Who Is Responsible and What Are Their Motives?
When we think about cyberattacks, we can’t help but wonder:
Who would do such a thing? 😱
It’s all his fault:
Just kidding! 😝
Although hoodie-wearing loner hackers are still around, the more complex attacks we see nowadays are carried out by highly coordinated groups who sometimes spend months planning them.
Despite these risks, businesses generally aren’t well-prepared for them. 77% of businesses state that they aren’t prepared for a cybersecurity incident.
However, the impact is very real! The average cost of a data breach has gone up from $3.62 million in 2017 to $150 million in 2021!
It Affects Everyone
It’s often said that there are two types of businesses—those that have been hacked, and those that don’t know they’ve been hacked! It sounds like a joke, but it’s important to understand that no one is truly safe from a cyberattack and that cybersecurity should be taken seriously.
In the following chapters, we’ll look at some well-known cyberattacks (there’s no shortage of examples!), to see their real-life impact on unprepared businesses.
