Cybersecurity news focuses on the latest events and advice for protecting computers, networks, programs and data from unauthorized access or attacks. The field is continuously evolving, with professionals using a variety of tools and techniques to keep their clients and organizations safe.
In the wake of massive data breaches, cybersecurity is a hot topic in the media and among consumers. Consumers want to know if their private information will be compromised and what steps they should take to protect themselves. Meanwhile, companies whose business models depend on having quick access to customer information could find themselves in trouble if that data isn’t secure.
The types of cyberattacks and threats vary widely. They can be perpetrated by criminal organizations, professional hackers or disgruntled employees who may have authorized access to a company’s systems. For example, a recent business email compromise (BEC) attack against the City of Baltimore resulted in $1.5 million in fraudulent vendor payments because the attacker impersonated the city’s verification processes.
The duties of cybersecurity professionals are broad, and they can range from identifying and tracking malicious code to monitoring employee access to sensitive information. Many of these workers collaborate with other information technology (IT) specialists to ensure a company’s servers, cloud services and employee devices are secure. Depending on the size of a business, it’s possible that only one cybersecurity specialist handles all facets of keeping data safe, but larger firms often have whole departments dedicated to the job.