What is cybersecurity?

Sharon Shea, Executive Editor
Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor
Casey Clark, TechTarget

Cybersecurity is the protection of internet-connected systems such as hardware, software and data from cyberthreats. The practice is used by individuals and enterprises to protect against unauthorized access to data centers and other computerized systems.

A strong cybersecurity strategy can provide a good security posture against malicious attacks designed to access, alter, delete, destroy or extort an organization's or user's systems and sensitive data. Cybersecurity is also instrumental in preventing attacks that aim to disable or disrupt a system's or device's operations.

Why is cybersecurity important?

With an increasing number of users, devices and programs in the modern enterprise, combined with the increased deluge of data -- much of which is sensitive or confidential -- the importance of cybersecurity continues to grow. The growing volume and sophistication of cyber attackers and attack techniques compound the problem even further.

What are the elements of cybersecurity and how does it work?

The cybersecurity field can be broken down into several different sections, the coordination of which within the organization is crucial to the success of a cybersecurity program. These sections include the following:

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Application security
Information or data security
Network security
Disaster recovery/business continuity planning
Operational security
Cloud security
Critical infrastructure security
Physical security
End-user education

Maintaining cybersecurity in a constantly evolving threat landscape is a challenge for all organizations. Traditional reactive approaches, in which resources were put toward protecting systems against the biggest known threats, while lesser known threats were undefended, is no longer a sufficient tactic. To keep up with changing security risks, a more proactive and adaptive approach is necessary. Several key cybersecurity advisory organizations offer guidance. For example, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recommends adopting continuous monitoring and real-time assessments as part of a risk assessment framework to defend against known and unknown threats.

What are the benefits of cybersecurity?

The benefits of implementing and maintaining cybersecurity practices include:

Business protection against cyberattacks and data breaches.
Protection for data and networks.
Prevention of unauthorized user access.
Improved recovery time after a breach.
Protection for end users and endpoint devices.
Regulatory compliance.
Business continuity.
Improved confidence in the company's reputation and trust for developers, partners, customers, stakeholders and employees.

What are the different types of cybersecurity threats?

The process of keeping up with new technologies, security trends and threat intelligence is a challenging task. It is necessary in order to protect information and other assets from cyberthreats, which take many forms. Types of cyberthreats include:

Malware is a form of malicious software in which any file or program can be used to harm a computer user. This includes worms, viruses, Trojans and spyware.
Ransomware is another type of malware. It involves an attacker locking the victim's computer system files -- typically through encryption -- and demanding a payment to decrypt and unlock them.
Social engineering is an attack that relies on human interaction to trick users into breaking security procedures to gain sensitive information that is typically protected.
Phishing is a form of social engineering where fraudulent email or text messages that resemble those from reputable or known sources are sent. Often random attacks, the intent of these messages is to steal sensitive data, such as credit card or login information.
Spear phishing is a type of phishing attack that has an intended target user, organization or business.
Insider threats are security breaches or losses caused by humans -- for example, employees, contractors or customers. Insider threats can be malicious or negligent in nature.
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are those in which multiple systems disrupt the traffic of a targeted system, such as a server, website or other network resource. By flooding the target with messages, connection requests or packets, the attackers can slow the system or crash it, preventing legitimate traffic from using it.
Advanced persistent threats (APTs) are prolonged targeted attacks in which an attacker infiltrates a network and remains undetected for long periods of time with the aim to steal data.
Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks are eavesdropping attacks that involve an attacker intercepting and relaying messages between two parties who believe they are communicating with each other.

Other common attacks include botnets, drive-by-download attacks, exploit kits, malvertising, vishing, credential stuffing attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, SQL injection attacks, business email compromise (BEC) and zero-day exploits.

Malware variants vary, from ransomware to worm to virus.

What are the top cybersecurity challenges?

Cybersecurity is continually challenged by hackers, data loss, privacy, risk management and changing cybersecurity strategies. The number of cyberattacks is not expected to decrease in the near future. Moreover, increased entry points for attacks, such as with the arrival of the internet of things (IoT), increase the need to secure networks and devices.

One of the most problematic elements of cybersecurity is the evolving nature of security risks. As new technologies emerge, and as technology is used in new or different ways, new attack avenues are developed. Keeping up with these frequent changes and advances in attacks, as well as updating practices to protect against them, can be challenging. Issues include ensuring all elements of cybersecurity are continually updated to protect against potential vulnerabilities. This can be especially difficult for smaller organizations without the staff or in-house resources.

Additionally, organizations can gather a lot of potential data on individuals who use one or more of their services. With more data being collected, the likelihood of a cybercriminal who wants to steal personally identifiable information (PII) is another concern. For example, an organization that stores PII in the cloud may be subject to a ransomware attack. Organizations should do what they can to prevent a cloud breach.

Cybersecurity programs should also address end-user education, as employees may accidently bring viruses into the workplace on their laptops or mobile devices. Regular security awareness training will help employees do their part in keeping their company safe from cyberthreats.

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