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Social Meaning and Impact of Cybersecurity Systems
The ubiquity of computer technology revolutionized how businesses and organizations operate and optimized entire professions and careers for the better. However, with technology evolving and digitalizing personal information and data, the need for security and privacy became essential. The field of cybersecurity developed as early as the 1950s before the Internet ever existed, and its discipline has only increased in complexity and reach. The need for cybersecurity systems in small, local businesses is as important as its need in large international corporations.
Impact on Small Businesses
Nowadays, businesses cannot afford to let vulnerabilities in their infrastructures go unguarded. Matters of security in a small business should be as important as they are in a large business, especially online. According to Dr. Jane LeClair, Chief Operating Officer of National Cybersecurity Institute, she surmises that 50% of small and medium-sized businesses have been victims of cybercrime and 60% of those businesses do not recover from the damages, soon going out of business. It’s important to consider the consequences and costs of neglecting to implement cybersecurity measures versus taking perilous risks. Business owners who fail to establish security protocols not only risk data breaches, they also risk liability and subsequent litigation. According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses are “especially attractive targets because they have information that cybercriminals (bad actors, foreign governments, etc.) want, and they typically lack the security infrastructure of larger businesses to adequately protect their digital systems for storing, accessing, and disseminating data and information”(Small Business Administration). No data is insignificant in the world of cybersecurity, especially to criminals seeking ways to mine data for illegal purposes.
Businesses need to budget for all possible contingencies, even if such predicaments never happen. It is much better to be overprepared for a situation than woefully underprepared. These businesses are not just protecting their assets but their employees’, contractors’, and stakeholders’ information. People tend to underestimate just how much a business operates electronically and sometimes don’t take time to learn about security measures like firewalls, anti-virus software, anti-phishing software, and methods of encryption. Cybersecurity should never be an afterthought. Cybersecurity should be integrated into every process, aspect, transaction, and layer within network infrastructures to maintain confidentiality, integrity, and availability. How would a business proceed with developing a cybersecurity system?
Authentication and Encryption
According to FIDOalliance, org, passwords account for 80% of data breaches. It has become too simple for hackers to develop software designed to infiltrate systems and steal passwords for personal nefarious means or to sell for ill-gotten wealth. Passwords need to fade out and be replaced with secure methods of authentication like digital keys. FIDO (Fast Identity Online) Alliance offers an alternative to passwords by utilizing cryptography techniques such as keys, second-factor and multi-factor authentication, and encryption software. FIDO is highly versatile, used across a range of markets, professions, and businesses and available for several web browsers like Windows, Android, Chrome, and Firefox.
Encryption of vital data is a cornerstone of cybersecurity and allows for electronic information to be securely stored, transferred to trusted parties, and accessed by authorized users. According to Terrell McSweeny, Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission as hosted on HuffPost’s website: “Now, more than ever, strong security and end-user controls are critical to protect personal information…if consumers cannot trust the security of their devices, we could end up stymieing innovation and introducing needless risk into our personal security” (McSweeny, 2016). Even the most innocuous data transactions can create a window for cybercriminals to climb into, such as passwords stored in a web browser’s cookies or files transferred through email. Encryption is a form of cryptography, which is a method of protecting data through usage of codes and ciphers. But how exactly does cryptography protect all that information?
Cryptography’s Uses in Cybersecurity
Cryptography is a discipline practiced far back in historical times, from classical ciphers used by Greco-Roman generals and militaries to 20th century uses such as the Colossus, a computer for deciphering codes generated by the German LorenzSZ40. In modern society, cryptography has become integral in securing local and worldwide data transmission and communication. The ultimate goal of cryptography is to ensure confidentiality, authentication, integrity, and non-repudiation. There are three ways in which cryptography ensures authenticity.
Firstly, digital certificates offer proof of authentication, accompanied by digital signatures. They can also be thought of as public key certificates. In a TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol or SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol, these public key certificates verify that entities using the certificates have the same matching hostname and that the certificate has been signed. These are vital to seamless, protected communication and data transfers in businesses and international dealings like money transactions. Secondly, these public keys are paired with private keys, which are used to digitally sign messages. If a person wants to verify that the message their boss sent them is genuine, they can check the digital signature. Using these keys protects the integrity of communication between persons, entities, and organizations, and also help guard against unlawful data-mining, phishing scams, and social engineering.
Finally, encryption adds another protective layer over privileged information and data, ensuring that even if prospective criminals obtain these encrypted files, they don’t have the codes to decrypt them. However, as technology evolves, cybercrime also evolves, so new methods of encryption need to be developed to stay one foot ahead of the enemy. While decryption is a helpful tool for white-hat hackers in the fight against cybercrime and cyberterrorism, these tools are also available to black-hat hackers who wish to cause harm. Cybersecurity needs more analysts, experts, and developers in the field who can help fight the online cyberwars waged every day.
Conclusion
The realities of cybercrime in the world today have significant implications for the future of cybersecurity. Society needs to be wary of the dangers lurking over cyberspace, even in the most unlikely websites. Whether a person’s entire life is chronicled online on social media pages or they only use the Internet for research purposes, protecting and securing data is essential in the continuation of technological progression. Small businesses are not immune to the threats of cybercrime and are sometimes the most targeted, requiring the implementation of stronger security methods like digital keys, encryption, and authentication protocols. Cryptography is an essential foundation of encryption software and has been versatile across all different professions, careers, and businesses.
Technology will continue to evolve, requiring the field of cybersecurity to evolve with it. Cybersecurity is a career in which a person never stops learning because the field requires swift adaptation, development, and growth. According to predictions made by Richard Addiscott and Rob McMillian, Senior Director Analyst and Managing Vice President, respectively, by 2025, “60% of organizations will use cybersecurity risk as a primary determinant in conducting third-party transactions and business engagements.” They also propose that 70% of CEOs will mandate security measures to mitigate threats from cybercrime, natural disasters, civil unrest, and political instabilities (McMillian, Addiscott, 2022). If these predictions hold true over the next few years, will there be a future of 100% cybersecurity protections across the world by 2030? Will the entirety of data information be digitalized and protected under these regulations? Only time and persistence will tell.
Works Cited
Small Business Administration. (n.d.). Strengthen your cybersecurity. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/manage-your-business/strengthen-your-cybersecurity
McSweeny, T. (2016, September 3). Worried about your data security? how encryption can help protect your personal information. HuffPost. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/worried-about-your-data-s_b_8083756
McMillian, R., & Addiscott, R. (2022). Gartner unveils the top eight cybersecurity predictions for 2022-23. Gartner. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2022-06-21-gartner-unveils-the-top-eight-cybersecurity-predictio