As of 2020, almost every part of human life, right from commerce and healthcare, to finance, and the entertainment, has become completely digitalized. Despite the fact that living in this age of information (with the advent of the world wide web all other accompanying developments) has brought with it a greater level of comfort to the everyday lives of humans, it has come with its own share of perils, misfortunes, and disaster, in the form of cybercrime.
Why is cybercrime such a big issue and topic of discussion, you ask? To start off with, you might be astounded to know that in the year 2019 alone, over 4.1 billion records were hacked by hackers and cyber criminals all over the globe. This means that over 4.1 billion data records, including –
- email accounts,
- passwords,
- banking details (credit card information, debit card information, bank account passwords, ATM codes, etc)
- personal information (names, addresses, social security numbers, family details, etc),
- sensitive business records (patents, intellectual property, tax information, business information, etc),
- national security information (top-secret military information, defense contracts, government, and bureaucratic communication data, etc),
were all acquired by cybercriminals, who have the potential to either put this information to use for nefarious purposes such as terrorism and to wage wars, or to extort entities (individuals, corporations, countries, and businesses) for large sums of money. In fact, it has been predicted that by 2021, the economic and financial damage as a result of cybercrimes such as hackings, data breaches, malware, phishing attacks, etc, is expected to reach a whopping $6 trillion globally. This sum is more than the GDP of entire countries. Not only will developing countries (whose economies are only beginning to show signs of growth) find it incredibly hard (if not entirely impossible) to deal with such attacks, but also developed countries with robust, prospering economies. The below-listed points should help you gain a fair idea about why cybercrime is such a significant challenge in the 21st century.
- Economic Costs
- The sheer cost that cyberattacks and cybercrimes have on the global economy and the individual economies of countries is tremendous.
- Numerous countries lost big portions of their GDPs to –
- cyberattacks,
- hacking,
- data thefts,
- security breaches,
- malware, etc.
- Apart from the portion of their GDPs that are stolen and illegally obtained siphoned off by hackers and cybercriminals, these countries also lost a large chunk in efforts towards stopping such crimes or preventing them from happening.
- While developed countries might have the resources (both financially and technologically) to combat such cybercrimes, those countries (typically referred to as ‘developing’ nations) that are only beginning to step foot into the digital realm, might find it much harder to do so.
- Apart from not having the resources to expand their digital spaces and put in place the necessary infrastructure required to thwart any potential cyberattacks and cybercrimes, these countries suffer tremendously (more than developed nations) from those attacks on their cyberspace that do get through.
- The amount of money that is spent every year on –
- educating people on cybercrimes,
- improving cybersecurity infrastructure, and
- strengthening cyber defense systems, as well as,
- the time, money, and resources lost every year as a result of cyberattacks,
runs into the billions of dollars.
- Loss Of Reputability
- While the financial and economical aspects of cyberattacks are only one aspect of the overall negative impact that such crimes have on people, countries, businesses, and entities, perhaps the most brutal of all, is the loss of reputability.
- A company, corporation or brand that suffers a cyberattack is not only likely to lose all its existing customers (as a result of losing all their information and personal data) but is also not likely to ever gain new customers again.
- This is because by being the victim of a cyberattack, corporations, companies, and brands are given no leeway, and are held by the general public as being partly responsible for the crime.
- A company that undergoes such an attack often acquires the image of being careless and carefree about the safety and protection of the financial as well as personal data of its customers.
- This, in turn, implies that the company does not take its customers and patrons seriously enough to make necessary expenditures to boosting its cybersecurity and prevent the theft of the personal, financial data of its customers at all costs.
- Once a company acquires such a brand image, it can be pretty hard and oftentimes impossible to shake this image off.
- In fact, there are those brands that have lost their credibility and reputability simply as a consequence of being exposed for not taking the protection of their customers’ data seriously, without even being the subject of a cybercrime or attack.
- This is why it has become imperative (now more than ever) for all businesses and brands to invest significantly in their cybersecurity programs (by procuring advanced cybersecurity infrastructure and educating their workforce), so that they may not only be equipped to thwart all potential cyberattacks, but also avoid losing their reputability, at all costs.
- Loss Of Livelihood & Identity Theft
- On a personal level, there can be nothing worse for a person that having their money, identity, personal data, and information stolen (oftentimes without them even getting to know for weeks or months) by strangers, through the internet.
- While countries, corporations, and businesses more often than not have the wherewithal to sustain these damages, it can be pretty hard for individuals to bounce back from such cyberattacks.
- And, in the absence of a cyberpolice force or a local cybersecurity wing, it can seem next to impossible for victims of such crimes to obtain even the slightest semblance of justice.
- This is where increased education and raising awareness on –
- how cybercrimes occur,
- the most common modus operandi employed by cybercriminals to lure victims,
- how to boost personal cybersecurity,
- how to take necessary precautions against divulging too much critical, personal and vital information as well as data about oneself,
- what the signs of phishing, malware, hacking, cyberattacks are, etc.
- Gaining awareness of –
- what the possible attacks are,
- how these attacks might occur,
- how cybercriminals choose their victims, and
- who cybercriminals target most often,
is the first step towards protecting oneself (on a personal level) from being the victim of a cyber attack.
Awareness, Knowledge & Preparation – The Only Solutions To The Global Cybercrime Mennace
If you’re now thinking that the situation is hopeless and that there is no way to combat this global problem of cybercrime and cyberattacks, take heart! As with everything else, there are feasible and clear-cut solutions to these problems – awareness, knowledge, and preparation!
What’s the best way to gaining awareness, acquiring knowledge, and staying prepared to protect yourself, your business, and your country from being the victims of cyberattacks you wonder? The simplest answer is to take part in a webinar that has world-class, globally reputed cybersecurity experts and professionals offering every bit of their knowledge on how to become skilled at cybersecurity. If you’re wondering where you’re going to find such a webinar, don’t look further than the forthcoming IFERP-organized Cybersecurity webinar which will take place on the 29th of July from 4.30 to 6 PM.
Wondering what you’re likely to gain from this webinar? Listed below are all the things that you can expect to acquire as a result of enrolling and partaking in this webinar that’s guaranteed to prove to be entirely life-changing.
- Estimating The Necessary Infrastructure & Technological Updates You Will Have To Make To Your Existing Cybersecurity System
- Once you are aware of the extent of your predispositions to potential cybercrimes and cyber attacks, you will be in a better position to find out exactly what you need to do to protect yourself.
- This will entail finding out where the gaps in your present cybersecurity infrastructure lie and all the possible hidden gaps (that might not be immediately apparent to the untrained eye) that cybercriminals can take advantage of.
- The necessary actions that you might have to take will include –
- educating your staff and those dealing with sensitive digital information or corporate data about where potential attacks may arise from and how to stay wary and watch for signs of these attacks,
- updating your cybersecurity infrastructure by either procuring and installing a more advanced firewall, corporate anti-virus software, etc,
- forming a brand-new cybersecurity wing at your company or business containing experienced cybersecurity professionals who will constantly monitor your network to watch out for any fishy activity taking place.
- Equipping Yourself With The Necessary Skills & Know-How To Combat All Potential Cyberattacks
- The cybersecurity experts speaking at the webinar will tell you about exactly which skills you will need to gain and refine to become proficient at thwarting cyberattacks.
- This might include necessary ‘ethical hacking’ skills, which basically comprises of methodologies and techniques that hackers and cybercriminals use (to carry out their illegal activities), but using them to do good instead.
- Not only will gaining such skills prepare you to become proficient at resisting and protecting yourself, and your business from all potential cyberattacks, but will also put you in a better position to pursue a career as a cybersecurity professional.
- As mentioned already, the scope for cybercrimes is only going to increase each year, and with that comes the necessity for skilled and proficient cybersecurity professionals across the globe.
- The career of a cybersecurity professional is a lucrative one, holding the potential for tremendous growth.
- Keeping Your Knowledge & Skills Up-To-Date With Contemporary Technological Advancements
- With technological advancements and improvements to hardware and software taking place at an incredibly rapid pace, the scope for cybercrimes occurring increases proportionally.
- Therefore, the necessity to keep up with these changes and improve one’s cybersecurity and ethical hacking skills also become imperative.
- At this webinar, you will learn exactly where and how to seek such information about new cybersecurity techniques, strategies, methodologies, and more.
- Fodder For Compelling Research
- If you’re a research professional, academic, or student operating within this field or related ones, then you will be pleased to know that partaking in this webinar will definitely open the door to a world of new information that you will definitely want to take advantage of.
- Right from extraordinary topics to conduct your research on, to opportunities to have your research papers and articles published in globally reputed, indexed journals with high-impact factors, you’re guaranteed to gain them all.
If you want to get more knowledge about this webinar Just register