In September 2017, Equifax (a multinational customer credit evaluating company based in Atlanta, Georgia, that collects and evaluates data of over 800 million consumers and more than 88 million businesses all over the world) was attacked by cybercriminals that stole almost 147.9 million USD. Equifax’s clients’ data, such as social numbers. Addresses, dates of birth, driver’s licenses, full names, and credit card details were stolen, causing a lot of harm to a good cause. Cyberspace has become an inherent aspect of the present world. The Internet is becoming unavoidable daily for millions of individual users, companies, financial institutions, and of course, the government. Networks of computers support tons of activities whose loss or damage would cripple the organization. Social media is crucial in this age – but it is nevertheless a great threat to personal security. Securing data is one of the biggest challenges we face today, and cyberspace is not safe yet! Thus, there is a need for Cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity is the primary concern in today’s age of technology. Its significance cannot be over-emphasized, as it plays a crucial role in the current development of information technology and services. Cybersecurity ensures the safeguarding of data, programs, devices and the integrity of networks from cyber-attacks. It protects all categories of data from unauthorized access and minimizes the risk of theft, loss, or damage. Most users are unaware of the cyberspace risk due to a lack of knowledge; they unknowingly share their sensitive information, making them vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Cybercrime is rising at an alarming rate, and with the evolving tech comes more opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit. Various companies, organizations, and the government are working to prevent cybercrime by implementing effective Cybersecurity.

Some important aspects of Cybersecurity are:

• Protection of personal information. Personal details in the digitally driven world are of utmost value, and identity theft cases have become rampant. Information theft is the most expensive and fastest-growing part of cybercrime. Therefore, it is important to secure your details at all costs. Protect your social media accounts using strong and unique passwords and regularly changing your logins.
• Protection of governmental and industry information systems from attacks, loss, damage or deletions, and unauthorized access.
• Cybersecurity ensures the safeguarding of businesses against the potential catastrophe of cyber-attacks. With the best Cybersecurity techniques employed, business data, network, and employee and customer info are secured. This ensures customer confidence, prevents websites from crashing, protects against threats such as adware, ransomware, and Spyware, and achieves productivity and efficiency by eliminating viruses that can slow down computers.
• It eradicates social engineering. This is usually the most used technique and has been coined as the famous “Yahoo – Yahoo” by Nigerians. It uses social media tricks to gain a target’s sensitive or confidential information.
• Prevents theft of intellectual property and cyber espionage.
• Prevents embezzlement, fraudulent transactions, and financial loss.
• Provide cyberspace users with a safe, secure, and relaxed environment with enhanced efficiency to carry out their activities.

It is a fact that, as an individual user, small, large, or multinational business or organization, you must rely on computer systems daily. This makes everyone vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Therefore, Cybersecurity awareness is paramount. Educate yourself on Cybersecurity to secure yourself and your information.