Thoughts on Cybersecurity – Do We Need More Tips For Staying Safe Online?
What is it about these two phrases that leads one to think of them as two different things? As it turns out, the answer might be that they are one in the same, but in a related way. In fact, there are some important ways that these terms may be used interchangeably, and some important ways that they can be used separately, or in combination with each other.
The problem of course lies in the use of the term “cybersecurity.” Some people might wonder what the difference is between “cybersecurity” and “cybersecurity,” and therefore why there is so much confusion over this issue. It seems that there are two major ways that this term is used today, and that is in its narrower form as a description of the protection of computer systems, and then in its broader form as a description of the entire field of cyberspace and information security that includes all aspects of the Internet, including web security. So the first term is “cybersecurity,” while the second term is “cybersecurity measures.” These words do not have an exact synonym, despite the effort being made to standardize the term in some kind of international standard.
However, it is worth noting that when you get down to the technical details, it is clear that the words “cybersecurity” and “websecurity” are really just different ways of referring to the same thing, which is computer and Internet security. And it’s also clear that the term “computational science” is simply a fancy way of saying “computer science.” So, we’ve come full circle. There is no real international standard for the term “computation science.” And yet, when you look at the three words “cybersecurity,” “websecurity,” and “infosecurity,” it is clear that those three words refer to three entirely separate subjects.
In other words, the cyber criminals who broke into their’s emails did not break into the Department of Justice’s computers, or the National Security Agency’s computers, or even the CIA’s computers. They broke into cyberspace. Those are the real threats to our nation’s cyberspace-our privacy, our financial information, our national security, and our businesses. And they won’t go away by themselves.
What are the real threats to our cyberspace? The hackers who hacked into their’s emails and released sensitive info are only the tip of the iceberg. There are many more cyber criminals and group sponsors who are trying to find their foot in the digital open space. Some are hoping to steal your identity so they can steal your money or your identity.
Other cyber criminals are trying to cause chaos with their distributed denial-of-service attacks. This is where a huge amount of computers are offline because of a cyber attack. There are many people in the security field that consider this to be similar to a coordinated terrorism attack because it is taking down an entire city’s computer network. Some of the victims of these DDoS attacks might never get their machines online again.
What can we do to protect ourselves in cyberspace? I would suggest that a comprehensive review of our current federal government information security initiatives is necessary. Our companies need to be held accountable for how we protect the cyberspace – our government. Our elected leaders need to develop a comprehensive plan for securing cyberspace. I am not sure what that plan should include, but suffice to say, all of us need to pay more attention to the state of our nation’s cyber situation.
It is important to remember that the government and the private sector cannot be the only solution. cyberspace can be a dangerous place and we have to protect ourselves and our businesses. It is not enough to rely on the US government alone. Indeed, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.