Building Your Digital Fortress: Cybersecurity Basics Everyone Should Know

We live in a digital age where data needs to be protected like a virtual Fort Knox. The cost of data breaches is staggering with the average cost per breach reaching $4.88 million in 2024, a 10% increase over the previous year(1). With figures like this, online security has never been more important.

At Digital Investigation Inc., we are cybersecurity experts. We help thousands of businesses and individuals like you prevent, detect, respond to, and predict network attacks daily. Our experienced cybersecurity team will protect you from data breaches and ransomware so you can sleep peacefully at night.

Keep reading to learn more about the basics of online security and data protection so you have a better understanding of how to protect your business in a world of escalating cyber threats.

Understanding the Landscape of Cyber Threats

For effective threat prevention, you need to understand the landscape of online security and the nature of the cyber threats companies face today. The cyber world continues to evolve, so staying up to date is crucial. Understanding cybersecurity basics can help protect yourself and your company from threats, cyber extortion, and other online scams.

Common Types of Cyber Attacks and the Increasing Need for Online Security

Here are the most common types of cyberattacks in today’s digital world.

• A phishing attack is a method of tricking you into sharing sensitive data such as passwords and credit card information by posing as a trusted institution in an email, text message, or phone call. One infamous example was the 2021 Colonial Pipeline phishing attack(2). The attack installed ransomware and forced the company to pay $4.4 million. The cyber extortion caused fuel shortages in the Southeastern United States.
• Malware is malicious software designed to damage or steal data from a company’s computer systems. Clop (sometimes written Cl0p) is an infamous malware that emerged in 2019 and became one of the top malware threats of 2022(3).
• Ransomware is a specific type of malware that locks a user’s data through encryption. It’s a type of cyber extortion. Cybercriminals demand payment to regain access. The notorious WannaCry(4) ransomware worm infected more than 200,000 Windows computers in 2017, targeting the UK’s National Health Service.
• Social engineering, sometimes called “human hacking,” tricks people into giving away sensitive information or compromising security. It uses psychological manipulation, pretending to be a trusted source to trick users out of login credentials, credit card information, or social security numbers. One of the top social engineering hacks in recent years was the Democratic campaign’s email leak during the 2016 US presidential campaign.

The Impact of Cyber Attacks

Cyberattacks can have serious consequences for individuals. Their finances, privacy, mental health, and even personal safety can be at stake. Breaches can result in identity theft with both financial and legal consequences. Cyberattacks on smart home devices can lead to unwanted surveillance, control over personal gadgets, or lapses in home security. Hacks to professional accounts can impact careers. The effects can be life changing.

The consequences for businesses can be devastating. Cyberattacks can affect a company’s finances, reputation, operations, and legal standing.

Hacks into a corporate system can result in data breaches that can lead to lawsuits, identity theft, cyber extortion, and reputational damage. Cyberattacks can lead to the loss of a company’s trade secrets. Ransomware attacks can shut down a business’s systems and require hefty payments to restore. Cyber extortion costs businesses an average of $5.68 million per breach(4).

Cybersecurity 101: Essential Online Security Practices for Individuals

As online scams become increasingly sophisticated, protecting yourself is essential. Taking proactive measures can bolster your online security and keep you safe from harm. Here are a few tips.

Maintain Strong Passwords for Improved Online Security

Passwords are the digital keys to your online world. It is critical to maintain unique and complex passwords on all accounts and devices. Never reuse passwords. Each password should include several numbers, at least one capital letter, and a special character.

Managing many different passwords can be confusing. That’s why we recommend a password manager. It keeps your passwords unique and difficult to guess but easy to manage.

Establish Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for Data Protection

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a security protocol combining two distinct forms of identification to improve data protection. It adds an extra layer of protection by requiring not just user credentials, but a second factor, such as a code sent via email or text. This makes it more challenging for attackers to compromise accounts.

To establish 2FA:

1. Go to your profile and click on settings.
2. Click 2-Step Verification.
3. Select the security method you want to add and follow the onscreen instructions.
4. Review the options you’ve set up.
5. Click Turn On.

Beware of Phishing Attacks: Proactive Steps to Data Protection

Phishing is the most common attack vector for cybercriminals and is getting increasingly complex. Phishing emails and text messages usually start with a crafty story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. It’s a common online scam that’s easy to fall for.

Avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from people you don’t know.

Always verify the sender’s identity. If you suspect an account could be hacked, message the person directly to see if they meant to send you the link.

Install Malware Protection and Update Software Regularly for Better Online Security

Install reputable antivirus and anti-malware software on all your systems. Keep the software updated and conduct regular scans for malicious software. Avoid downloading files from any source you don’t trust.

Maintain Secure Browsing Habits with HTTPS for Added Online Security

Maintaining secure browsing habits is fundamental to cybersecurity. Always use HTTPS and visit secure websites that have it. HTTPS (Hypertext transfer protocol secure) is the secure version of HTTP, the primary protocol used to send data between a web browser and a website. HTTPS is encrypted for increased security.

Clear out your browser cache and cookies regularly. Cached content presents a security vulnerability hackers can exploit. The data tells a story of your online activity that hackers can use in their online scams.

Never use public Wi-Fi for sensitive information. Many public Wi-Fi hotspots use unencrypted networks that transmit data in plain text. With the right tools, hackers can access this sensitive data and intercept banking information, login credentials, and personal messages.

Cybersecurity: Basic Best Practices for Businesses

Companies that store their clients’ data have a legal obligation to protect it. Failing to do so can be costly, both economically and reputationally. Here are a few basic cybersecurity tips to keep your business safe.

Network Security and Firewalls

Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are essential guardians of online security. Firewalls supply barriers against unauthorized access by providing intelligence to detect and respond to hackers. They’re the first line of defense and create a barrier between secured internal networks and untrusted external networks.

Modern firewalls implement advanced features like stateful inspection, deep packet inspection, and application-level filtering to provide complete online security.To test the strength and effectiveness of your company’s firewall systems, you’ll need regular network security assessments. Digital Investigation can conduct Penetration Testing to assess the quality of your firewall.

Back-Up Data and Maintain Recovery Storage for Data Protection

For optimal data protection, we recommend consistent data backups and storing them securely. Maintain a detailed data recovery plan. Backing up data is simple, but losing data can devastate your business. Be proactive with a company-wide plan to backup and recover data so you’re ready for anything.

Train Employees on Cybersecurity Basics and Data Security Awareness

Training employees on cybersecurity basics helps minimize risk and prevents the loss of money, data, or brand reputation. That’s why regular security awareness training is critical for everyone in the company, not just the folks in IT.

Ensure that training covers cybersecurity basics like how to recognize a phishing attempt, what websites to avoid, and what information should be shared in email and text messages.

Develop an Incident Response Plan for Optimal Online Security

We recommend developing an incident response plan. This is a written document that details how a company will respond in the case of a security breach or cyber attack.

It lays out all the steps an organization should take when they discover a potential threat so they can quickly identify, contain, and remediate threats.Having a designated incident response team in place is critical to containing and minimizing the damage.

Limit Access Control with Data Encryption for Optimal Data Protection

Restricting access to sensitive data is crucial to protect individuals and organizations and prevent malicious actors from accessing, leaking, and misusing secrets.

Encryption provides a critical security measure to protect data in transit (when it is being transmitted across networks) and at rest (when it is stored in devices or databases). Encryption protects sensitive data and secures it from unauthorized access, even in the case of data breaches or interception.

Digital Investigation Inc.’s Role in Cybersecurity and Data Protection

At Digital Investigation Inc., we are cybersecurity experts who help businesses and organizations prevent, detect, respond to, and anticipate network attacks.

We monitor and analyze your systems to provide detailed forensic analysis. We’ll identify the perpetrators and work to recover the data.

We’ll conduct security audits and vulnerability assessments. Our cyber engineers conduct penetration testing to identify any weaknesses and protect your systems.

Our cyber security specialists will also assist in investigating data breaches. We help your company respond and recover from data intrusion. In the case of a data breach, it is critical that all digital evidence is preserved. We will work to compile and analyze this evidence.

Digital Investigation Inc. can provide expert testimony in court. The evidence we find is always admissible in a court of law.

Get Help from Digital Investigation Inc.

Cybersecurity is critical to maintaining everyone’s security and reputation, whether you’re an individual or a business. We encourage readers to implement the above cyber security tips and protect themselves online.

At Digital Investigation Inc., our cyber security experts help keep you safe, protect your data, and help companies recover from a cyber event.

Contact Digital Investigation Inc. today for security assistance.

Sources:

1. IBM: Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024
2. BlueVoyant: 8 Devastating Phishing Attack Examples
3. CSO: 15 infamous malware attacks: The first and the worst
4. IBM: What is ransomware?  (Cyber extortion costs businesses an average of $5.68 million per breach)