Cybersecurity: How to Stay Secure and Be Compliant

The internet plays a huge part in our daily lives. We use it to find information, book tickets, pay bills and collaborate on work projects. Cybersecurity is, therefore, also very important. It’s the state of being protected against unauthorized use of electronic data. It can also refer to the measures you put in place to ensure that you’re protected.

Many firms and individuals turn to penetration testing services to assess their cybersecurity. This involves performing a manual security assessment by pretending to be a hacker and seeing whether you can get in.

Your cybersecurity consultant will perform a Pentest, make you a list of weak points in your network or system and suggest what you could do to fix them.

Cybersecurity Threats

Here are some of the most common cybersecurity threats:

• Malware – Viruses or other software designed to damage your operating system.
   
• Ransomware – Software that invades your network and can only be removed by paying money to the creator of the ransomware.
   
• Phishing – The practice of tricking you into divulging sensitive details. Somebody sends you an email that looks legitimate but doesn’t come from the stated sender. The point of the email is normally to make you enter your confidential details on a phishing website. The website also looks legitimate but is designed to steal your account numbers and passwords.
   
• Social engineering – When people maliciously engage with others (often on social media). These people aren’t trying to be friendly but to trick others into divulging sensitive personal information.

Cybersecurity Compliance

Cybersecurity is a central concern for any organization that collects data via the Internet. Today that means virtually every organization. If they want to maintain a high level of cybersecurity, businesses must comply with certain laws and regulations. These laws apply to the following categories of information:

(i)               Personally Identifiable Information

(ii)              Financial Information

(iii)             Protected Health Information

Although cybersecurity compliance is required by law, many companies don’t meet the requirements. The problem is that cybersecurity isn’t something everybody knows about or understands well enough. That makes it easy to break the law just by being ignorant about it.

The Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) is the main piece of legislation in the US that regulates cybersecurity. This law forbids dishonest corporate behavior, especially actions that compromise data security. It stipulates how personal information may be used, processed and stored. Europe, China and other regions have similar regulations. Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in very heavy fines.

Final Word

In today’s digital age, it’s incredibly important to protect sensitive online information. While safe online practices and robust security software help keep your network secure, conducting a Pentest is one of the best ways to fortify your cybersecurity by learning about your vulnerabilities.