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In this digital age, we often marvel at the wonders of technology and how it has revolutionised even the simplest tasks. But amidst all this, it’s important to consider the risks it poses. In this story, Philip Victor, a cybersecurity expert with over 30 years of experience, will shed light on why cybersecurity is crucial at both national and individual levels.
Any risk posed to a computer system from an internet source is considered a cyber threat. These threats are often combined to increase the probability of harm to a system. And cybersecurity involves safeguarding computer systems, networks, software and data from unauthorised access, damage, theft, or any malicious activities.
With increasing reliance on technology, the risks of such malicious activities have also grown.
“It is gone into that direction now where you see, you know, it’s influencing politics, its influencing nations. But far beyond that is looking at how nations are being attacked, too. If your entire banking system goes down, can you imagine your economy? You know, you can’t withdraw money, you can’t do this, and you can’t do transactions. One of the things that we always say is to acknowledge the fact that there are risks. When you acknowledge there are risks right now, you need to address the risk now, because we always say prevention is better than cure.”
Phillip emphasised that data has become a major concern worldwide. When people share personal information on their social media accounts, they unintentionally expose themselves to cybercriminals who can track them and exploit their data.
“They’re looking for like how to exploit your system. They’re looking at how to exploit a person through human methods, you know, finding new, new ways of trying to deceive you. Now when it comes to social media, I would say that we need to, we need to be aware of the risk. Individuals can have a good password. Use strong passwords, change them frequently, and Keep your accounts private if it’s possible.”
Philip recommended people post less and keep it to a minimum to enhance their security.
Statistics from Microsoft 2023 reveal that nearly 80 per cent of nation-state attackers target government agencies, think tanks and other non-government organisations.
Sonam Yuden
Edited by Sonam Pem
