Cibersecurity

Cybersecurity

Written by Ana Canteli on 20 February 2023

Cybersecurity is a set of measures and techniques designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information stored and processed in digital systems. It also protects computer systems, networks, devices, and data from unauthorized access, malicious use, modification, destruction, or theft.

These attributes are discussed below.

What is confidentiality in cybersecurity?

Confidentiality in cybersecurity refers to protecting information from unauthorized access and use by nonauthorized persons or systems. Confidentiality is vital in cybersecurity because many types of information, such as financial data, intellectual property, and personal information, are valuable and can be subject to theft, espionage, or sabotage. It is also essential to comply with laws and regulations related to data privacy, such as the Personal Data Protection Act. Confidentiality is achieved by implementing appropriate cybersecurity measures such as encryption, authentication, and network segmentation.

What is integrity for cybersecurity?

In cybersecurity, integrity protects information against unauthorized manipulation, modification, or alteration. Integrity ensures that data remains as it was created and is not modified, destroyed, or tampered with by unauthorized persons or by accident. Integrity is vital because incorrect or manipulated information can harm businesses and individuals. In addition, integrity is essential for compliance with laws and regulations related to data accuracy, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Integrity can be ensured by implementing appropriate security measures such as access controls, clear policies and procedures, and integrity verification technologies such as digital signatures.

What is availability in cybersecurity?

For cybersecurity, availability means accessing information and resources promptly and without unscheduled interruptions. Availability is vital to ensure that information and services are always available to authorized users, which is essential for business continuity and stakeholder satisfaction.

Availability is threatened by various risks, such as denial of service (DoS) attacks, technical failures, human error, and natural disasters. These risks can affect a company's ability to provide services to customers and can negatively affect the company's reputation.

Appropriate security measures must be implemented, such as implementing IT infrastructure redundancy, contingency and disaster recovery plans, and data backup and recovery solutions. In addition, it is vital to continuously monitor the availability of information and resources, to detect and address any disruption as early as possible, and functionalities such as subscription and reporting can address these demands for monitoring and control.

Cybersecurity covers many disciplines, from cryptography and authentication to threat detection and response, risk management, and user training.

Cyber threats

Today, cyber security is a primary concern worldwide due to the growing number of cyber threats, such as ransomware, phishing attacks, identity theft, hacking, and cyber espionage. Cybersecurity is essential to ensure privacy and information security and to maintain trust in digital systems in the business world and everyday life.

Each of these threats is discussed below.

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is malware that encrypts a victim's data and demands a ransom to unlock it. The goal of ransomware is to obtain money from victims, and payment is often requested in cryptocurrencies to make it harder to track. Ransomware can infect a device by downloading an infected file, opening a malicious email, or visiting a compromised website. When the ransomware infects the device, it encrypts the data and displays a ransom note on the device's screen, indicating that the user must pay a ransom to regain access to their data.

Appropriate security measures should be implemented to protect against ransomware, such as installing anti-virus and anti-malware software, performing regular backups, and implementing network security measures such as firewalls and email filtering. In addition, it is essential to educate users on safe browsing and email management practices; and to plan to respond to possible ransomware attacks.

What is phishing?

Phishing is a cybercrime technique used by attackers to trick people into obtaining sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, financial information, and other personal and confidential information. Phishing is usually done by sending fake emails that appear legitimate and asking the recipient to provide sensitive information.

To protect against phishing is crucial to be aware of the warning signs; do not click on suspicious links or provide sensitive information in response to unsolicited emails; and verify the sender's legitimacy. Keep your security software updated, and make regular backups of essential data.

Document management software can be essential to an organization's cybersecurity strategy, including user training and awareness. Users must be trained to detect fraudulent emails and messages and to follow recommended cybersecurity practices.

What is identity theft?

Identity theft in cybersecurity refers to the illegal use of another person's personal information to carry out illicit online activities. Methods used for online identity theft can include phishing, malware, spyware, and other cyber attacks. To protect against identity theft is vital to take online security measures. Use strong passwords, avoid sharing personal information online, use caution when clicking on unknown links, keep security software up to date - and regularly review bank statements and financial transactions for suspicious activity.

Phishing and identity theft are two related but distinct cybersecurity terms. While phishing is an attack in which attackers attempt to obtain personal or confidential information from individuals, identity theft is the illegal use of another person's data to conduct illicit activities. Phishing can be used for identity theft, but not all cases involve phishing.

What is hacking?

Hacking is finding and exploiting weaknesses in computer systems or networks to gain unauthorized access or make unauthorized modifications. Hackers may have different objectives, such as stealing data, altering systems or networks, disrupting services, spying, or sabotaging.

Document management software can help protect against hacking by including robust security features such as access control, data encryption, auditing and monitoring functionality, and regular software updates.

What is cyber espionage?

Cyber espionage is when attackers use computer techniques to gather confidential or secret information from individuals, organizations, or governments. Cyber espionage attacks can take many forms and target businesses, government and military organizations, or individuals possessing valuable or confidential information.

Document management software can be an important tool to help protect against cyber espionage because it is used to securely store and manage an organization's critical documents and files, helping to protect them against unauthorized access. It can include security measures such as user authentication, permissions management, and user activity tracking. In addition, document management software can consist of additional security features, such as data encryption, which can help protect documents and critical information from cyber espionage.

Document management software and cybersecurity

Document management is important in cyber security because documents and information are valuable targets for cybercriminals. Electronic files, such as emails, contracts, financial reports, and other records, are particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Therefore, it is essential to implement a secure and effective document management plan to protect information against cyber threats and risks.

Secure document management involves controlling and protecting documents and information throughout their lifecycle, from creation and storage to disposal. Security measures include authentication, authorization, encryption, classification and tracking of documents, management of access rights, and implementation of retention and disposal policies. In addition, secure document management also involves training employees in safe document handling practices and promoting a culture of cyber security throughout the organization.

Document management software can improve a company's cybersecurity by offering various security features and functions. Here are some of how document management software can improve a company's cybersecurity:

• Authentication and authorization: document management software can control access through user authentication and authorization. It ensures that only authorized persons have access to documents.

• Encryption: document encryption is important to protect information against potential risks and cyber threats. Good document management software should be able to encrypt documents in storage and transit.

• Audit logging: Document management systems often include an audit trail function that records events and activities related to document access and use. It helps to detect and prevent any unauthorized or suspicious activity.

• Backup and disaster recovery: Good document management software should be able to back up documents and facilitate their comeback in case of a service interruption or disaster.

• Retention policies: document management systems often allow for the implementation of document retention policies that help to keep information for as long as necessary and to eliminate obsolete documents. It reduces the amount of sensitive information stored and exposes it to potential security risks.

• Integration with other security systems: Document management systems can be integrated with other security systems, such as data loss prevention (DLP) solutions and threat detection and response (EDR) systems, for more comprehensive protection.

Training and cyber security

User training is an essential part of any cybersecurity strategy. Some topics that can be included in user training courses are:

• Cybersecurity awareness: Users need to understand the risks associated with cybersecurity, such as phishing, malware, identity theft, etc. They should also know how they can affect the organization and themselves.

• Strong passwords: Users should learn how to create and manage passwords properly.

• Updates and patches: Users should be aware of the importance of keeping their systems and applications up to date to reduce the risk of vulnerabilities.

• Use of personal devices: Users should understand the risks associated with using personal devices, such as mobile phones or laptops, with accessing the organization's systems.

• Security policies and procedures: Users should be aware of the organization's security policies and procedures, including how sensitive data is handled, password management, use of external devices, etc.

• Use of security software: Users should know how to use and update security software, such as anti-virus and firewalls, to protect their devices and systems.

• Phishing awareness: Users should learn how to identify malicious emails, text messages, and phone calls that may attempt to trick them into sharing sensitive information or downloading malicious software.

User education should be an ongoing process, as cybersecurity is a constantly evolving issue, and users need to be updated on the latest threats and how to protect themselves.

As you can see, when we care about cybersecurity, we can address many issues and challenges by making the right decisions. If you want to but don't know how or are clear about what to do but lack funding, the Kit Digital program subsidizes up to €6000 for the cybersecurity plan you want to implement in your company.

OpenKM is a Digitalising agent of the Kit Digital program. If you want to know how to get help, contact us.