The digital environment is always changing, and hackers are fighting defenders. To appreciate how big these challenges are, one only needs to look at physical cases where industries have been breached, private information compromised and firms rushing to raise the walls of their anchorage. Let us talk about its real time examples in the context of cybersecurity
1. Target App
The significance of data encryption in cybersecurity is paramount. It is a methodology that changes confidential information into intricate codes understandable using the right encryption key only. In 2013, Target – the popular retailer suffered from one of its biggest data breaches as hackers accessed customers’ credit or debit card information. The introduction of better encryption approaches could have averted this scenario. Therefore, data encryption helps protect user’s information and deny any intruder into it in case there is a breach.
2. DLA Piper
Firewalls serve as virtual walls separating a reliable internal area from unreliable outside ones. The global law company DLA Piper was attacked by “Petya” ransomware in 2017. A strong firewall could stop viruses from going through a connection, which would limit the damage and its propagation. Firewalls are an essential first cordon against many types of cyber threats.
3. Equifax
To discover areas where an organization might be vulnerable or weak in terms of cyber security, regular security audits are crucial. In 2017, Equifax, which is a credit reporting company experienced one of the biggest data breaches because it had neglected to update its software. This shows that regular security checks can help expose these flaws before hackers take advantage of them, thereby reinforcing the whole cyber defense system.
4. Marriott International
When Marriott acquired Starwood hotels they did not only get properties, but also an ongoing data breach. For four years hackers had been accessing the personal information of as many as 500 million guests. The breach began in 2014, however, it wasn’t until two years later in 2018 that its discovery was made. The hackers managed to steal everything from passport numbers to credit card details.
5. Atlanta City
Cybercriminals are experiencing a rise in data extortion because they can play a trick on you by encrypting your file and then demanding money from you before they can give it back to you. A case in point is the city of Atlanta which lost its files completely due to a ransomware attack that took place in 2018. Cybersecurity solutions provide us with means to fight this scourge by identifying and stopping these bad people whenever they attempt to encrypt our documents unlawfully through their software programs that handle ransomware. Thus, ransomware protection becomes a necessary strategy in order to save lives from these criminals while still having access to important information.
6. Heal Security
It is a startup based in the USA that creates a cybersecurity platform for the healthcare industry. It continuously surveys, collects, analyzes, and organizes information related to cyber threats, risks, and research from governmental and public or private databases in real-time, using the data to tackle the risk of data breaches and hacking of medical devices. This information is then converted into alerts, insights, and actionable intelligence, enabling healthcare institutions to detect and evaluate attacks on their medical devices before neutralizing them.
The contemporary world is full of illustrative instances that bring out the need for protective mechanisms for digital wealth, individual data, and vital frameworks. In this regard encryption, multi-factor authentication, intrusion detection, and firewalls constitute crucial components of a more complex picture of cybersecurity.
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