The Evolution Of Cyber Security: How It’s Started?

Cyber security is something that has made its way into the headlines much more in recent years. The global cybersecurity industry is quickly growing and evolving.

Organizations, institutions, and governments around the world have had to improve their defenses as they face increasingly complex and damaging cyber attacks.

But what exactly is cyber security?

The term cyber security encompasses processes, technologies, and controls that are used to protect devices, networks, systems, and programs from malicious attacks. Using cyber security methods, the aim is to address threats and reduce the risk of attacks.

Everyone that is connected to the internet needs to make some cyber security measures, particularly when handling and transferring sensitive data.

One of the most common threats is ransomware, this is a malicious type of software that blocks access to a system until certain conditions are met, such as the payment of a sum of money.

Other common types of attacks include distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and domain name system (DNS) attacks. There is also the insertion of malicious code into web forms (form jacking) and the installation of illicit crypto mining software (cryptojacking).

Cybercriminals are getting smarter and businesses must adapt

Cyber attacks are becoming more complex and new threats emerge regularly as technologies develop and political situations change. One of the biggest drivers of change in the cyber security space has been the adoption of cloud technology and cloud platforms.

By using the cloud, businesses benefit from increased flexibility, speed of storing and transferring data, and potential cost savings. However, the cloud has presented new challenges for protecting data and has given malicious parties new ways of gaining access.

Another driver behind the evolution of cyber security has been the increase in employees working from home or in another remote location.

IT departments have had to cope with managing devices remotely and even with employees needing to access work resources from their personal devices.

Other factors influencing change include the push for automation, increased use of artificial intelligence technology, and containers, and focus on DevOps.

One way in which many organizations are now trying to mitigate the risks of an attack is through the implementation of zero trust architecture.

Using tools such as the perimeter 81 zero trust network access, organizations can narrow access to systems down to only the individuals that require it to fulfill their role.

Continuous monitoring of networks and system security is also increasingly important to many organizations. As cyber threats have grown, so have compliance standard requirements.

Cyber security compliance standards are relevant to most industries and these standards are being redeveloped to make them more robust and in line with today’s technologies and challenges.

Failure to comply with such standards can result in loss of customers or supply chain contracts.

The cost of cyber attacks is on the rise

There are many costs associated with a cyber attack, these costs can be to the business itself, its customers, its employees, and even other businesses in its supply chain. In 2021, the average cost of a data breach was the highest on record.

This average has increased from around 3.86 million to 4.24 million. For companies with remote working, the average cost was around 1 million higher.

For organizations with a robust zero trust approach in place, the cost of a breach was over 1.5 million less than for companies not using zero trust.

In the United Kingdom, 39 percent of businesses faced cyber attacks in the first quarter of the year. These ranged from denial of service attacks lasting a few hours to ransomware costing businesses millions in ransom payments.

While the immediate costs of an attack are usually clear to see, there are a number of other longer-term costs associated with these attacks. For example, the reputational damage can cause a drop in sales, scare off investors and even impact the hiring of new talent.

There is also the potential for fines from the government or industry body if the organization is found to be negligent. As the cost of cyber attacks rises, businesses are placing more importance on budgeting for cyber security management.

Career opportunities within cybersecurity are growing

As the cyber security industry has grown, more career opportunities have become available for those interested in the field. The number of people undertaking qualifications and professional courses in cyber security has risen sharply.

Whether it’s in ethical hacking, software development, or security operations, there are a vast array of careers in cyber, and as the industry continues to evolve more roles will develop.

What does the future hold?

So, what does the future hold for the cyber security industry? Businesses of all sizes will continue to invest more time and resources into protecting their data and their systems.

As new threat actors emerge, organizations will need to adopt new approaches, such as zero trust and continuous monitoring, in order to reduce their vulnerabilities and stay secure.