Practically our entire lives have moved online, from our daily shopping to our education. It’s easy to forget how much sensitive data a website or program can contain and how easily it can be stolen. So, who is involved in cybersecurity, and how does it work? How do professionals secure our cyberspace? We’ll answer these questions in this article.
What is Cybersecurity?
In simple terms, cybersecurity is a technology or method that prevents or mitigates the effects of a cyberattack. Standard measures encountered in our daily lives include using passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect data and firewalls and antivirus software installed on our computers.
The Stakeholders in Cybersecurity
Users—End users of a computer system often store sensitive information and can be negatively affected if it is compromised. They also have a role in protecting their online accounts, such as by choosing secure passwords and remaining vigilant against phishing and scams.
Companies and developers—The developers of an app or system play the most important role in ensuring its security and are held accountable for any potential breaches. Companies employ cybersecurity professionals to secure their platforms and engage in penetration testing to prevent hackers from compromising the system.
Hackers—These are hackers with malicious intent who engage in illegal actions such as installing viruses or malware onto computers, breaking into databases to steal sensitive information, or using social engineering to manipulate users into giving their sensitive information.
Securing the Cyberspace
Cybersecurity professionals generally fall into two roles: defenders on the “Blue Team”, and (legal) attackers, also known as white hat hackers, on the “Red Team”.
Defense & Response
Defenders are in charge of implementing security measures like firewalls and data encryption to prevent a system from being compromised. They also play a key role in incident response, where vulnerabilities are patched and lost data is salvaged as much as possible. Additionally, they use cyber forensics to investigate the cause of an incident and collect information to aid in legal action against the attacker.
Offense & Testing
The offensive process involves exposing vulnerabilities before malicious attackers exploit them. “Attackers” first collect information about the system through reconnaissance before engaging in penetration testing, where the pretend attacker tries to attack the system to see if it is vulnerable.
Organizations can also go through a more extreme process called red-teaming, where professionals are hired to emulate a full-scale cyber attack using real methods like viruses and social engineering. This can test not only a computer system but also the ability of the organization as a whole to respond to a cyber attack.
Collaboration
Of course, you can’t have the Red Team without the Blue Team, and vice versa, which is why collaboration between both teams is essential. The “Purple Team” is when both Red and Blue Teamers work closely to continuously share feedback and knowledge, ensuring the security of a platform.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity is a very broad field with many aspects and concerns. By placing our information online, we can make ourselves vulnerable to cyberattacks. On a larger scale, cybersecurity measures evolve alongside new digital technology and race against the clock before hackers discover dangerous vulnerabilities. Hence, both users and cybersecurity professionals must do their best to protect themselves online.
Reference List
Anderson, E. (2023). Red teaming 101: What is red teaming? [online] IBM Blog. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/blog/red-teaming-101-what-is-red-teaming/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2024].
ehacking (2021). Red Team vs Blue Team vs Purple Team. [online] Blog EHCGroup. Available at: https://blog.ehcgroup.io/2021/09/06/16/56/17/11717/red-team-vs-blue-team-vs-purple-team/hacking/ehacking/ [Accessed 24 Mar. 2024].
IBM (2021). What is cybersecurity? [online] IBM. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/topics/cybersecurity [Accessed 24 Mar. 2024].
IBM (2023). What is Social Engineering? | IBM. [online] www.ibm.com. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/topics/social-engineering [Accessed 24 Mar. 2024].
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