Everyday Cybercrime and What You Can Do
I'm a big fan of Ted Talks. I came across one that was very interesting and relevant to security. James Lyne, a cybersecurity specialist with Sophos, discussed the basics of everyday cybercrime and the simple steps each of us can take to protect ourselves from cyber attacks.
The threat of viruses and malware is growning everyday. James threw out some very intesting statistics about the volume of attacks going on and who they are targeting.
- There are 25,000 new pieces of malware everyday
- There are 30,000 newly infected websites everyday
- More than 80% of infected websites are small businesses
The threats and attacks aren't going to stop until those using technology take security and privacy seriously. There are so many simple things you can do that will protect you against 99% of cyber attacks. Most malware isn't very sophisticated and relies on users leaving themselves vulnerable. By educating yourself and learning basic security best practices you can avoid the majority of malware attacks.
Those simple security best practices include things like update and patch your systems, use secure passwords, don't use the same password for every account.
Bottom line: Don't be an easy target, do the basics.
Check out Jame's full Ted talk at the link below. He does a pretty impressive presentation, complete with hacking demos and witty jokes.
James Lyne: Everyday cybercrime -- and what you can do about it