Page 13 - CyberSecurityEssentialsEnglish

Introduction

In the last two decades, the Internet and technology have changed the shape of the world and have amazingly
made a huge transformation in the lives of individuals; rather they have become an integral part of their
lifestyle and daily activities. They even have a major role in the economies of countries, their national security
and peoples' cultures. With its revolutionary technologies and scientific breakthroughs, the digital world- we
are currently living in - has been reinforced, hence advanced individuals, societies, and the entire world.
Nothing has changed the world faster. In view of this digital revolution - known as the "Fourth Industrial
Revolution" - technology has become an essential part of the lives of people whose dependence on the state-
of-the-art technologies and digital tools has increased tremendously, as they provided them with innovative
solutions to the issues they have been encountering in all aspects of life.

Nevertheless, the fast global transformation towards a digital economy – with myriad operations, commercial
transactions and services digitized - led to a huge leap in cyber-attacks. The augmenting volume of managed
and processed data is obviously associated with a rise in the challenges faced by most countries of the world,
particularly with the advancements of Dark Web technologies. The Dark Web is part of the regular Internet,
yet it is hidden from the public. In the Dark Web, undetectable illegal activities and clandestine transactions
are carried out. The criminals who commit such cybercrimes have succeeded to make these crimes
propagate, becoming cross-border illegal acts. As these crimes have witnessed a huge surge, the global
damages have amounted to six trillion dollars since 2021, compared to only three trillion in 2015.

Historical Background

In 1943, the world saw the development of the first digital computer; and there were minimal ways to use
them until the next decade. The entire globe had still a few of these devices. Yet in the late 1960s various
innovations were brought forth in the computer industry. The onset of cybersecurity occurred in the 1970s
with the launch of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) Project. It represented the
development of connectivity networks, before the Internet itself. The proper development of cybersecurity
was budding in the middle of this decade. It was now essential for computer developers to keep an eye on
creating secure and safe systems.

In 1979, the first cybercriminal, Kevin Mitnick, was arrested for several computer and communications-
related crimes. The 1990s witnessed the Internet's incredible development, heralding the cybersecurity
industry's growth. In the 2000s, internet usage grew immensely. Computers were there in most offices and
homes, thus creating more threats for users and opportunities for criminals. One incident is a new type of
infection that emerged early in that decade, a virus-infected website that damaged the users' machines. At
this time, the first hacker group also emerged.

Credit card hacking happened in the 2000s; Yahoo widespread attacks took place in 2013 and 2014. State-
sponsored attacks emerged more and more, as many incidents occurred over the years. New detection
methods and solutions were released, including, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Computer forensics,
Network Behavioral Analysis (NBA), and Threat Intelligence.

The outburst of COVID-19 was no exception. Governments worldwide enforced restrictions concerning the
pandemic, encouraging employees to work from home. Consequently, technologies and digital platforms
have become essential to people's working and personal lives. Due to many factors, many organizations could

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