Page 14 - CyberSecurityEssentialsEnglish

not provide a 'secured remote-working ecosystem'. Of course, while working at home, individuals do not
enjoy the same level of cybersecurity as they were at the office. Now even the meetings they used to conduct
in-person must take place virtually. Even employees were allowed to use their laptops or personal computers
to access corporate data and files; thus, they became more exposed to cyber-attacks.

As working from home has become the 'new typical' working scheme, the pandemic has posed new business
challenges. Companies are expediting their digital transformation; nevertheless, cybersecurity should also be
their primary concern. Attackers found the pandemic a golden opportunity to escalate their criminal activities
by taking advantage of people's concern about coronavirus-related news and capitalizing on the vulnerability
of employees working from home.

Human error is another reason for concern. Before the pandemic, human error was a significant root of 'cyber
insecurity' as employees gave access to unauthorized people. During their work from home, they may be
interrupted by family members or visitors.

Cyber-attacks are numerous. Phishing, personal data loss online, and ransomware attacks occur worldwide.
Looking for means to minimize security breaches, Cybersecurity Ventures Company stated that cybercrime
caused global damages of USD 6 trillion in 2021. It expected global costs to grow by 15 percent per year,
amounting to USD 10.5 trillion annually by 2025.

Now, more than ever, we must exert our best efforts to prevent attacks. The cybersecurity industry continues
to thrive and flourish. Yet, we must stay ahead of the threats.

Cyber Hacking

By definition, "hacking is compromising digital devices and networks through unauthorized access to an
account or computer system. In other words, it exploits weaknesses in an organization's systems. Attackers
can use cyber hacking for many purposes, including stealing data and disrupting operations. What does the
term "Hack" mean? "Hack" first emerged to mean fussing with machines. In the 1960s, this term spread
among computer enthusiasts till it became an essential part of their dictionary. The hackers fall into three

main categories as shown in figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1 Types of hackers

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