Introduction:
Cybersecurity is one of the biggest challenges of the modern era due to the excessive usage of smartphones, electronic gadgets, and the availability of the 4G networks. People of all ages have easy access to internet connectivity and applications available on social media which can easily make a common person victim of a cyber attack.
Description:
The ever increasing usage and exposure to the cyber world, on one hand, makes our lives easier while on other hand poses a serious threat in terms of vulnerability to be exposed to cybercrime. Normally, users of smart devices fall prey to various cyber-attacks mainly due to a lack of awareness and understanding in terms of cybersecurity measures.
There are a number of untrusted applications available in the play store and app store sent by app users in different groups which if downloaded or installed on our devices can be harmful to our system and at times can attack our data and system files. As such, access to our files and data is secured by cyber attackers which can result in serious trouble for the owner of this data or smart devices. At times our confidential data or files get corrupt by unauthorized hackers.
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The negative impact of cyber attacks is really alarming and the younger generation being more involved in using various apps falls prey to various cyber crimes which are increasing at a rapid pace. At times their lives are ruined due to harassment, bullying, blackmailing, and threats by cyber attackers/hackers. The younger generation is more prone to cyber-attacks because of being easy-going, lack of awareness, and immaturity. Due to the easy availability of smart devices and compulsion to use apps on the internet for studies, youth gets connected to each other, exchange their personal details, etc. without realizing the harmfulness of these applications which result in lifetime problems even at later stages of their lives.
Becoming a victim of cybercrime is not only limited to the younger generation rather adults being professionals, business entrepreneurs, financial managers, experts of different fields are also heavily exposed to cyber-attacks. Various sorts of cybercrimes due to their lack of skill set and lack of awareness to handle cyber world takes place and as such, they rely heavily on their IT support staff, their sub links and at times their children at home and have a higher probability of getting exposed to cybercrime.
Working in isolation is easier to be handled but when someone where individually or collectively goes on the web, exposes to various applications, and starts downloading or installing applications of versatile nature then the problems become manifold which requires greater care.
Even enemy countries try their level best to hack/attack data of opponent country just with an intention to damage the opponent country. The conventional warfare has been transformed during the current era to cyber warfare in which an enemy country tries to get access to other country’s data and information which can be useful for the enemy country and at times result in innumerable losses to the opponent.
Media propaganda is also launched by enemy countries against their opponents through penetration on social media and excessive dissemination of negative or fabricated news to cause harm to the opponent country just because the number of viewers or users of social media is getting exponentially high.
As such being aware of cyberattacks at the national level has become increasingly important particularly during the current era.
Effective Measures to Safeguard:
Following steps can be helpful in safeguarding ourselves or our organization from cyber attacks:
- Keep strong passwords
- Work in a controlled internet environment
- Maintain customized security on devices, data & applications
- Avoid installing untrusted applications
- Avoid opening emails from an unknown source
- Avoid posting personalized pictures/videos on social media
- Keep anti-virus updated and use genuine software only
- Never share your personal information online
- Never make friends online whom you don’t know personally
- Never apply for online jobs without verifying the site
- Never start buying from an unknown / untrusted shopping website
- Constant check and background verification of users working on valuable data.
Conclusion:
During the current era, it’s imperative to avoid applications on social media which can pose threat to our data files or devices and can make our lives miserable but this is not possible unless we have sufficient knowledge and proper awareness to handle cyber world applications.
To protect our families, organizations and our beloved motherland from any mishap of an unforeseen event, we must take utmost care and adhere to above mentioned and other useful available guidelines so as to move forward with modern world advancements without compromising on our security.
