With millions of businesses operating online, ensuring secure and reliable website operations has become more critical than ever before. This is due to the latest technological advancements, as cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated with their attacks to gain unauthorized access to servers. With one slip, companies could lose all their confidential data, which would cost a lot both in terms or reputation and to recover. Sure, operating a business online has its risks and challenges, but there are ways to detect and prevent cybercriminals from compromising the security of websites.
This could all seem rather frightening, especially for a newcomer, but fear not as staying safe online is rather simple, as long as you know what to look for.
The history of cybersecurity
The history of cybersecurity started in the early 1970s with the development of ARPANET. Bob Thomas, a computer programmer with BBN, created an experimental computer program or worm called “Creeper”, named after a Scooby Doo villain. This program was designed to move across ARPANET’s network, leaving a breadcrumb trail behind it.
Unlike modern viruses, Creeper was not created to damage data, but it could highlight vulnerabilities in the computer. Initially, this computer worm was created as a nonharmful, self-replicating experimental program that could spread to other computers. The idea was to test the possibility of a self-replicating program. Instead, it corrupted the DEC PDP-10 mainframe computers. All the users could see on their teletype screen was: “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!”
As a response to this, Ray Tomlinson, the inventor of email, created the first anti-virus in 1972. Reaper was explicitly designed to stop Creeper from spreading across ARPANET. Just like Creeper, Reaper replicated itself and moved through ARPANET to find copies of Creeper. As soon as it located copies of the computer worm or virus, it logged them out. Reaper was the first attempt to detect and remove cyberthreats, laying the foundation of cybersecurity.
Top cybersecurity strategies to stay safe online
Our day-to-day tasks mostly rely on the internet. Whether we need to check an email or log into our social media account, everything we do requires us to use the internet. According to Statista, there are over 5.56 billion active users globally today. With one click on the wrong thing, cybercriminals can obtain unauthorized access to your system and data. As more businesses have moved online to promote and sell their services, cybersecurity has become an essential tool to ensure data protection and security.
Fortunately, over the past few years, the latest technology, such as AI and machine learning algorithms, has improved cybersecurity measures in every sector. From healthcare to finance, retail and iGaming, AI and machine learning have significantly helped detect and mitigate cyberthreats. To ensure you’re safe online, here are some essential cybersecurity tips and strategies to follow:
Password security
One of the most common yet essential ways to stay safe online is by creating a strong password. A unique and strong password acts as a barrier between your account, its information and any hacking attempts. Remembering these complex passwords may seem like extra work, but as it means preventing hackers from stealing your financial data and personal information, it should be your first line of defense.
So, what shouldn’t you include in your password? Anything about you that is easy to guess shouldn’t be your password. Most people like to set their birthdays, anniversary date, partner’s name or a pet’s name as their account passwords. That’s where they go wrong. Attackers are always looking for accounts with easy-to-guess passwords to steal financial and personal information.
Instead, you should use a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, special characters and numbers to create a strong and unique password. Whether you are making a social media account or signing up for an online casino, a unique password will minimize the risk of identity theft.
The iGaming industry, in particular, uses robust security measures and encryption to protect players’ data so they can play games and read Legendz Casino Reviews without worrying about their personal data and financial information being stolen.
Regular software updates
With the ever-evolving online world, cybercriminals are constantly developing the latest cyberthreats and malware to exploit vulnerabilities. This means that if your system is outdated, you are more exposed to these advanced attacks and threats. One solution to ensure your system is prepared to protect against these evolving attacks is to apply regular software updates. These updates often include bug fixes and security patches that identify and address weaknesses in the system that hackers could potentially exploit.
Understandably, all of this could seem rather complex, especially for anyone who has limited technical knowledge. You may be thinking to yourself that it may not be worth the hassle. Luckily for you, most companies rely on fully managed hosting solutions as a part of their cybersecurity measures. In this hosting solution, the hosting provider takes care of everything for you. From regular software updates to automatic backups, all to stay ahead of ever-evolving cyberattacks.
