Cybersecurity For Beginners

How do you keep what you love safe? Do you store it in a small container? Do you throw it in a safe and swallow down the key? Do you entrust it to someone you trust or someone you love?

That’s what cybersecurity is all about, keeping things safe. Now, when you add in government documents into that or a company’s information about the products you like best, those are the things we really need to keep safe. So, how do we do that?

In an attempt to better understand a field where things change everyday, a field I’ve chosen to study and devote myself to, I am going to do my best to explain cybersecurity to you.

Why Should I Care:

Firstly, that’s a valid question on your end. It depends how much you should care actually. Do you have an urge to keep your data safe? Are you okay with sharing certain information? Are you not okay with that?

So, how much of your information are you okay with strangers seeing? What about your bank account or passwords? The reality is that data breaches and cyber-attacks are becoming more common, and no one is completely safe. So the question is: How much are you willing to protect? What are you willing to do about it?

By understanding and implementing cybersecurity practices, you're taking steps to protect your personal life, finances, and sometimes even your reputation (depending what secrets you have in your device, laptop or phone etc.). The stakes are high, they have been for a while now. Cybercriminals devote their lives to stealing identities, money, and valuable data. They specifically target individuals who aren’t aware of what’s going in the world of cyber today. Nowadays, the most prestigious companies and even dutiful governments are not as safeguarded as they think they are.

Passwords:

Unfortunately, yes. You do need passwords 6-8 characters (potentially 10) including a lowercase letter, uppercase letter and special character. You can definitely have your google chrome browser create and store one for you. How long will that last though?

If you do that routine continuously, soon you won’t be able to remember a password off the top of your head if you need to. Trust me, you may need to. You need to login into the College Board website to check your AP scores or a friend wants to know if you have an account on a certain website, you’re gonna need to sign in with your username and password.

Weak Passwords vs Strong Passwords

One of the simplest, yet most effective ways to protect yourself online is by using strong, unique passwords, be creative with it why not?! The problem I see often for people is remembering every password. To that I say:

• Use a Password Manager: Maybe your Apple IPhone already has one. However, how often do you look at it or use it? A password manager is a tool that securely stores and manages your passwords. It can also generate complex passwords for you, so you don’t have to worry about remembering them all (but like I said every once in a while create a password using your own mind).
• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): The criticism I see about Two-Factor authentication is that it “is annoying”. It’s actually simpler than having a password. Two factor authentication can be an extra set of numbers you put into the system. It can be a secret security question only you should know the answer to. Many services offer 2FA, which adds an extra layer of security. Even if someone gets your password, they can’t access your account without a second factor, such as a code sent to your phone or your mom’s maiden name (hopefully a hacker would not be so obsessed with you as to know your mother’s maiden name but who knows they certainly can be).

Common Cyber Threats

My boyfriend’s mom receives suspicious texts from unknown numbers. The staff members at my school have shared that they delete emails that have attachments (links or documents) they are not already familiar with. One day, it’ll happen to you. After reading this article, you’ll be prepared to identify and stay away from common cyber threats:

• Phishing: fake emails or messages designed to trick you into sharing sensitive information, like passwords or credit card numbers. Never share anything with an email or message that the content or writing in it does not naturally seem like it would come from a real person’s mouth. If they wouldn’t say it to you in conversation, they would not say it to you over email.

Phishing Email Examples

• Ransomware: malware that locks your files and demands payment to release them. What does that look like? Imagine downloading an app or game on your phone where ads pop up constantly, your phone is slower, and your battery drains quickly because you are on that app. What you might not know is that malware is running in the background. It is silently stealing your data, like your personal information. This type of malware is often hidden in seemingly harmless apps or games, which is why young people, who are heavy app users, may be more at risk. It’s important to only download apps from trusted sources and read reviews before installing anything.

17 Ransomware Examples & How They Occurred

• Malware: Software created specifically to cause harm—either by damaging your system, stealing your data, or giving hackers control over your device. What does that mean? Well, where are your school assignments stored? The laptop you use for school most likely. Imagine suddenly, you can’t access anything on your computer. A message pops up on your computer or phone, demanding you pay a fee in cryptocurrency to get your files back. Don’t get confused, Malware is an example of ransomware—malware that locks up your files and demands a ransom to unlock them. The difference is malware can control and steal data, use the resources of a computer and destroy your system. Ransomware locks the system and encrypts all data.

Life of Maze ransomware

Do not be fooled. A pop up on your screen can be malware or phishing. A link from a bot on Instagram can really be a link that when you open it, your data on your phone is compromised. That is why we should all have the urge to protect ourselves and our internet persona.

The Big Deal: Companies and Governments

Do you know that people can look you up and most likely get access to your phone number or at least your address (even people related to you)? There are websites dedicated to that. I looked my name up and found

21 records for Simone Gonzalez including addresses, phone numbers, and background reports

Now, sometimes only privileged users of that website can access certain kind of information. Who is to say a hacker can’t access that information though?

Cybersecurity isn’t just about protecting your personal data. It is about protecting your personal data so it isn’t used against you. You might think, Who would want my data? The truth is, hackers are often after personal information they can use for identity theft or fraud. It’s not just your friends who want to know where you shop. If hackers can access information about a company or government, the chances of them finding information about you are quite high.

I would like for you to watch this video:

https://youtu.be/tCY-JZQv2oo

At least, watch Olivia discuss what happened to her recently. Of course, the cops that interrogated Olivia just got her name wrong. A girl arrested several times was Olivia Rodriguez. What if anyone wanted to appear to be Olivia Rodrigo? They studied the color scheme of her Instagram. They used AI to create convincing alternate images of Olivia. Many people are convinced they can not be fooled but it can happen to anyone.

It happened to me once. Someone had messaged me pretending to be Sofia Carson. They wanted to meet me and asked for my information immediately. I blocked them immediately. You can just never be sure so it’s best not to let your curiosity get the best of you.

In fact, let me share this with you, the Cyber Attack Lifestyle:

The cyber attack lifecycle, often referred to as the kill chain, outlines the stages that attackers follow to infiltrate, compromise, and exploit an organization’s systems. Understanding this lifecycle helps security teams detect, disrupt, and respond to cyber threats more effectively. Here’s a breakdown of each stage in the cyberattack lifecycle:

1. Reconnaissance: Attackers start by gathering as much information as possible about their target, including IP addresses, employee details, and network configurations. This information helps them identify potential vulnerabilities and prepare for the next stages.

2. Weaponization: Using the information gathered, attackers create or choose malicious software (malware like we talked about), such as trojans, worms, or ransomware, designed to exploit the identified vulnerabilities.

3. Delivery: Attackers deliver the weaponized code to the target through various channels, such as phishing emails, infected websites, or malicious attachments. This is the entry point where the malware gains access to the target’s systems.

4. Exploitation: Once inside the system, the malware activates by exploiting a vulnerability. At this point, the attacker gains control over the system’s environment.

5. Installation: To maintain access, attackers install backdoors or other persistent methods of control, allowing them to return to the compromised system even if the malware is detected or removed.

6. Command and Control (C2): Attackers establish a channel to communicate with the compromised system, often connecting it to an external server that allows them to remotely control the device and exfiltrate data.

7. Actions on Objectives: With control over the system, attackers move on to their primary goal, which may include stealing sensitive data, disrupting services, spreading malware further, or holding data hostage (as in ransomware attacks).

This is more on an organizational level but this can affect you. Maybe your parents own a small business. You want to own your own business someday. You are a young person who doesn’t want someone creating an Instagram account pretending to be you. These things can happen, people have the power to do that unfortunately. Cybersecurity should be part of your world, it already is.

You’re right. You shouldn’t have to worry about cyber criminals. You should online shop at your leisure, have a 123456 password and enjoy the internet. The world we live in today always has bad guys in it though. Cybersecurity is like the safe and key example I stated earlier. You can actually keep things safe in a safe and swallow down the key, then the bad guys definitely can’t get the key. If you’re in charge of protecting your own data and even those you love, you’re pretty much a ghostbuster. You have all the special tools available to you, it’s how you use them and the courage you have to fight against and defeat the bad guys.

This article is getting to be a bit long. However, if anyone enjoyed I’d love to publish a part two detailing the work I’ve done in cybersecurity and all I’ve learned so far. Stay safe!

P.S. If you’re interested in cybersecurity courses or trainings I recommend:

Cybersecurity Fundamentals by Palo Alto Networks and Cybersecurity Academy