In the world of cybersecurity, there are a lot of myths waiting to be debunked. Although it would seem certain trends and statistics always hold up, that is not necessarily the case. In fact, believing the myths makes companies and individuals complacent, which makes them even more prone to cyber attacks of all kinds. Below are some of the cybersecurity myths that need to be taken with a few grains of salt.
5. Millennials Are Less Susceptible To Attacks
Although this myth may appear to be true on paper, the reality is very different. While it is true Millennials have grown up in an era of digital content and security, they are not more or less prone to cybercrime compared to anyone else. In fact, they are not as cautious as some people would like to think either. Young people rarely value their privacy, especially in the online department.
4. Firewalls Are Sufficient
Contrary to what some self-proclaimed security experts may want to believe, using a firewall is not sufficient to keep a computer network safe from harm by any means. Having such countermeasures in place is a good start, yet it is only the tip of the iceberg of what needs to be done. Firewalls do their job just fine, but they are only one line of defense.
Additionally, most cyber attacks do not focus on firewalls either, but rather go after the application layer. A firewall offers little to no protection in this regard. Interestingly enough, a lot of companies use most of their budget to focus on network security, leaving applications vulnerable to attack. It is evident something will need to change in this regard.
3. Companies Are Prepared For Cybercrime
As much as everyone would like this statement to be true, most companies around the world are still only in the early stages of preparing for cyber attacks. Even though online threats have become far more prevalent over the past few decades, companies have delayed embracing new security solutions for as long as possible. By the year 2020, we may finally start to see some changes, although cybercrime will also have evolved by then.
2. Staffers Do not Facilitate Cybercrime
Unfortunately for most companies and institutions around the world, over one in four cyber attacks are caused by insiders. Not all of these scenarios are a result of malicious intent, as carelessness is a major contributor as well. In fact, most companies staffers remain blissfully unaware of the risks and continue to conduct business as normal. This is one of the reasons why criminals often target low-level staffers, as they are more “gullible” compared to the higher-ups.
1. Criminals Only Target Large Enterprises
As we have seen over the past few years, cybercriminals are far less picky when it comes to finding a new target. As long as there is an opportunity to extract money, cybercrime will target anyone in the world. Consumers, businesses, and SMBs are all very viable targets. It does not matter who you are or what you do, criminals will come knocking on your virtual door sooner or later.
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