14 Cybersecurity Topics that Everyone Must Learn About

Statistics continue to prove that human error is responsible for almost 95% of data security breaches, highlighting the necessity of training in basic cybersecurity topics to best protect yourself and your business. This necessity becomes more pressing with the continuous development of cyberattack methods; cyber attackers are not holding back.

Choosing the cybersecurity topics to educate yourself and your employees about can be overwhelming. This is why, in this article, we will recommend the top cybersecurity topics that are also beneficial to you as an individual and that you should include in your Human Management Risk training program.

Phishing Attacks

Phishing was and remains one of the most threatening forms of cyberattacks. Phishing attacks increased significantly with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and skyrocketed during 2021, with working from home being one of the main causes of this increase. This cybersecurity topic is important because attackers are developing techniques to trick individuals into opening malicious attachments or unintentionally comprising sensitive data.

One of the most dangerous methods used in phishing attacks is when the attacker researches one of the organisation’s senior employees and uses the results to forge a seemingly authentic email. The misconception that phishing scams are easy to spot adds to the plight, which is why many businesses have suffered from major phishing attacks this year so far.

As an employer, you need to ensure that your employees get proper and updated training on how to spot the new techniques used in phishing attacks and set an action plan to follow if one occurs. Learning about phishing attacks is an integral cybersecurity topic that individuals and organisations must learn about to avoid losing important information.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is a cybersecurity attack method that relies on gaining the individual’s trust to trick them into revealing sensitive data to be used for illegal purposes. Types of social engineering include Phishing, Baiting, Pretexting, Business Email Compromise (BEC), and Scareware. These dangerous attack forms put this cybersecurity topic at the top of our list.

Cyber attackers also use common psychological methods, such as urgency, scarcity, and reciprocity, to validate their social engineering attack attempts. The attacker might pose as a viable customer or offer fake incentives to lure the employee into revealing sensitive data. Your employees need to be aware of such methods of cybersecurity attacks. The use of authentication, for example, can decrease the likelihood of such attacks.

Malware

Malware is an umbrella term that includes many types or methods of infecting your device, encrypting your data, or stealing it. There are various types of malware, such as Viruses, Worms, Fileless Malware, Trojans, Ransomware, Adware, Rootkits, and malware Advertising. Ransomware costs were estimated to reach over $20 million worldwide in 2021.

Many types of malware can be spotted using antivirus and antimalware software. Still, others, such as Rootkits and Fileless Malware, are difficult to detect, and the only method to get rid of them is by booting the system. This might cause significant data loss if your system is not properly backed up. Malware is a dangerous cybersecurity topic that you should learn more about to protect your data properly.

Strong Passwords and Authentication

Password security is often overlooked despite its simplicity. Using strong passwords and login credentials will increase your cybersecurity. Simple passwords or ones that can be easily guessed make it easier for cybercriminals to predict them, and as a result, considerable accounts can be accessed. This stolen information can be sold on the black market or even leaked to the public.

Strong passwords and authentication methods are integral cybersecurity topics to learn about. Using randomised passwords guarantees that several elements, such as length, strength, and the use of different characters, are included in the suggested passwords. For a further protective step, you can implement multi-factor authentication methods, such as identity confirmation or sending a security code to your mobile device to confirm your identity before granting you access.

Working Remotely

The outbreak of COVID-19 by the end of 2019 forced many businesses to completely transfer their employees to a full-time work-from-home system. This aspect of work increased productivity and helped many employees worldwide create a balance between their home and work lives. However, this also created cybersecurity issues.

As a general rule, any home devices used to log in to the company’s network or to perform work-related tasks should have firewalls and antivirus software, be kept locked, and must not be left open and unattended. The pandemic highlighted the risks of remote work and pushed this new work setting to the forefront of cybersecurity topics.

Another aspect of working from home is hiring international employees or experts in different fields, for example. The trend of working from home or remotely will continue in the coming years. Suppose a company chooses to offer its employees this option. In that case, it should ensure they understand the proper methods to keep company data safe and urge them to learn more about these cybersecurity topics.

Cybersecurity at Home

The cybersecurity topic of remote work began before the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the threat doesn’t stop when you leave the workplace. Many businesses allow their employees to get work done remotely or from home, especially urgent work, regardless of the working-from-home situation forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your electronic devices at home must all be well protected against any possible cyberattack. Otherwise, your personal data, including your company’s login credentials, might be in danger. Additionally, cyberhackers have been increasingly targeting online sharing and storage services such as Dropbox, which you can use to share data with your employees, and they also can share data with each other. In a study by Propeller, it was found that users unknowingly clicked on 13.6% of phishing campaigns that targeted Dropbox alone.

To master this cybersecurity topic, download software only from credible websites and encrypt any files or data before sharing it online through any sharing or storage service. This will ensure that even if the data is intercepted, the hacker doesn’t have the decryption key, which will also give you time to detect the breach.

Data Breaches

This cybersecurity topic revolves around the assets cyberattackers target: data. Data breaches mean the hacker has found a way into your system, and you need to act quickly to contain the damage. You need to identify the damage, which information was stolen or leaked, where the attack originated from, such as from stolen employee credentials, and what you must do to stop the information leakage.

If an attacker breaches the network and, unluckily, uses ransomware, your best chance is to either pay the ransom or wipe your system entirely and start anew. Both choices are costly in terms of money and time, so you need to safeguard your network properly.

Both businesses and individuals must be vigilant when it comes to regular system check-ups to ensure there are no unauthorised visitors on the network and that software and programs are properly patched, updated and configured. As an employer, you can track employee access permissions, keep operation logs for your employees, and offer adequate training and cybersecurity topics for them. 

Internet and Email

When end-users enter the same email for several services online, this can put them at a security risk, especially if they use the same password for these different accounts to remember them easily. Studies show that 59% of users end up using the same password for different accounts, which means that if the hacker was able to gain access to one account, all the remaining accounts, social media and work accounts included, would be compromised.

This cybersecurity topic explains how to avoid unauthorised access to your accounts. If you use the same email to register for different services, always use different and strong passwords for each service or website. This will protect the remainder of your accounts if one of them gets hacked and your data if the service’s website suffers a cybersecurity breach in which only the information on that website is leaked.

The internet poses infinite security risks, but one of the most common risks is downloading free software that is infected with malware. You must never download software from untrusted sources, even if it was offered as a free download. Ensure you have proper antivirus, antimalware and firewall installed on your device to detect unwanted visitors. Trusty official download websites are an important cybersecurity topic to consider.

Cloud Security

Cloud migration has gradually become an important cybersecurity topic. It has revolutionised the business world by offering many benefits, including saving costs and space and the possibility of having massive amounts of data at the click of a button.

However, if you do not choose a suitable cloud storage service, a significant portion of your data might be unprotected from possible cyberattacks. Suitable cloud storage services will be properly configured and guarantee the security of your data.

In the last couple of years, many businesses have had to make their databases available through cloud migration to accommodate the lockdown forced to combat COVID-19 and the large number of employees working from home. As a business owner, you are better off assuring your cloud storage service is properly configured and ensuring your employees know how to use these cloud services properly. Statistics predict that 99% of cloud security attack incidents will be the end-user’s fault. 

Public Wi-Fi

Working away from the office involves using public Wi-Fi services, whether you are using public transportation or working from a café. Many fake Wi-Fi services in these spots pose as free Wi-Fi, but they also carry huge security risks.

If you don’t know how to use public Wi-Fi safely or cannot spot scam signs, you are more likely to enter sensitive data on an unsecured network and compromise your work and data. Learning to adequately protect your data while using public Wi-Fi is an evolving cybersecurity topic to investigate.

Social Media and Privacy

Statistics reveal that in 2022, the number of people using social media worldwide was 4.26 billion, and it is expected to reach 6 billion by 2027. These huge numbers of people share vital personal data online, including locations, birthdays, and work-related information. Leaking personal information from social media websites proved to be a dangerous cybersecurity topic we must learn about.

Malicious factors can easily exploit any data to conduct a social engineering attack. They can pose as credible users to lure the victim into giving out information or even money. It’s vital when you use social media to keep your information private, especially any work-related information and any sensitive information that might be used by lurking attackers as a door into your system. If a hacker can access your network, they can track your activity and gain access to your company’s network.

Removable Media

Removable media is the cybersecurity topic that concerns media transfer. It refers to storage devices that you plug into your computer to transfer data, then remove and plug it into another device. Users transfer data to the device and most likely will remove it from the main computer afterwards.

There are two ways malware can get transferred from one device to another. Either the main computer had malware and was transferred with the data onto the USB device, or the USB device was not properly protected and contained malware. In the second case, malware will be transferred onto the main computer and any other devices the USB device is plugged into.

Using removable media devices in your organisation must be done with utmost care, and your employees must know how to use them safely. Additionally, they must know how to properly protect the data transferred onto these removable media devices to avoid leaking sensitive personal or company data.  Other removable media storage devices include CDs, SD Cards, and smartphones. Removable media devices pose additional security risks, including copyright infringement and physical loss.

Physical Security

The physical threat to your security credentials is unlikely but can happen easily, giving importance to this cybersecurity topic. If you keep a physical copy of your passwords, like writing them in a notebook or even on a sticky note on your desk, they might get stolen. The cybersecurity risk to these passwords is lower, but it doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

Other examples include leaving sensitive company documents unattended or leaving your computer unlocked, even if you work from home. To ensure no one leaves sensitive data unattended, you can implement a “clean desk” policy in the office.

Mobile Devices

The development of IT technologies allowed many people to work on their mobile devices on the go, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this development didn’t come risk-free. There are many security risks associated with using mobile devices for work purposes.

Using mobile devices ends our list of vital cybersecurity topics to learn about. Using these devices to finish work when you’re part of a small organisation can have several benefits, such as reducing costs and speedy task fulfilment.

Malicious mobile applications and compulsory advertisements that appear when an individual uses their phone increase the chances of malware lurking around the mobile device. When the individual signs in to the company’s network, the network is infected with malware. Mobile devices also face physical risks, such as getting lost or stolen.

The best approaches include installing security software on your mobile device, which will keep any sensitive and work-related data on your mobile device encrypted, password-protected or with biometric authentication. For big organisations, you can have your employees sign a mobile security policy to guarantee they know the risks and precautions when using mobile devices to perform work-related tasks.

Cybersecurity threats are not going away any time soon. They will only continue to evolve to keep up with the hectic effort cybersecurity officials are exerting to make the online world as safe for us to use as possible. The best tool in defence against these vicious attacks is man himself, which is why cybersecurity education and training are a must in our everyday lives. The list we’ve concluded is a great start!

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