Cyber security becoming more and more important in our society. As technology hackers and scammers find new ways to crack them. These threats affect both consumers and companies alike. As we learned, experts in the field are very sought after, due their critical role can, especially in tech companies.
In this section, we’ll dive a little deeper into the risks that affect us all. We’ll look at different types of attacks and malware, before learning about protective measures. First, let’s broaden our knowledge with some new terminology.
Spam Unsolicited message(s) used to target large numbers of people for commercial advertising.
Phishing
The act of trying to get sensitive information by pretending to be someone else, such as a friend, a bank, or a local official.
Adware A software that throws unwanted advertisements on your screen.
Malware
Malicious software, any piece of software that is intended to cause harm.
Ransomware
A type of malware. It locks up the user's data or threatens to publish sensitive information if a ransom is not paid.
Keylogger
Software that keeps track of your keypresses - everything you type on your keyboard.
Crypto-jacking
A malicious, hidden way to mine cryptocurrency using the victims’ devices resources without them knowing it.
There are also things that help you secure your information, such as 2FA and using a VPN. It's good to know that these can be of use to you but to also remember their limitations.
Multi-Factor Authentication
Also known as 2FA, an authentication method that grants access to a user after they have provided two sets of identifying evidence. This can mean a password with a fingerprint or face recognition, or with a physical object the user has.
VPN
Virtual private network. A way to hide your connection through a shared or public connection that connects to a private network. Allows you to connect using the servers in a different country, for example. This way, your real location is hidden.