What is Cyber Security? Definition, Types, Courses & More

1. Phishing:

Attackers very well know what users think whenever they receive an email as no one will open an unknown email that doesn’t look appealing to the user. The attackers use several phishing techniques in order to make the target open the provided link so that the malware or virus is installed in their system. They can even pretend to be someone the targets very well know or even a well-known personality. This makes the targets take the actions that attackers want easily. These attacks are the most difficult ones to stop as the impulses and curiosity of the human beings are involved in the process and manipulated as well. 

2. Denial-of-Service (DoS):

A denial-of-service or DoS attack makes a website flooded with more traffic than it can handle which makes it overloaded. Most of the traffic in these cases is malicious. It becomes very difficult for the website to serve all the required things which the users are demanding at the same time and the server gets overloaded. The attacks perform this attack in order to shut a website down so that no user can access it for the time till it is restored. When many computers perform DoS attacks at the same time, it is known as Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack or DDoS. It is very difficult to overcome these kinds of attacks as many different IP addresses are involved from different parts of the world at the same time. The source of the attack cannot be known so easily due to this.

3. Credential Reuse:

Nowadays, there are so many websites where users are registered through the login id and password. It becomes very difficult to remember this much of ids and passwords in the same human brain. This makes the users reuse the credentials for some other websites or systems as well. Many people still reuse their credentials even after top organizations advise not to. The attackers take the benefit from this fact. They are able to arrange the username and password from a breached server. And They try to use the same credentials on other systems or websites and many times the credentials match which leads to misuse of the data. They can also try the same keys for the files locked through encryption in order to decrypt them.

4. Ransomware:

Ransomware is a form of malware that is designed to restrict access to a computer device or data until the payment of a ransom is made. It can spread through phishing emails or by visiting an infected website without knowing it.

5. Malware:

Any kind of file or program harmful to the user of the computer system is known as malware. It is also known as malicious software. Trojans, Viruses, spyware, and worms are some of the examples of malware.

6. Social Engineering:

It refers to manipulating the mind of the targets psychologically to make them do the desired work and divulge the sensitive or confidential information also.

7. Unpatched Software:

The software about which company or users are aware that it contains harmful vulnerabilities but not able to fix it. If they are not fed with regular software and security updates, the users are considered solely responsible for any harm caused to their data or computer system.

1. CISA (Certified Information Security Auditor):

The controls and monitoring skills of the information systems are focused on the Certified Information Security Auditor certification. The exam of CISA is considered one of the toughest among the cybersecurity courses. The eligibility includes a minimum of 5 years of experience as an IT professional. The plugging and identification of vulnerabilities are involved in this course in an enterprise environment.

2. GPEN (GIAC Penetration Tester):

The aim of this certification is to uncover all the weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the IT systems. It helps in developing the skills required for this purpose. It makes the students learn how they can ethically penetrate the IT systems so that no cyber laws are violated through the activity.

3. CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker):

All the malware and hacking tools used during this certification are just as same as used by the hackers. But they are used in a good way, not in an unethical way. The vulnerabilities and weaknesses are explored by these ethical hackers in the systems of a company. With the help of these explored vulnerabilities, these ethical hackers work towards finding the preventive measures to these attacks so that the systems can become more secure towards all the kinds of possible attacks.

4. CompTIA Security+:

This certification is globally recognized. All the best practices available in the IT are performed in this certification. All the important risk management, organizational and security systems, identity management essentials are covered by it along with the attack prevention.

5. GSEC (GIAC Security Essentials):

Freshers who want to make or develop their careers in cybersecurity can enroll in this certification. Professionals and students having hands-on experience in the IT systems are most suitable for GSEC. It is also known as the Global Information Assurance Certification. Students having no IT certification can also enroll in this program. 

6. CISM (Certified Information, Systems Manager):

The management of information security is highly focused on this certification. The eligibility of this program demands a minimum of 5 years of diverse experience in the cybersecurity and IT field.

7. OWASP TOP 10:

The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) is recognized globally by all the developers. In order to perform secure coding, it is considered as the first and main step. It helps in minimizing all the risks and vulnerabilities in the web applications.

1. Freelance Bug Bounty Hunters: It is expected that the zero-day exploits will be rising at a rapid pace. There are some software codes which may have some bugs before they are published. These flaws make the system vulnerable to several kinds of attacks. This makes the position of freelance bug bounty hunters open up to $500,000 per year.
2. Chief Information Security Officer: The type and size of the organization can decide the total compensation for the CISO posts. There are some big companies that pay from $380,000 to $420,000 to CISOs per year. In order to make the planning successful, the IT companies are starting to add Deputy CISO post also. The range of compensation they earn can be estimated between $200,000 to $250,000.
3. Penetration Tester: A Penetration Tester checks and exploits all the vulnerabilities to security in web-based applications, systems, and network security as well. In short, the penetration testers are paid to hack the systems under legal regulations. They earn between $49,252 to $134,946.
4. IT Security Consultant: They analyze vulnerability tools, networks security, and computer systems, in order to develop and execute the best security approaches to meet the needs of an enterprise. They earn about $92,945 to $110,797.
5. Software Security Engineers: Their duty involves maintaining, planning, implementing, and developing the strategy for software security of a company with the help of several tactics and testing methods. They earn an average of $115,250 of total compensation per year. cryptovirology helps in learning and implementing how the professionals can use cryptography for security purpose.