Making Cybersecurity Easier
Cybersecurity seems scary and overwhelming sometimes. But it doesn’t have to be.
Cybersecurity isn’t about stopping all the attacks. You could try, but it’s impossible to do. Nothing can be 100% secure. There are too many ways for an attacker to get in.
So don’t bother. Yeah, you heard me right. Don’t try to stop all the attacks. You can’t anyway. Why waste the effort?
An Easier Way
Instead, think about your situation. What technology is important to you? Is it the documents on your laptop? Is it a specific app or website you use? Is it your financial accounts? Is it your web server hosting your website?
What is so important that you’d be devastated if it was compromised or stolen?
Find 1 or 2 things that fit this description. If you’re being honest, only a few things are that important. The rest is useful, but it wouldn’t be devastating if they were compromised or stolen. You could recover pretty easily.
Once you’ve identified 1 or 2 vitally important things, you’re going to learn how to protect them.
How Do You Protect It?
If they live on your laptop, how can you keep attackers out? If it’s a specific website or financial account, how do you prevent attackers getting access? If it’s your website, how could someone attack it? Is there valuable information to steal?
You get to think like an attacker. What would you do to get in? What are you looking for? How do you get it?
Layers of Defense To Keep Them Out
Once you have an idea about what an attacker wants and how they could get in, what barriers could you put up? You can’t stop all attacks. But you can put up lots of barriers to thwart them. In security, we call this “layers of defense”. It’s like protecting a castle with a moat, then a wall with archers, then another wall inside that with guards, and so on. You won’t stop everyone from getting in, but you’re going to make it really hard for them.
How can you put layers of defense, or lots of barriers, between an attacker and your valuable stuff?
You need to do some research. How do attackers usually get in? You’ll find cybersecurity research is fascinating. It’s like reading a spy novel. So have some fun while you research and find a few barriers you can put in place—the more the better.
Then put them in place. Create multiple layers of defense to thwart an attack.
You’ve Been Attacked—Now What?
Your barriers are in place. You’re doing great. You’re done, right? Nope. Now you pretend you’ve been attacked.
Wait a second—didn’t you just put barriers up to stop them?
No, you put barriers up to thwart them. A persistent attacker will still get in. Nothing is 100% secure. You hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
When you’re attacked, what’s the worst that could happen? What does it look like? How does it feel? This may suck, but it’s necessary to go through the emotions and all. It’ll help prepare you for if/when an attack happens.
Now, what do you need to recover? Do you need a secure backup? Does it need to be offsite? Do you need customer support to get you back into your account?
What do you need to quickly get back to normal?
Once you’ve identified what you need, set it up. If you need secure backups, set them up to run automatically. Create a list of emergency contacts. Do you need cybersecurity insurance to defray the costs of an attack? Set it up.
I can’t tell you exactly what you need. Your situation is unique. Research and create a recovery plan that works for you.
Now You’re Prepared
This can be a lot to go through, but you’ll feel better once you do. You’ll feel prepared once you have layers of defense and a recovery plan in place. You’ll feel strong. You’ll feel capable—like you can handle whatever comes your way. It’s a great feeling.
And if/when an attack happens, you will be prepared. Probably not for everything, but hopefully for the worst. And you’ll know what to do to recover quickly.
What About Your Other Stuff?
You’ve got the valuable stuff protected. What about everything else?
You can protect it too. But only after the valuable stuff is protected and a recovery plan is in place.
After that, you can prioritize the rest of your technology. How valuable is each one?
Pick the most valuable. Repeat the same process you did above. Hopefully, it should be much easier. Maybe your social media accounts are at the top of your list. How would an attacker get in? How can you protect them? How can you recover?
And take it one step at a time. You don’t have to make all your technology secure at once. It’s better and easier to take it one step at a time. You’ll slowly beef up your security over time and won’t get overwhelmed.
Stay Vigilant
No matter what you do, keep an eye on those valuable assets. Just because they’re protected now, doesn’t mean they’ll be protected next week. Attacks evolve over time. You need to know how they’re changing and adjust your game plan. Read about current cybersecurity news or listen to a daily podcast. Find what works for you and your schedule.
Stay aware and keep your assets safe.
Sum It Up
Cybersecurity can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to. Start where you are. Identify which technology assets are most valuable to you. Protect them first and foremost. How can they be attacked? How can they be protected? How can you recover?
Once you have a defense and recovery plan in place, keep up on how attacks are changing. Adjust your plans as needed.
After that, you can work on protecting your other assets. Not everything will need the same level of security. Decide what you need for each piece—how it can be attacked, how to protect it, and how to recover. Go through these at your own pace. Take it one step at a time.
Cybersecurity can be easier. Break it down into pieces and take it one step at a time. You can do this and you’ll feel better once you do.