A Brief History of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity, computer network security or EPC security is basically the protection of networks and computer systems from outside attacks, either intentional or unintentional, of the information they provide or from the interruption or misdirection of their services. In business terms, it is the prevention of unauthorized access to a network or system. It is also, when considered in a more broader sense, the ability of a network or computer system to defend itself against an attacker which may do so by compromising or attacking it.

Cybersecurity can take many forms. While there may be minimal threats to a company’s consumer information stored on personal computers (which would be described as ‘hosted computer systems’), or to a company’s confidential and proprietary information kept on networked servers, larger businesses whose IT systems are relied upon daily for their very existence, are faced with much greater vulnerabilities. The goal of every type of cyber-security is to protect a company’s systems from attack – whether from hackers looking to infiltrate your network, or from potential customers who might be spammed or phished upon visiting a website that is potentially harmful to them, or from malicious online users who wish to gain access to your company’s confidential information for the sole purpose of taking advantage of your systems and activities. While all these problems are faced by businesses of all sizes, the most threatening and unfortunate form of cyber-security is identity theft.

Identity theft encompasses the crime of stealing another person’s identity for the criminal’s own use. While there are a variety of different crimes that fall under this broader umbrella, such as fraud and identity theft, most reports focus almost exclusively on the most serious of Internet crime – hacking. Hackers are those who seek out security measures – such as password protection on computer systems, and scanning websites for any information they could steal. These attacks on networks and personal information are almost always successful. While there are several types of conventional methods of combating cyber-security efforts, such as blocking suspicious e-mail, shutting down networks that send out virus-laden files, and engaging in a form of do-it-yourself cyber-security, experts believe that the most effective way to defend against these dangerous threats is to engage in the comprehensive deployment of comprehensive online security measures.