Introduction
There will always be one form of insecurity or another, as Cyberlong as we live in a society; there has always been and there will always be. However, beyond what the government in particular and the society in general is expected to do is what each and every person should do to keep themselves safe. These are common precautionary measures that one should take to protect oneself.
In today’s Internet age, where everything is virtual, various security challenges have, somehow, found their way to the Internet and used to the extreme. This makes it important that individuals and organisations to be informed on cyber insecurity in all its forms.
Cyber insecurity
This refers to a state of not being safe or being prone to the dangers that can occur in things relating to computers (in all their various forms) and the Internet. In our society today, cyber insecurity ranks very high among the challenges that we (individuals or organisations) face in the digital world. This is because the world has become digital and a lot of activities take place digitally.
How serious is this challenge?
Globally, cyber insecurity continues to be on the rise daily. Billions of dollars and valuable data are lost yearly to hacking, online scams and malware attacks. Even military hardware and tech systems are not spared.
These crimes are committed for different reasons and can be committed on an individual, organisational or even state level. Note that these acts result in cyber insecurity, no matter the reason they are done or the category of the perpetrators.
The following are the categories of cybercrime:
– Criminal gangs
These are basically men of the underworld, who are into cybercrime for pecuniary reasons. They are usually organised with clearly defined mode of operation and target. With more money and financial success, they usually expand their base and theatrics.
– State actors
The advancement in technology, especially in the digital and cyber spheres, means that there is cyber warfare, and it is the newest means of warfare. Here, state actors (probably military intelligence and the technological units of a country’s military), working directly with the support of the government, try to steal information, attack or disrupt its enemies’ information centres to destabilise them. Some of these actors may be indirectly work with their various governments.
-Activists
These particular sets of people are trying to make political or moral point through their activities. Generally, while they might not be considered criminals, the government or security agencies might tag them as such. This is because their actions as activists or protesters usually are to expose government’s actions they deem immoral, and which the government would usually want to hide from the people. It has to be added that while their intentions might be right, the means through which they achieve them might be questionable. Being a hacktivist is a slippery slope, which might lead an individual or organisation into extra-legal activities.
-Insiders
A lot of people in different situations fall under this category. This is because most of the people in this category are not intentionally committing crime or enabling the perpetrators. This category includes people, who are being blackmailed, those who mistakenly dropped private, personal or organisational records in the public space or those who mistakenly clicked on malware or those being scammed.
-Conclusion
It is sad that with any positive development, the negative will always rear its ugly head. Incidents of cybercrime have become regular occurrences the world over. It is left to individuals, organisations and governments to take precautionary steps to guard against falling victim to such acts.
