Hello, everyone. Let’s talk about digital security in practical terms. I won’t bamboozle you with fancy words like “firewalls”, “antivirus”, and “RSA encryption” Instead, I’d like to use terms like “lock”, “safe”, and “power tools”. I’ll only use terms like “patching”, “updates”, and “zero day” after explaining them first. Over time, I think the reasons for being security conscious will become clear. It’s my hope that you will find my opinions and these articles valuable.“Security? Why do I need computer security?” Really, the practical applications of digital crime seem endless. Computer crime is particularly interesting to me because it seems so sophisticated at first. Computer crime is really about the abstract versions of the mundane things we use every day.
When I talk about cybersecurity, I’m not trying to scare you. I’m talking about protecting your digital interests. You probably check the offices and lock the doors of your businesses before you go home. It’s not paranoid to do it. It’s just common sense. When a criminal robs your business in the night, they break in, take what they want, and leave. With computers, however, a criminal becomes a digital trespasser in a tiny corner that stays for a while. They can take things from you and they can take things from your customers from right under your nose.
Computers are powerful tools. The more powerful the tool, the more danger is involved. Your money’s at stake when you make transactions online. Your customer’s identities are compromised if their personal information is stolen. When your computer is hacked, it becomes a criminal’s power tool. It’s not just about getting cleaned out financially. Digital crimes coincide with other real world crimes. Stolen money leads to drug trafficking or some other illicit trade. Personal information leads to actual fraudulent ID cards. Your computer becomes a criminal’s digital hideout. These are worst case examples, but it’s not hard to understand that powerful tools need safe guards. I’ll talk more about the practical reasons for digital security in future posts. I just want to close with a reminder that powerful tools bring powerful results. The choices we make with our tools have real-world consequences whether they are physical or virtual. -Dave
I’ll talk more about the practical reasons for digital security in future posts. I just want to close with a reminder that powerful tools bring powerful results. The choices we make with our tools have real-world consequences whether they are physical or virtual.
-Dave