Latin America. Cybersecurity has acquired great relevance in the digital world during the last year and the rise of the home office caused by the pandemic has had a lot to do with it.
More and more users are vulnerable to a cyber attack because of the weak shielding of their devices. Either by being connected to a home network or by working with personal computers that even other family or friends use to study, download attachments, browse social networks, among other uses.
In Mexico, a study by the research firm Forrester Consulting of August 2020 explains that all companies with more than 500 employees were victims of this type of crime, having effects on leaking confidential information, identity theft, financial losses and effects on productivity.
However, this phenomenon no longer distinguishes the size of a company. Data cited by the European financing platform Fundera show that globally 43% of the businesses affected by cyberattacks are SMEs, which only between 2019 and 2020 detected a growth in this type of threats of more than 400%.
These affectations were also transferred to online consumers, who according to data from the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users of Financial Services (CONDUSEF), represented more than 3,180 million pesos claimed for cyber fraud.
The 5 cyberattacks you should protect yourself from
A cyberattack is any illegal action that seeks to destroy and damage software, servers, electrical systems, platforms, electronic media, Internet networks or other devices. Its objective is to prevent the use of the adversary's information systems or their access to it.
According to Dylan Torres, cybersecurity facilitator at the Tech School Ironhack, these are the most common types of cyberattacks:
- Malware: One of the most popular attacks in the digital ecosystem, which is reproduced through some harmful software such as a virus or ransomware. Once installed on our equipment it can cause all kinds of problems, from taking control of the machine and monitoring actions, to sending sensitive data to the base of origin of the attack.
- SQL injections: This is an attack on the server that uses malicious code to extract private information from users. It is worth mentioning that SQL (Structured Query Language) is the language used for most databases today.
- Phishing: This is also known as phishing. The attackers pretend to be a different person, organization or platform with the aim of having the user open the malware, causing access to infect their computer.
- Man-in-the-middle type attack: This type of invasion occurs when an attacker intercepts communication between two individuals to steal data.
- Denial of Service (DDOS): It consists of saturating the traffic of a website by overloading its server so that it is impossible for it to publish its content to visitors.
Digital education, a solution to mitigate cyberattacks
Faced with the challenges posed by cybersecurity, organizations have become more aware of the importance of being prepared to face this type of attack. In fact, in 2020 alone, its spending on cybersecurity increased 10%, a figure higher than other areas of Information Technology.
However, Ironhack experts recognize that there is still much to be done in the face of the shortage of cybersecurity specialists that is experienced at the global level, which according to the International Consortium for The Certification of Information Systems Security (ISC), translates into a need for more than 29,000 professionals specialized in the field.
This technological training institution has seen in the digital security crisis an opportunity to promote knowledge quickly and practically through bootcamps, a teaching model that in a few weeks guarantees effective learning in different branches of technology.
For more information visit: https://www.ironhack.com/es
