Thursday | 16 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
বাংলা
   
Thursday | 16 January 2025 | Epaper

Cyber attack and security awareness

Published : Wednesday, 6 January, 2021 at 12:00 AM  Count : 848
Md Zillur Rahaman
Cyber security and safety is a global concern across the world. New technology has been updated from time to time and in the same time, new version of security threat is being raised alarmingly. With more and more of the activities of individuals, organizations, and nations being conducted in cyberspace, the security of those activities is becoming an emerging challenge for society.

Recently the US Energy Department becomes the latest target of the hackers. It has been breached in what is being described as the worst-ever hack on the US history. The Department is mainly responsible for managing US nuclear weapons, but said the arsenal's security had not been compromised. The US treasury and commerce departments are also among the other targets of the sophisticated, months-long breach acknowledged by US officials.

Tech giant Microsoft said that it had found malicious software in its systems and they had identified more than 40 of its customers who were targeted in the cyber-attack, including government agencies, think tanks, non-governmental organisations and IT companies. About 80% of these were in the US, while others were in Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, the UK, Israel and the UAE. Hackers are known to have at least monitored data within a range of key US government departments including state, defence, homeland security, treasury and commerce.

Cyber security is one of the most important aspects to consider when working over the internet, LAN or other method, no matter how small or big the issue is. While there is no network that is immune to attacks, a stable and efficient cyber security system is essential to protecting client data. A good network security system helps business reduce the risk of falling victim of data theft and sabotage. It helps to protect the work stations from harmful spyware. It also ensures that shared data is kept secure.

During the recent cyber attack on US's top cyber agency, the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), gave a stark warning saying that addressing the intrusion would be "highly complex and challenging". It said "critical infrastructure" had been damaged, federal agencies and private sector companies compromised, and that the damage posed a "grave threat". The hack basically began in at least March 2020, and those responsible had "demonstrated patience, operational security, and complex tradecraft."

Cyber security is not just an IT problem; sometimes we think but a business problem, awareness training is not just for IT personnel but for all employees who has access to a computer and the Internet. The focus and specialty of awareness training need to be tailored to each employees function and their role within an organisation. Cyber security needs to be part of an organisation's culture to be effective, if it is just a checkbox approach, which employees don't understand; what it is about and why it will surely be ineffective.

When we talk about cyber security, we almost always focus on the newest technology available to combat cyber security risks and threats. Companies focus so much on protecting hardware and software against cyber threats that they forget about securing processes and most importantly, providing adequate training for people involved in cyber security.

Weak passwords and bad practices in email or social media links make it much easier for others to hack into our account and gain access to our friends' and family's data. Whether it's a bank account number, a photo best kept private, or complete identity theft, no one wants to be responsible for cyber crime on their loved. Awareness training will provide every organisation the best value for money solution in the fight against cyber threats.

Benefits of cyber security awareness training are immense. Not all cyber security awareness training is equal; one should ensure that the training he/she selects for his/her organisation is suited to specific needs, his business environment and his level of cyber security maturity.

Sometimes, customer data and credit card information is being stolen, money is lifted from pay check accounts, trade secrets and other intellectual property are copied and leaked, and in some cases, the criminals hack into internal systems and held them for ransom. Cyber security at Banks, Financial Institutions, Government Organizations, Multinational Corporate Companies etc is vital for many reasons in day to day operations but avoiding tendency to cyber security may cause a huge loss.

It may be mentioned here that a group of cyber criminals stole $101 million from Bangladesh Bank's account with New York's Federal Reserve Bank in February 2016 and the whole fund was laundered at Philippine and Sri Lanka. The incident came to light after several days later and caused a widespread criticism across the global media. The issue is yet to be resolved.

Cyber security awareness should be an important part of any organisations cyber security management strategy. Not only does it address the human weakness factor in our strategy, it also provides immediate protection at an affordable price. Cyber security awareness training needs to be designed around our organisation, not in isolation to be effective; it should be focused on new treat and potential risk.

US government suspects that the Russian government is responsible for recent cyber attack but Russia has denied any role behind the scene. US cyber-security firm and Researchers, who have named the hack Sunburst, say it could take years to fully comprehend what is one of the biggest ever cyber-attacks.

It is estimated that cyber crime costs the global economy over $400 billion per year. As a result, companies and organizations all over the world, including the US Government, are making cyber security a top priority for years after year and are setting up standards for cyber security protocol. During Barak Obama as a President asked the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to draw up a set of best practices for cyber security. Created with the input of thousands of security experts, the plan is designed to help organizations manage the risks of a cyber security breach.

Meanwhile, newly elected US President Joe Biden has vowed to make cyber-security a "top priority" of his administration. He also said, "We need to disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyber-attacks in the first place. We will do that by, among other things, imposing substantial costs on those responsible for such malicious attacks, including in co-ordination with our allies and partners."

One of the most important issues to teach about cyber security is our youth and awareness to cyber security is vital for the safety of our digital technology. Some of us may remember when we thought the internet was a "fad" and that computers weren't going to change our workplace. Clearly, we couldn't be more wrong. Technology has changed our lives, the way we work, the way we bank, communicate, shop, play, etc. As such, crime has followed and also pervades our lives.  A Symantec analysis of security threats found that cybercriminals are working faster than companies can defend themselves and are launching more malicious attacks than ever.

Though new cyber-attacks are born each day, we can do our best to learn from the past. It is important to read the news, understand the attacks that are out there and learn from these mistakes of the past. Shielding our eyes from the reality of this immense threat to technology and our operations will not make the organization any stronger. Keep our eyes and ears open and learn from the mistakes of others.
The writer is a banker and
freelance contributor





LATEST NEWS
MOST READ
Also read
Banning outdoor New Year parties
BAC in higher education in Bangladesh
It's time to end the bloodshed in Yemen
Plastic waste threatens environment and biodiversity
Fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory export control is an important guarantee for globalization
Rapists still having a field day in Bangladesh
Int’l cooperation with BRI
Olaf Scholz: Agenda of Germany’s new leader
Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Online: 41053014; Advertisement: 41053012.
E-mail: district@dailyobserverbd.com, news©dailyobserverbd.com, advertisement©dailyobserverbd.com, For Online Edition: mailobserverbd©gmail.com
🔝
close