Good Morning/ Afternoon or Evening,
It's that time again, another blog post. I know I know, it's not even been a week since your last one. Well, I thought I would surprise you with a new post.
So let's get down to business, have any of you ever wondered what Internet Security is and what the benefits are. Well look no further, I'll be your virtual assistant for today and try to give you insight into the reasons to get Internet Security for your devices and a few recommendations along the way.
Before I begin, pull up a chair as this might be a bit of a long read, but I'm hoping to make it as concise as possible.
Right the first thing we need to understand is that Internet Security should only be one aspect of your Security Posture. For those who don't know, there is a Diagram about Defence in Depth, which conveys the idea that Security shouldn't just be a standalone product it should be more like an onion with many layers of protection.
Internet Security for many people will be something we either forget about or in some cases care about. If I was trying to be your devil's advocate on the subject, I would be telling you that it's something we all need, this is the angel speaking, and I would tell you that you're not thinking about the bigger picture. Whereas, if I was your devil, I would tell you not to worry about it. Let me be clear, I want to be your angel. Remember, an intruder can be anyone online or someone next to you, it just takes the wrong decision for an attacker to target someone online and steal their information. In recent years, our data has become extremely valuable, and for those reasons, government bodies are trying to put defences in place to protect you as a Data Subject. You may be wondering, what is a Data Subject, and those in IT/Compliance for long enough will know this term comes from Data Protection or more specifically GDPR "General Data Protection Regulation". For those who haven't researched GDPR, I would recommend a quick read-up about it or watching some videos that introduce you to it.
Remember, this is a huge topic by itself and for many can be extremely difficult to understand, but it's well worth knowing your rights and the rights of others and what are companies' obligations. I've selected the three links above, however, there are plenty of other links on the internet. Again, this is only a recommendation, but as your virtual angel, I highly recommended reading up about GDPR. I will post more about GDPR in another post in the future.
Remember, the intent is the main concern we should have. You're probably thinking, what do you mean by this. Well, let me try to depict what I mean. As individuals, we can in some cases be unaware of a vast amount of things, and we as IT/Security Professionals can't blame you for not keeping up to date with the constant battle between Hackers and Security Professionals. If I draw your attention now to a hacker's intent usually is seen to be Malicious, but you do have the other end of the scale with Ethical Hackers like myself. We try to educate others around us, whilst continuously learning from current/ previous vulnerabilities and exploits. Anyway, I'm going off-topic, just take into consideration that Internet Security shouldn't just be your only defence.
Right what is Internet Security, I hear you asking. Well to put it simply it is a form of AntiVirus, with many other groundbreaking tools to keep you safe, such as a Firewall, Virtual Private Network, Proxies, Sandboxes, Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems, Data Loss Prevention Systems or even a Spam Filter for your emails. The list goes on, but the main thing you need to know would have to be that any good Information Security specialist should recommend getting Internet Security, however, they will also tell you to potentially get other tools from the above list. All of which are important to protect yourself. Be aware most of the above list will fall into the category of preventive controls, and detective controls and again should only be part of the solution. As an example, we could also have Security Training, Encryption, Auditing etc. I will go into more detail about the types of controls for those, who want to understand them in more detail.
Now, I like to use stats and have done my research on the matter, which I would also suggest that you do. Here's a little suggestion, which might get you hungry for more information. After watching and reading about Ethical Hacking, I picked up that Antivirus / Internet Security products get awarded with badges/ awards for their product, which is tested every month. I would suggest having a look at this website.
AV Test is an unbiased company that awards, software companies such as AVG, Avast, Bitdefender, Microsoft Defender, Kaspersky, ESET, Sophos, Norton and the list go on but for those who already have an Antivirus/ Internet Security package, I would suggest looking at the scores. Again, like I said this company isn't biased. So it's probably a good place to start. Over the years, I've tested a fair few myself, the list above is probably my go-to Antivirus/ Internet Security Packages that I've tried, but recently after checking this website out I can confirm that Bitdefender is my number one product. This doesn't mean you should get it, as I would also say that AVG and Avast are extremely powerful, as well as the others but my presence can change.
This being said you need to pick what is right for you, have a look at the features, and the number of licences you get, remember all of these products require the internet so their Update Definitions can be periodically checked and patched according to the vast growing changes and threats.
In my opinion, you should check what you think is right for you, but also remember that each product may have more features than you need, equally they may have features that you've not heard of. Don't worry, again just have a read-up.
Lastly, remember a good Specialist would tell you that Internet Security is one product but having Antimalware is also something you need.
And that is, just take your time making the decision, and if you get stuck, I'm here if you want some help.
Online protection is the act of safeguarding frameworks, organizations, cyber security courses in south africa and projects from advanced assaults. These cyberattacks are generally pointed toward getting to, changing, or annihilating delicate data; coercing cash from clients; or hindering typical business processes.