What Is Cyber Security and Why It Is Important? – Updated 2026
- Here is the updated guide on cyber security & its importance that includes types, threats, career scope, top colleges, eligibility, and more.
What is Cyber Security?
To explain in simple terms, Cyber Security is an umbrella term that includes technologies, processes, and practices specifically designed to protect various digital components, computer systems, networks, programs, and data from attack or damage. This attack or damage can be through unauthorized digital access or misuse of authorized digital assets. Cyber Security aims at reducing the risk of cyberattacks to protect organizations and individuals from the intentional as well as unintentional exploitation of security weaknesses, systems, networks, and technologies. Let us understand in even simpler terms with the help of an example. Meet Riya . Riya often shops from an online shopping website called Shopkart. She has her personal information like email id, phone number, address, and credit card details saved on the website server to enable a faster and hassle-free shopping experience. One day Riya received an email from Shopkart stating that she is eligible for a special discount voucher. In order to receive the coupon code, she was asked to fill in her Shopkart account credentials. This did not seem fishy at the time as it seemed like an account verification step. However, she was knocked off her feet when a substantial amount of money was wiped out from her account. How do you think this happened? Well yes, the email from Shopkart that Riya received, was a fake and her Shopkart account witnessed unauthorized access from a third party. This is the kind of attack which is known as a cyber attack and the person who carries it is known as a Hacker. Could Riya have prevented this attack? Indeed, she could have, with the help of Cyber Security! However, the type of cyber attack discussed in the example below is not the only kind. There are various types of cyber threats that individuals and organizations are exposed to. Let’s understand them in detail. Read: Industry Experts Cyber Security Interview Questions !
Types of Cyber Threats
Before moving on to the types of cyber threats , let us first understand what a cyber threat actually is. It is any malicious practice that aims to unlawfully access and steal confidential data, attack digital operations, or damage the digital assets of an individual or organization. Let us first look at the cyber-attacks that individuals like Riya are exposed to.
1. Malware Attack
Malware stands for malicious software . It is the most common threat of the lot. It is generated through a link or an attachment which is usually sent through an email or a legitimate-looking download attachment. Once you click on the link or download the attachment, the malware corrupts the system of the user and gains unauthorized access. Malware attacks are also of the following different types. Virus Just like the medical virus you know, a digital virus gets attached to a clean file on your computer and spreads itself throughout the system infecting other files as well with some malicious code. Ransomware Just like the name suggests, it is malware that infects a user’s files to lock them down and threaten the user of erasing the files in exchange for ransom. Spyware Again as the name “Spy” suggests, this malware secretly records what the users do on their computer to extract important sensitive information like credit card details to maliciously use this information. Trojans This is quite a dangerous type of malware as it is disguised as legitimate software and users are tricked into uploading it on their systems. Once uploaded, Trojans corrupt the entire system or collect confidential data. Adware Adware stands for Advertising software. These are usually advertisements and pop-ups that show up on your computer system. Some of these can be malware that can hide on your device to monitor your online behavior and target you with specific ads. But then you must be wondering how are these a threat. It is because they have the capacity to slow down your device, hijack your browser, and even install other malware such as viruses and spyware. Botnets You must have heard of bots used to comment on social media platforms. Yes, these are malware. A botnet is a network of many malware-affected computers. Cybercriminals use Botnets to perform digital tasks (specifically on the internet) without the permission of the user.
2. Phishing Attack
Just like how it sounds, in a phishing attack, a hacker throws bait at you to grab it and when you do, they steal your sensitive confidential information like passwords, login credentials, credit card numbers, and other bank details. These are usually carried out with the help of fraudulent emails which appear to be coming from a legitimate source. This is to install one or more of the malware discussed above to steal data.
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