Be Aware: Cybersecurity Lasts 12 Months, Not Only During October

By Sarah Newberry
Staff writer
IG: @luv2dance43

Cybersecurity isn’t always what it seems to most people. People have to be vigilant and on their toes when it comes to protecting their personal information.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but that doesn’t mean people should let their guard down the other 11 months.

“People should be constantly vigilant, using the month to promote cybersecurity awareness is great, but threats don’t stop on Nov. 1,” said Jamie Smith, the head instructor for cybersecurity at HutchCC.

Hackers can be anyone. They don’t need special skills to hack systems or computers. Cybersecurity is an ongoing effort, and firewalls and websites are constantly under attack.

“88 percent of all breaches are done at the hands of unskilled attackers,” Smith said.

Often, more often than not, hacking something requires some knowledge, but most attackers have just enough skill to break into a website or steal your personal information.

“Like when you watch a movie and somebody sits down and types a bunch and says ‘I’m in’ – that’s not how it works at all,” Smith said. “The unskilled attackers know enough to get a script off the internet; they don’t know how to write it or what it does, but they’ll try it against things to see what they can get in.”

Knowing how computers work and how to protect them against attacks is vital, especially for interns in cybersecurity.

“I wanted to know more about how computers worked,” said Jakob Kershner, a student in the cybersecurity internship and academic program at HutchCC.

It is a fascinating field, and there is a lot to learn about computer security.

“It seems pretty promising as pay goes, and it’s fun messing around with computers, learning how they work, and to protect myself,” Kershner said.

College students should be conscientious about their information security.

“Don’t give out your personal information to anything that seems sketchy,” Kershner said.

People think that being hacked would never happen to them, but it does.

“It’s a good reminder always to be vigilant. You can never let your guard down … It only takes one time to become a victim,” Smith said.

Students’ data is vital to them. If the personal data gets out, there could be consequences.

“Your data is important. All the information in Learning Zone, if hackers get ahold of that, then they have everything they need to steal your identity,” Smith said.

Everything can come crumbling down if a hacker breaches students’ information.

“Once they have stolen your identity, students probably have some debts related to school. Once students get out, they may have that and find out that they have a home loan someone purchased in their name.” Smith said.

Things you wouldn’t think would give out people’s information on websites or social media, or when using public wifi, aren’t as secure as they seem.

“On the social media front, how information is stolen, realistically, it’s surveys online,” Smith said.

When it comes to cybersecurity, it’s good to be aware when it comes to personal information. Students shouldn’t give out personal information. There are many lessons to learn when it comes to cybersecurity with anyone or students.

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