An Introduction to Cyber Security: A Beginner's Guide

Cybersecurity is a hot topic these days, but do you realize why it's so important? We live in a digital age in which data is everything. We must recognize that personal information is far more sensitive than it has ever been. We frequently hear about data breaches and identity theft cases affecting millions of people. WannaCry virus encrypted millions of machines two years ago. All businesses and organizations are striving to secure their data from hackers and thieves, and you can help. Cybersecurity affects not only businesses, but also individuals' computers, mobile phones, and tablets.
 

1. What is Cybersecurity?-

Let us first define cyber security and its importance before we begin this cyber security for beginners guide. Cybersecurity is the technology and method for preventing assaults, damage, and illegal access to networks and devices. Because data is now the cornerstone of any organization, cybersecurity is critical for a country's military, hospitals, huge firms, small businesses, and other organizations and individuals. There are numerous concerns if that data is exploited. Now that we've defined cybersecurity, let's look at the CIA triad and how it relates to cybersecurity.

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2. CIA Triad-

Any organization's security begins with three principles: confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The CIA Triad, which has served as the industry standard for computer security from the time of the first mainframes, will be covered next in this cyber security for beginners course.

Only authorized parties have access to sensitive information and functions, according to confidentiality norms. Military secrets, for example.

Only authorized persons and means can change, update, or remove sensitive information and functions, according to integrity principles. A user, for example, may enter inaccurate data into the database.

Availability: According to availability principles, systems, functions, and data must be available on-demand based on agreed-upon specifications and service levels.

3. Specialties in Cybersecurity-

To pursue a profession in cybersecurity, you must first understand the various areas of specialty, which this cyber security for beginners guide will assist you with. They are as follows:
 

• Access control systems and methodologies are concerned with preventing unauthorized modification of vital system resources.

• Telecommunications and network security: This section focuses on communications, protocols, and network services, as well as the possible vulnerabilities that each of these poses.

• Practices in security management: This area effectively deals with catastrophic system failures, natural disasters, and other sorts of service disruptions.

• Security architecture and models: This section focuses on putting in place security rules and processes. This security sector deals with policy development for a wide range of security issues.
• Law, investigation, and ethics: This section deals with the legal aspects of computer security.

• Security for application and system development: This person is responsible for database security models and the implementation of multilevel security for internal applications.

• Cryptography: Designed to teach you how to use encryption and when to utilise it.

• Computer operations security includes everything that occurs while your computers are in use.

• Physical security: This section mostly deals with physical access to your servers and workstations.

 

4. Basic Terminologies-

1. network
A network is a connection that allows two or more computers to communicate with one another. 

2. Internet
The Internet is a network that connects computers all over the world through specialized routers and servers.
 
3. Internet Protocols
Data cannot be sent or received in any direction. To manage the flow of information on the internet, a set of rules is followed. The internet protocol is the name for these rules.
 
4. IP Address
An IP address is a numerical address that is assigned to all devices that connect to a computer network and communicate using the Internet Protocol. The following is an example of an IP address: 168.192.10.3
 
5. MAC Address
Every gadget that connects to the internet has a unique identification number. MAC addresses are typically 12-digit hexadecimal digits. D8-FC-93-C5-A5-EO is an example of a MAC address.

6. Domain Name Server(DNS) 
Consider DNS to be the internet's phonebook. It saves all of the IP addresses as well as the names of the links. You might want to go to google.com, for example. This is what you type into your web application. The name is then sent to a DNS server, which looks up the IP address of google.com. The DNS server then returns the IP address to your machine.
 

5. Common Types of Attacks-

 
Before we get into the different types of assaults, it's important to understand why they happen, and this cyber security for beginners lesson will teach you everything you need to know. Every attack has a purpose, and the most common cause for attacks is money. After breaking into the system, hackers demand ransom from the victims. Other motives include financial loss to the target, achievement of a state's military goal, damage to the target's reputation, or political manipulation.
 
There are five primary sorts of assaults:
 

• DDoS (distributed denial of service) is a type of distributed de (DDoS)

• In the middle, a man

• Email-based attacks

• Attacks on passwords

• Malware assault

When it comes to cybersecurity, the first step is to learn the fundamentals of IT systems and networks, such as the many types of networks and their protocols. After you've mastered the essentials, you can go on to the fundamentals of networking traffic, security, and communication.