What Are Cyber Labs and the Importance of Cyber Security?

Introduction 

Willing to know what are cyber labs and the importance of cyber security, let’s get started! IT infrastructure and data protection are challenging issues for organizations. As the rate of cybercrime has increased massively, it is crucial to implement good cyber security methods and protocols. Nowadays, digital assets, such as data, software, cloud systems, and networks, need to be secured from cyber attacks. 

IT infrastructure and the internet play a significant role in companies’ daily operations. Securing IT infrastructure is one of the primary reasons for its importance. Data compromise, customer trust loss, and financial losses are all consequences of being hacked. As a result, data theft, blackmail, bankruptcy, and a complete shutdown are also possible during cyber hacking. 

What Are Cyber Labs and Their Importance? 

Virtual Cyber Security Laboratory 

Also known as the Virtual Cyber Security Lab (VCSL), Cyber Lab is a virtual environment allowing students to build their own virtual machines as part of their curriculum to facilitate hands-on learning. These virtual computers are accessed through a website frontend that students will be able to connect to from anywhere they have internet access. 

Students can use the VCSL to access pre-configured virtual computers that assist their education. These computers support persistent changes throughout the semester (changes made will remain in effect despite multiple reboots until the end of the semester) and may contain software and data for use in the course. 

The current configuration is intended to provide a space for students to do projects that will help them better understand cybersecurity concepts. Each course that uses the VCSL has its own network, which can be set to be omnidirectional (such that all students in a course can see all traffic on the course network) or contain software packages that allow students to audit each other’s network traffic.  

What is Cyber Security? 

An electronic system, network, or data is at risk of cyber-attacks if it is not protected against malicious attacks by cyber security. In addition to information technology security, it is also known as electronic information security. There are several common categories of this term, which can be applied in a variety of contexts, from mobile computing to business. 

The different types of cyber security are as follows: 

Network Security: Whether targeted attackers or opportunistic malware are attacking an organization’s computer network, network security is what protects it from intrusion. 

Operational Security: Managing and protecting data assets are part of operational security. It governs how and where data can be stored and shared, users’ permissions when accessing a network, and the procedures users must follow. 

End-user Education: People are the most unpredictable factor when it comes to cybersecurity. End-user education addresses this. The failure to follow good security practices can lead to the introduction of a virus into an otherwise secure system. In order to maintain organization security, users need to learn how to delete suspicious email attachments, not plug in unidentified USB drives, and a number of other important lessons. 

Information Security: Information security protects its integrity and privacy regardless of where the data is stored or sent. 

Application Security: Software and devices are protected from threats by application security. Data that is supposed to be protected by an application could be accessed if it is compromised. Developing security in programs and devices begins during the design phase. 

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity: Business continuity and disaster recovery refer to how an organization responds in the event of a cybersecurity incident. Disaster recovery policies define how an organization returns to normal operation after a disaster by restoring its operations and information. Without certain resources, business continuity is the organization’s fallback plan. 

Importance of Cyber Security 

The following points can help you understand the importance of cyber security: 

  • Reduces risk and recovery costs, potentially saving large corporations millions of dollars. 
  • Protects your data in the cloud and in your database 
  • Malware and virus protection 
  • Detects threats or predicts attacks through scanning 
  • Integrity, availability, and confidentiality of data 
  • Consistently ensures other integrations and applications are not compromised  

Virtual Labs and the Importance of Cyber Security 

In the current day and age, virtual training labs are a reliable way to ensure that IT departments are up to date, certified with cyber safety tools, proficient with industry software, and knowledgeable about the threats facing them. 

In addition to providing cybersecurity, network security, and information security training at the basic level, virtual labs offer much more. They provide certifications from reputable companies such as Cisco or Microsoft. 

As well as creating a virtual training environment that can simulate real-world threats, virtual training labs provide the opportunity to provide actual hands-on training for their clients, whether they are providing external or internal training. In order for these types of classes to be effective, they must: 

  • Discuss digital threats and how to recognize them. 
  • Defend against phishing and viruses by teaching good habits. 
  • Since hackers are constantly evolving their methods, they must be up to date on current cybercrime trends and cyber security tools. 

Many of these programs send malware messages and sample phishing to employees and monitor how they respond. Cyber security labs run exactly like this. Red teams intentionally breach security to identify an organization’s most significant online risks. 

Cybercrime: By the Numbers 

  • Taking steps to prevent identity theft shouldn’t be regarded as a low priority. It is estimated that about 17 million people are affected by identity theft every year and that over $15 billion is stolen as a result. This is according to a Javelin Strategy & Research study. Data breaches are among the most common types of identity theft, but you can also lose your personal data even if you are the victim of offline identity theft. 
  • Mobile device malware is becoming more prevalent as more workers use smartphones for business communications. As reported by Symantec in its 2018 Internet Security Threat Report, mobile malware attacks have increased by 54% from the previous year, with the majority of these attacks coming from third-party app stores. It is important to include smartphone security training in cyber security training just as much as desktop computer security training. 
  • The cost of dealing with cybercrime is high. In the United States alone, the Defense Department spends around $8.5 billion per year on cyber security initiatives. There is a similar story for companies as well: IBM reports that it costs a company, on average, $3.9 million to detect a data breach, and it takes up to 200 days for a breach to be identified. 

The Importance of Cybersecurity Training 

If you are looking to prevent thefts and other forms of online threats by investing in online cyber security training labs, you are making a wise decision. 

Human error is one of the most common causes of successful cybercrime. An example of a phishing attack is one where fake emails or phone calls are sent to employees in an attempt to trick them into divulging their login credentials. In addition, there are malware programs that attempt to install themselves on company workstations in order to compromise network security. 

The company’s IT department is often the first line of defense against cybercrime, and cyber security labs enable them to be trained to identify these incidents and prevent them from occurring, especially when they have direct access to computers and networks. 

Best Practices to Optimize Cybersecurity Training 

To optimize cybersecurity training following practices need to be followed: 

  • Establish a Central Point of Contact for Advice 

Appoint IT mentors or experts to provide informal advice and act as conduits between business functions and IT. The process could be as simple as creating an email account. 

  • Make Sure Your Team Knows How to Spot Cybersecurity Red Flags 

An example is a generic salutation (Dear Customer), a poor quality logo, a spelling mistake, a time crunch, a fake domain name, mismatched sender details, etc. 

  • Use Multi-factor Authentication  

A multi-factor authentication system requires at least one more method of personal verification before accessing software or making a purchase. A passcode could be sent via text message or a dedicated app, or you could enter a memorable word. 

  • Maintain Up-to-date Software 

Don’t install software that doesn’t belong to the company or is not available on mobile devices. The security patches are regularly released, and if you do not act on them, you leave yourself wide open to attacks. 

  • Purchase Domains With Similar Names 

You may want to consider buying similar domain names to reduce the chances that customers, suppliers, or your team will be duped by emails from spoofed addresses or links to spoofed websites containing malware. 

  • Keep Essential Verification Data Separate From Other Data 

You should ensure that you have in place appropriate technical or organizational measures in order to ensure that your personal data is protected. The security feature can help reduce the impact of cyberattacks (e.g., by keeping CVV codes separate from other card information) and prevent cyberattacks from occurring. 

  • Identify Vulnerabilities in Your Systems 

Is there a vulnerability in your own system that you are unaware of? Is there any way to find out? During this time of slack or respite from “business as usual” tasks, it may be a good time to beef up security, secure the parameter, and conduct penetration testing to secure the system. That sounds like a good investment, doesn’t it? 

  • Ensure That Your Clients and Suppliers Understand the Protocol 

When communicating with new clients and suppliers, share information with them, and make sure that major changes to terms, payments, etc., are communicated directly to you via named personnel or codewords. 

 Before giving any third party access to your premises, ensure that you conduct due diligence and vetting before granting them access in order to reduce the risk of physical threats. 

Conclusion 

We hope that you have now understood what are cyber labs and the importance of cyber security. If you’re still curious, do check out UNext Jigsaw’s PG certificate program in Cybersecurity to understand crucial concepts and the importance of cyber security. They have Cyber Labs equipped with the latest tools and technologies and a guaranteed placement feature. 

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