Computer security breaches are commonplace, and several occur around the world every day. Some are considered minor, with little loss of data or monetary resources, but many of them are considered major, or even catastrophic.
You might have heard about the 2014 hacking of Sony Pictures’ network, which the FBI attributed to the North Korean government. More recently, Russian hackers have been accused of tampering with voting systems in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and with Ukranian businesses and governmental agencies.
Hackers are continuously looking for new vulnerabilities to exploit. When networks are not secured, information about organizations and individuals, and even our government, are at risk of being exposed or leveraged against us.
Information security analysts develop and implement security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks. As the number of cyber-attacks increases, their knowledge and expertise are in growing demand.
If you’re considering a career in information technology, it’s important that you understand the basics of network security, including how you can protect yourself and others from harmful cyber-attacks.
What is network security?
According to the SANS Institute, network security is the process of taking preventative measures to protect the underlying networking infrastructure from unauthorized access, misuse, malfunction, modification, destruction or improper disclosure. Implementing these measures allows computers, users and programs to perform their permitted critical functions within a secure environment.
Securing a network requires a complex combination of hardware devices, such as routers, firewalls and anti-malware software applications. Government agencies and businesses employ highly skilled information security analysts to implement security plans and constantly monitor the efficacy of these plans.
Why is network security important?
Security is important for home networks as well as in the business world. Most homes with high-speed internet connections have one or more wireless routers, which could be exploited if not properly secured.
Steps you can take to make sure a home network is secure:
Change your router admin username and password
Change the network name
Activate encryption
Double up on firewalls
Turn off guest networks
Update router firmware
How can you become an information security analyst?
Information security analysts are in high demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics employment opportunities for information security analysts are projected to grow 18 percent between 2014 and 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.