The digital landscape that we have fashioned for ourselves is one that is one that focuses more and more on the advancement of its reaches, rather than the security of the reaches that have already been established. This is not necessarily a deliberate action, a known choice, but nonetheless it is something that we are aware of, something we know is happening. The intricate balance lies in knowing it exists, but not knowing how to right the ship, where to go with our thoughts of improvement and innovation. In today’s landscape, a landscape that is increasingly becoming digitally-focused, we are more at risk of cyber security breaches than ever before. Every day that goes past, every innovation that is introduced that furthers our use of digitization and technological advancement, this becomes truer.

Of course, there are personal protection processes that we can instil to do our part in protecting ourselves. These avenues include using a VPN network, incorporating password encryption programs onto our devices, enabling two-factor password identification when possible, and installing anti-malware software on all devices. When it comes to understanding the intricacies of these avenues – like VPN networks and how they function, for example – you can find out more here. But the bigger picture speaks to the power of having trust in third party protective agencies, and the risks that trust can result in. because we have more of our personal data going online every other day, it is more important than ever that we take precautions and instil protective measures to keep our privacy secure online and always. One of the biggest threats to a company’s reputation is the illegal distribution of user data. Cyber security is therefore more than a security measure, it’s fundamental to reputation management and other business functions.

As the detail of cyber security measures continues to soar, the severity of cyber hacking attacks continues to rise as well. The inevitable realization of this movement, this shift in gears, is that now is an ample time to trust no one. We are too trusting in a world that has become more digitally focused by the second. We sign up for social media accounts with our personal information, we pay for online purchases with our credit card information, we even have a lot of our bank statements, car and house payments, and insurance slips stored in our email accounts. Once upon a time all this was relatively safe (or at least, as safe as storing your information in a virtual cloud can be, anyway). Today, this is not only risky, but in some circumstances, it is outright irresponsible.

As we invest more time, money, effort, and information in the ever-growing digital stratosphere, we must be personally responsible and covertly aware that this increase in trust and usability will inevitably result in an unavoidable rise in risk of cyber hacker activity, even hacking. These threats are very real. They are risky, dangerous, even permanent in some cases. It is the double-edged sword…we can have all the access we want, but it comes at a price. Of course, we can protect against that high price, but nobody, no matter how well protected, is ever 100% safe in this age of cyber security and online risk.