With more opportunities to be hacked online, cybersecurity is becoming the dominant force in making sure that valued information is protected. Knowing what cybersecurity is can help anyone from being hacked.

“Cybersecurity involves preventing, detecting and responding to cyberattacks that can have wide-ranging effects on individuals, organizations, the community and at the nation level. Cyberattacks are malicious attempts to access or damage a computer or network system,” District Technology Specialist David Wojtowicz said. “These can lead to loss of money, theft of personal, financial and medical information that can damage your reputation and safety.”

Not being secure on the internet can allow hackers to access anyone’s information. According to review24.com, data breach statistics from 2018 show that over 2.8 billion accounts were hacked that year. That amounts to roughly 6.85 million accounts getting hacked each day or 158 accounts every second. Since cybercrime numbers have risen since then, it is safe to assume that the number of accounts getting hacked daily has likewise increased. 

Being protected online keeps personal information safe. This gives hackers less of an opportunity to steal information and portray it has their own. Staying safe online can be as simple as being more cautious. 

“Being more cautious online can be things such as setting strong passwords and considering using a password manager, updating the software on your devices and installing patches as necessary, backing up your data to a cloud service or removable drives, and being careful when clicking on links, especially inside email messages,” Wojtowicz. “Think critically about things you see and read on the internet. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

With cybersecurity becoming an important aspect of people’s everyday lives, more and more people are becoming interested in this field. Senior Vincent Evans is one of the few students here at BHS who is interested in cybersecurity. Evans gained his interest here at school and will be pursuing it in the future. 

“I got my interest in cybersecurity from my old computer teacher, Mr. Konrath, who presented a computer security course to me and I just got hooked right into it,” Evans said. “I also had an interest in computers and coding, which have also been key roles in my interest in cybersecurity.”

Evans’ interest in cybersecurity has now impacted his daily life in the way he does things when on the internet.  

“I am more cautious when I do online shopping or banking because I know that my information is vulnerable to attackers and nothing is safe,” Evans said. “I take the time to check my bank account every day, change my passwords for emails, and other social media platforms once or twice a year, and I also have extra security like two-factor authentication (2FA). This is where it requires an additional login beyond just the username and password.”

In the fall of 2021 Evans will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for bachelor of science in computer information systems with an emphasis on cybersecurity.