In 2018 alone, cybercrime cost the global economy $445 billion. The economy, in general, might be slowing, but the cybercrime industry is booming. You might wonder why, in this modern age, so many of us are still falling victim to cybercrime.
After all, everyone knows about online security, and antivirus software has become highly effective. That may be true, but what we know and what we do are two different things. You know, for example, that you must be careful about what you download online. You’d never download a file that looked unfaithful.
That’s great, but, what if it’s a fun app on Facebook? What harm could come from filling in a silly personality survey? It’s not like you’re uploading any files, you’re just giving them access to your profile on Facebook.
And, you’d be right – you’re not downloading any files. Where you’re wrong is in thinking that the app is harmless. You’re giving it access to your data, and the data of anyone connected to you on Facebook.
The Cambridge Analytica scandal that broke last year shows just how dangerous this can be. The app, “This Is Your Digital Life,” was designed to harvest data for the marketing firm. What’s frightening is that only around 300,000 people used the app but the data of around 50 million people was harvested.
It should be a wakeup call for all of us. We’re not nearly as secure online as we think we are. It’s not even as if this is an isolated incident or the worst hack.
After knowing about the losses of the cybercrime, you must be thinking about being extra aware fro your security. This is the reason that the cybersecurity field has a lot of career opportunities. There are a lot of certifications in this field that will be proving expertise and help in getting a good job. uCertify offers a lot of comprehensive courses that will help you prepare for the certification exams.