The need for cybersecurity tools and preventive measures against cyber threats has been talked about endlessly, as almost everything in our daily lives becomes digitised. That being said, is it really crucial for people to equip themselves with cybersecurity tools and take preventive measures online? IT security company that offers anti-virus and firewall products, ESET, takes a closer look at some reasons why you may not have any use for cybersecurity.
1. You’ve never been hacked
With cases such as the Yahoo! data breach, leak of Twitter account credentials or the LinkedIn hack, more than a billion accounts could have potentially been breached during these incidents and users’ credentials traded in the criminal underworld. In addition, there’s always a possibility that victims don’t know they’ve been hacked, since hackers have the tendency to lurk in the shadows to prevent users from being alerted and taking quick action to lock intruders out of their accounts. However, if you feel that the heavens are shining down on you and you’re just one of the lucky ones who will always be able to sidestep every cybersecurity incident, you don’t need the extra defences on your personal devices.
2. You’re not afraid to lose any personal data on your devices
While most people tend to share a lot of their personal information through daily transactions that take place online such as ordering food deliveries, hailing cabs, paying utilities’ bills and booking overseas trips, you may be one of the rare few in modern society who do not partake in any of these online activities. Perhaps you’re digitally disconnected and may not leave traces of sensitive information that an average person would online, such as home and work addresses, credit card information or even passport details. Maybe you do have a digital trace and store some of this sensitive information online, but have no fear about cybercriminals gaining leverage over you with their knowledge of your personal life – then you definitely don’t need a cybersecurity solution.
3. You trust whatever your friends send you online
One method commonly used by hackers is to masquerade as users to disseminate malicious files to their online contacts. But if you still believe that your friends will never get hacked and be used as a pawn to send malware to you, you have nothing to fear when clicking on links or downloading files sent by your contacts.
4. You’re fine with someone else assuming your identity
Hackers enjoy taking on others’ online personas, because that means they can impersonate you to perform transactions like withdrawals from your bank accounts, make purchases using your digital wallets or credit cards or even write to family or friends pretending to be in an emergency and getting them to wire money. While we may not be comfortable with someone else pretending to be us, this may not be a problem for you if you don’t have a bank account, digital wallet, credit cards or connect with your family or friends online at all; maybe you believe that sharing is caring and don’t mind a stranger using everything that you own like it’s theirs.
5. Only you are at risk if you get hacked
Usually when a user’s account is breached, there is a high chance that these cyber attackers would use the information obtained in the compromised account to perform phishing attacks on the user’s contacts. Don’t have any contacts to speak of who could be linked to you? Then you don’t need to worry about putting your family and friends at risk on the off-chance that you’re hacked.
In all honesty, everyone needs cybersecurity. Without a security tool to protect you against the perils of the cyberspace, cybercriminals can easily gain access to your private information and do the same to your family and friends. Take steps to secure your cyberspace and avoid being a fool this April Fool’s Day!