Cyber Security - History Explained

Welcome to my new post on the Cyber Security - History Explained

What is Cyber Security?

            Computer Security is commonly known as Cyber Security. Cyber Security is a process of detecting and preventing any unauthorized use of your Internet connected systems, including hardware, software and your personal data. It can recover the device, network or a source code from any kind of Cyberattack. Cyberattacks are an evolving danger to the organization, employees, and customers. It may be designed to access or destroy sensitive data or to extort money. They can even destroy businesses and damage people’s lives. It is designed to maintain the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data. Cybersecurity strategies may include identity management, risk management and incident management.

What is Cyberspace?

            Cyberspace is a worldwide network of computers and the equipment that helps to connect them through an electronic medium. It forms a global computer network to facilitate online communications. Its design is free and open to the public. Cyberspace is becoming a dangerous place for all organizations or an individual to protect their data. It allows users to share information, interact, swap ideas, play games, engage in discussions or social forums, conduct business and create intuitive media, among many other activities. In 1984, the term cyberspace was introduced by William Gibson in his book, “Neuromancer.” Cyberspace's core feature is an interactive and virtual environment for a broad range of participants.

History of Cyber Security

The history  of cyber security started with a research project. Bob Thomas is the one who realized that it is possible for a computer program to move across a network, leaving a small trial wherever it goes. Bob designed a program named Creeper, it can able to travel between Tenex terminals on the early ARPANET, printing the message “I’m The Creeper: Catch Me If You Can”. Later, Ray Tomlinson the one who invented email saw bob’s idea. He modified the program and made it self-replicating, which is the first worm. Again he came up with another program named Reaper, the first antivirus software which would chase Creeper and delete it.

In late 1988, Robert Morris came up with an idea that he wanted to gauge the size of the internet. To do this, he wrote a code designed to propagate across networks, infiltrate Unix terminals with a known bug, and then copy itself. Robert Morris became the first person successfully charged under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. This act leads to the formation of the Computer Emergency Response Team, which functions as a nonprofit research center for systemic issues that might affect the internet as a whole.

Morris worm is the start of everything. After the Morris worm, viruses started getting deadlier and deadlier, affecting more and more systems. Then there is a rise of Antivirus as a commodity. In 1989,   the first dedicated antivirus company was released. Later, the worm took advantage of the sendmail function in Unix, which was originally created by Ray Tomlinson. In other words, the world’s first famous virus took at advantage of the first virus author’s most famous creation.

It’s interesting to look back from where we are now, in an era of ransomware, fileless malware, and nation-state attacks.

Why Cyber Security is needed?

The use of Cyber Security can help prevent Cyberattacks, data breaches and identity theft and can aid in risk management. When an organization has a depth knowledge of network security and an effective incident response plan, it is better able to prevent and mitigate these attacks. For example, end user protection defends information, and it can guard against loss or theft while scanning computers for malicious code.

Nowadays advisory organizations are promoting a proactive and adaptive approach. The National Institute of Standards and Technology issued updated guidelines in its risk assessment framework  for continuous monitoring and real-time assessments. US president Donald Trump issued an executive order mandating that federal agencies adopt the NIST Cyber Security Framework (NIST CSF) in May 2017. Version 1.1 of the framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure was released in April 2018.