What is cyber security and safety? The things you need to know

Cyber security has been around for quite a while now. For consumers, it used to be mainly focused around having anti-virus software to stop pesky viruses from infecting your computer, but as we live more and more of our lives online and on our mobiles, it’s become a more complex topic to deal with. 

Luckily, complex doesn’t have to mean difficult. We’ll help you on the way to understanding the current cyber space a bit better by explaining a few common terms, how they could affect you and how you can improve your online safety. 

We’ll start with the following question:

Cyber security is all about protecting data, devices and systems through the use of tools like anti-virus software, firewalls, password managers, two-step verification and more. These tools can defend against certain cyber security concerns such as malicious websites containing viruses and other malware and phishing scams in your email and SMS messages that can lead to identity theft and financial fraud. 

Cyber safety is all about protecting yourself from online harm and unwelcome or inappropriate content and behaviour. Cyber safety concerns include cyber bullying, cyber or image-based abuse, illegal or restricted online content, or anything that feels threatening to you, your kids or anyone else. While there are some tools that can help you reduce exposure to these concerns, like parental controls or family filters, it’s important to know how to recognise unwelcome content and activity so you can protect yourself and others against it, and even report it to official government bodies like the eSafety Commissioner.

At Telstra, we talk more about staying safe online or protecting yourself online, which encompasses both cyber security and safety, because both are closely linked and you’ll need to consider both to enjoy safer online experiences.

A cyber threat is anything that could put your personal details or your online safety at risk. Here are some of the more common cyber threats.

Phishing is the name given to scam emails, calls or messages that persuade you to provide personal or sensitive information, like a username, password or bank details. Some emails or messages can also try to get you to click on a link to a malicious website or open an attachment that could harm your computer. 

These often come from someone pretending to be from a large organisation or brand that you might trust.

Malware is a general term for malicious software that hackers use to get unauthorised access to your computer and steal personal details or sensitive information. 

Malware can be delivered in various ways, like malicious ads or popups on dodgy websites or downloading files from unknown or untrustworthy sources. They can also come to you in phishing emails or messages that contain an attachment or a link to a malicious website that activates malware when you open the attachment or click on the link. 

Viruses and ransomware are types of malware. 

When any unauthorised person has access to your personal information, they can use it to create fake identity documents or apply for real ones, or they may take loans out or make expensive purchases online in your name. 

While identity theft is often considered to be a hacker’s activity, it’s important to note that lots of identity theft activities can be traced much closer to home. For example, it could be a former partner making purchases in your name because they have access to one of your accounts or your personal information. This is not to say you should start distrusting everyone, but it’s always good to be cautious when sharing details and when you part ways with someone, make sure they don’t still have access to any of your accounts.