We live in an increasingly interconnected world. From personal banking to government institutions, the advent of Web 2.0 has accentuated networking. With its numerous benefits also comes the risk of unauthorized access to these networks.
Cyberattacks are growing in number each year and are causing damage to organizations and people worldwide. One has to guard against cyber attacks and respond to them by opting for strict cyber security measures.
In May 2017, the WannaCry ransomware infected about 300,000 computers in over 150 countries, making it the “largest cyber assault of its kind.” As cyber attacks proliferate in number and severity, there is a need for personal cyber security and privacy protection as well. Cyber security experts claim that the cost of cyber attacks is going to rise to $6 trillion annually by 2021.
The cost associated with these malicious attacks involves loss of personal and financial data, loss of productivity, damage to information, dysfunctional hardware and software systems, disruption to businesses, loss of intellectual property, stolen money among other losses.With the increasing number of cyber attacks, the growing severity of these attacks is also a matter of concern. Cyber security analysts at PwC claim that these attacks are becoming more and more damaging, targeting a broad range of information types using different attack vectors.
There have been several instances when leaders from the political sphere were attacked and had their data leaked online. In May this year, the Trump government issued an executive order, “Strengthening The Cyber Security of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure.” This aims at improving existing cyber security practices across the US federal networks.
While most companies acknowledge the worth of investing in cyber security infrastructure, some companies have to struggle with limited funding.Experts say that it is equally important for individuals to know how cyber harm inflicts on them. Cyber criminals find it easy to target people than corporations with high-technology security systems.
Software programs like an antivirus can only alert the user after a malicious attack compromises with their privacy. Hence the need to protect personal cyberspace is now becoming essential.
Into Personal Cyber Security-RUBICA
Rubica Inc. was born from Concentric Advisors, a team of consultants who provide physical and digital security to prominent people around the world. As requests for personal cyber security increased, Concentric hired experts who previously worked with top security organizations like NSA, Scotland Yard, and US Navy and developed algorithm-based tools to provide highly effective personalized solutions.
Rubica spun out of Concentric in 2016, as their cyber security division. As of today, they provide tools to “safeguard you, your family and your business in the digital world.” Their vision is to use “human-assisted machine learning technology” to a keep track of your online activity to protect you from cyber attacks.
They offers apps for mobiles, tablets, and computers which provide real-time analysis of user behavioral patterns. Analysts can monitor your data and identify possible threats according to your social activity.
Experts at Rubica believe that changing passwords and re-configuring WiFi routers provide moderate protection from criminals collecting your information and profiting from it. By using the app, which runs in the background, the ops team at Rubica can provide users personal cyber security.
The way Rubica works is to set a baseline for a user – that is the app sets what is “normal” for a user. If there are indicators of intrusion or anomalies, they are recorded and analyzed by human experts. These could be a sudden surge in usage at midnight or the user’s phone trying to connect to a bad IP address.
The user gets informed of these, and they can take necessary action. The app also allows users to see that it is running in the background and is being tracked by experts.
Its other features allow the users to get a peek into personal cyber security – see the number of events investigated, track how much data is analyzed and view activity across all devices connected to a Rubica account.
The customers at Rubica are the ones who feel that they are at higher risk than an average person. The need for personal cyber security is usually higher for individuals who make frequent financial transactions or have greater-than-average assets.
Hackers target these people for financial crimes. Rubica uses a Virtual non-public Network (VPN) to stay the user’s information entirely non-public once employing a shared network or a public wireless local area network. Rubica also masks user’s traffic data from being accessible to their network provider.
There is a growing need to educate organizations and people about the importance of securing their online activity. Rubica works with leading financial companies, investment firms, and insurance companies to provide them information and education on cyber security topics. Experts at Rubica also take part in partner events to promote and speak about online privacy and personal cyber security.
