The cybersecurity industry is significantly expanding due to the number of cyber attacks that occur each and every day. Every 39 seconds there is a hacker attacking one in three Americans according to cybintsolutions.com. Cyber attacks come in different forms such as emails, files, links, and downloaded malware. The majority of the world is connected digitally of what is known to be the “Internet of Things”. Everyday technologies such as camera, cell-phones, laptops, automobiles, and drones are included in this vast area. Security matters because there needs to be security for people’s personal data and information they use. Without security, nobody will be protected who are connected to the Internet of Things.

In addition, other technologies that are critical to our existence are satellites, power grids, military weaponry, banking systems, and transportation systems. All of these things are a part of SCADA. SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. This infrastructure is valuable to our country because it controls the way we live and how we are protected as a whole. Security plays a huge role in this because our nation cannot afford for an attacker to compromise our power grid or military weapons. In 2014 China was capable of taking down the United States’ power grid. Their technology and intelligence at that time were more advanced than the United States. If this occurrence were to happen, millions of Americans will have no access to electricity. This goes to show that security is a huge factor all around.

The development of technology in this era is extremely complex. Currently, there are over nine billion devices connected to the Internet. This number exceeds the number of people we have on Earth. Security and privacy safeguards for these devices have to be protected. With billions and billions of data on the Internet, an individual is vulnerable to be attacked because not every single device is guaranteed maximum protection.

One of the biggest concerns is privacy, and how far can one go without disturbing their privacy. People complain when they are patted down in airports, when cameras are in areas that should not be in, or when they have to set up a dual protection layer for their social media accounts. Sometimes it may seem overwhelming, but these individuals do not know what’s at stake. Attackers are finding more complex and creative ways to attack individuals or organizations, so these protocols have to be in place. No one is safe and your personal information could be compromised if not careful or acting seamlessly on critical issues. Recognizing the value of the security has to be made known.

An interesting fact about security is that it is the most expensive attribute need to protect a business. The most targeted industries consist of the government, retail, and technology. According to nist.gov the average cost of a data breach in 2020 will approximately be 150 million dollars. The average cost year to date is roughly 55 million. This is a huge jump, and it illustrates just how complex and advanced technology is going to get in the near future. As data becomes more easily accessible through the Internet, security will have to also find better ways to protect businesses and individuals.

I chose this article because privacy matters and is the main concern for everyone. This topic and is relevant because a significant amount of cyber attacks happens every minute of the day. In the near future Internet traffic is going to be 100% encrypted. With full encryption implemented, it will be harder to identify cyber attacks. This dilemma will allow hackers to compromise data in a more intelligent and slicker way. Technology will only progress, and in synchronization, security has to follow.