EDITORIAL: Cybersecurity should be on your mind
Rutgers recently hired Guy J. Albertini as the chief information security officer (CISO), a position that is increasingly popular among companies and organizations. But what exactly is a CISO?
They are usually a “senior-level executive responsible for developing and implementing an information security program ... designed to protect enterprise communications, systems and assets,” according to SeachSecurity. In short, a CISO is responsible for keeping a company’s data secure.
While Rutgers has taken a step in the right direction to protect data related to the university, students themselves are still vulnerable to cyber attacks in their personal lives due to a lack of knowledge regarding online safety and security.
A recent Pew Research study has shown that laypeople (with no specialized or technical knowledge) have gaps in their understanding of cyber security. That is apparent when you look at how many people are the victims of online scams, identity theft and technological breaches.
In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported 4.8 million identity theft and fraud reports. “Consumers reported losing more than $3.3 billion related to fraud complaints, an increase of $1.5 billion from 2019,” according to the Insurance Information Institute.
While you may feel far removed from scams, hacks and other digital problems, chances are you will be the target of a scam at some point in your life. On average, there are two cyberattacks perpetrated every hour, a statistic that should motivate your to check your own online security as soon as possible.
Some are relatively harmless, like having your Spotify hacked and playlists messed up, but others are significantly more damaging, such as getting sensitive financial or medical information stolen and used to inflict harm or steal from you.
Romance scams are currently on the rise, as online dating becomes more and more prevalent. While sending money to strangers should be an obvious no-no, enough people have fallen prey to romance scams, costing people $304 million in 2020.
Making sure that your passwords are strong is just the tip of the iceberg. Students need a baseline understanding of how their data is viewed online and what risks putting information online comes with.
It is very easy to dismiss the need for cyber security on a personal scale, especially when you have never been the target of cybercrime, but it is important to remember that the risk is always there.
Of course, while consumers must be more responsible, companies are not faultless. In the past 20 years, countless company data breaches have left consumers vulnerable. A LinkedIn breach this past June impacted 700 million users. The chances that you, as a Rutgers student, were impacted are fairly high.
A patchwork of laws across all 50 states does little to protect consumers from these data breaches. Some states, like California, allow consumers to sue companies involved in data breaches, while others only require companies to notify affected customers.
New Jersey has a handful of cybersecurity bills waiting to move through the legislative process, many of which involve mandating cybersecurity training for state employees and companies, alike.
While there is not much Rutgers can do to change the behavior and cybersecurity practices of outside companies or move state legislation along, they can better prepare students for a risky digital world.
We are all required to take a combination of prerequisite courses, and while we certainly do not want this list of requirements to be any longer, each individual school might consider replacing one of their requirements with a digital literacy course.
Not only would a digital literacy course give students the tool kit to safeguard their personal information, but it would also create a strong resume point. Businesses often have to train employees on data safety, but hiring someone who is already trained is always preferred.
The point is students should be concerned about their own safety online and be prudent about how they share information online with others. While cybersecurity risks are constantly changing and evolving, we need to do our best to keep up, and Rutgers needs to help us in that effort.
The Daily Targum's editorials represent the views of the majority of the 153rd editorial board. Columns, cartoons and letters do not necessarily reflect the views of the Targum Publishing Company or its staff.
Gloss