Bedford Advanced Cybersecurity Development Center teaches computer security
In today’s digital world, threats come from all directions. Visiting forbidden websites, opening unknown emails along with just plain ignorance of computer security present problems safeguarding the private information of people and communities. Organizations like the Bedford Advanced Cybersecurity Development Center, which opened a few years ago in Bedford, MI., aim to educate the public on cybersecurity threats.
James Brunt, director of the Center, talked with The City Paper about the Center’s beginnings, what it’s doing to protect the public, and how people can protect themselves.
Public Security
The BACDC, operating since October of 2017, works to educate the public on various cybersecurity issues. Created by Bedford Township Supervisor Paul Pirrone, the center looks to train businesses on how to protect themselves while training students for cybersecurity jobs. When the center first opened, it became clear how important it was. “There is nothing simple about cybersecurity,” Brunt explained. Educating the public is job one for the Center, and since it opened, Brunt has seen “the absolute need for these public entities in the region”.
Important Information
As a service to the community, the BACDC highlighted some key terms citizens and business leaders need to know about cybersecurity:
Malware
The phrase “computer virus” has been used to define attacks on computers and networks. Actually, a virus is designed to replicate itself, while malware is any software created for the purpose of destroying or unfairly accessing networks and data.
Ransomware
Words ending in “ware” are all just subcategories of malware. Currently, one of the most popular of these is “ransomware,” which is malware that encrypts valuable data until a ransom is paid for its return.
Intrusion protection system(IPS)
IPSs are quickly becoming one of the top ways to safeguard your network from malware. IPSs sit inside of your company’s firewall and look for suspicious and malicious activity that can be halted before it can take advantage of a known vulnerability.
Social engineering
Experts agree that the majority of attacks require some form of what is called “social engineering” to be successful. Social engineering is the act of tricking people, rather than computers, into revealing sensitive or guarded information.
Phishing
Phishing is the act of creating an application or website that impersonates a trustworthy and often well-known business in an attempt to elicit confidential information.
Antivirus
Antivirus software is often mistakenly thought to be a way to comprehensively secure your computers and workstations. These applications are just one piece of the cybersecurity puzzle as they only scan the drives on which they are installed for signs of malware.
Zero-day attacks
Malware is most dangerous when it has been released but not yet discovered by cybersecurity experts. When cyberattackers release a piece of malware that has never been seen before, when that malware exploits holes of vulnerability in software, it is called a zero-day attack.
Patch
When software developers discover a security vulnerability in their programming, they usually release a small file to update and “patch” this gap. Patches are essential for keeping your network secure.
Redundant data
When antivirus software, patches, and intrusion detection fail to keep your information secure, duplicating your data offline and storing it somewhere other than your business’s workspace ensures that if there is a malware infection, you’re equipped with backups.
The Advanced Cybersecurity Development Center is located on the campus of Monroe County Community College, 7777 Lewis Ave. Temperance, MI
Visit their website at Area58.us
