Today's Edition
By Mohammed Hamad Al Kuwaiti *
Digital risks and threats surrounding us are increasing daily, directly proportional to the rapid digital and technological development. Technology, smart devices, and artificial intelligence tools are a double-edged sword; while used for benefit, they also carry risks. Just as technological progress increases the ease of life and improves how work is done, it also amplifies security and cyber threats in a digital era dominated by data, governed by privacy, and surrounded by risks, threats, and attacks from all sides.
In this era, digital security starts with the individual, through necessary awareness and diligence in closing security gaps that could lead to a breach of sensitive and important data, or could even be used to launch attacks against individuals, institutions, or even nations. Therefore, the digital accounts of individuals and institutions are among the most prominent potential points of breach that can be exploited to launch destructive cyber or fraudulent attacks.
This is especially true if the individual or institution fails to secure these accounts or neglects them for one reason or another, turning them into a serious security vulnerability. Previous cyber attacks have targeted several companies and institutions due to employees using weak and easily guessable passwords, which endangered the data of these entities. Attackers managed to access systems and reach sensitive information, highlighting the importance of using strong passwords and the need to secure digital accounts, adopting multi-factor authentication as an essential step for account protection.
Though Multi-factor authentication is one of the best methods for enhancing account security, it requires more than one verification method, such as combining a password with a code generated via an app, a security key, or a fingerprint. With the increase in threats, this technology has become more widespread; multi-factor authentication can be activated on any account containing private or financial data, including emails, social media platforms, and various digital accounts. Many platforms offer clear steps to activate this feature, making its adoption easy and accessible to everyone, ensuring data protection through simple and easy methods without the need for paid or complex applications or programmes.
Furthermore, to protect digital accounts amidst the complexity of attack methods and the use of AI, while acknowledging potential risks like losing the verification method, quickly contacting support remains a way to solve the problem and restore secure access to these accounts. Hence, adhering to basic practices remains essential, such as using strong and unique passwords, avoiding public wifi networks, updating systems, using a VPN, and backing up data. This helps prevent attackers from gaining unauthorised access, especially with the availability of various protection means for digital accounts in a large number of digital services today.
These guidelines are the first line of defence against increasing cyber threats, which users can follow to protect their accounts and digital data. This underscores the necessity of protecting email and various digital accounts, as breaching these accounts could grant attackers access to many personal accounts and increase the risks of identity theft. We should also emphasise the importance of installing the latest updates for systems and applications, as they contain essential security patches that prevent cyber attacks and maintain device integrity.
To ensure the strongest possible response against threats facing digital accounts, using a password manager is an effective option for creating and managing strong passwords easily without the need to memorise them all. Additionally, backing up important and sensitive data, such as photos and essential files, either on an external drive or via cloud storage, ensures they are not lost. The method of using three random words to create a hard-to-guess password is also recommended. All these methods can collectively serve as a lifeline for many individuals and companies in protecting their digital accounts from any potential or future digital threats.
* The writer is the head of cybersecurity for the UAE government
