10 Myths in Cybersecurity – Cybersecurity Month Edition

Cybersecurity has emerged as the business imperative in the modern digital world. Regardless of their business nature, size, and industry, global organizations have started investing heavily in cyber defense and training. However, despite the growing emphasis on securing business, several myths and misconceptions about cybersecurity prevent companies from building a robust cybersecurity posture.

This blog will address very common cybersecurity myths and the facts behind them.

1. Cybercriminals don't target small or medium sized businesses.

According to Forbes, only 14% of small businesses are ready to defend themselves against targeted attacks. Due to their lack of resources to equip themselves and their greater exposure to malware, the risk of breaches faced by small and medium businesses is much higher than you can imagine.

2. Anti-cheat affects game performance and causes PC crashes.

No, it doesn’t. We’ve completed millions of gameplay hours under a profile to verify whether the anti-cheat driver has any performance impact. Unlike existing anti-cheats that hook the filesystem, callbacks from the operating system, etc., Denuvo Anti-Cheat does none of this. We struggle even to detect our performance footprint under performance profiles, let alone cause an effect that the average user can perceive as gameplay impact.

3. Healthcare organizations can’t patch or update a device for cybersecurity reasons.

Although the FDA prefers a collaborative approach to device updates, organizations can issue a patch or update with the understanding that they assume the risk associated with that update. Most organizations, for example, are comfortable initiating a simple Window patch update on their own, while other updates are carry greater risks.

4. "Our company unlikely to experience a security breach".

Many organizations assume that they are unlikely to experience a security breach because of the industry they’re in. Studies show that the favorite targets for cybercriminals over the past seven years have been healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, government, transportation, retail, energy & utilities, media & entertainment, legal and education. That's basically everyone.

5. "We've never experienced a cyberattack, so our security posture must be strong enough".

Cyberthreats are continually growing in sophistication and complexity and organizations need to strive continuously to stay ahead. Your aim isn't to achieve almost "perfect" security but rather to have a strategic security posture that addresses the primary failure points and then helps you react quickly.

6. Medical devices can’t cause an electronic health record (EHR) security breach.

When considering how to increase data security, medical devices are often ignored. This is because devices don’t typically store protected health information. They are, however, connected to the Internet and could therefore link hackers to other areas of the network.

7. "Our passwords are strong enough to avoid a data breach".

A strong password practice is only the start. A robust security system comes with a multi-layered defense. At a minimum, organizations must employ two-factor authentication and data access monitoring.

8. "Security is the responsibility of the IT department".

Nothing is sweeping in saying that one employee can jeopardize an entire company. Real cybersecurity preparedness is the responsibility of every employee.

9. EV chargers cannot be hacked.

Just as more electric vehicle charging stations are popping up on streets worldwide, so too is there a growing need to keep these charging stations safe and secure. Just like any internet connected device, charging stations are susceptible to cyberattacks; however, with the right technology in place, smart charger owners can mitigate such risks and ensure their networks are operating efficiently and safely.

10. Anti-cheat turns on automatically even if you are playing in single-player mode.

Game developers have the option to skip anti-cheat installation for gamers looking to experience single player or non-competitive multiplayer content. Even if Denuvo Anti-Cheat is installed, it only runs when game developers want it.