Despite its name, the field of cybersecurity is not a recent invention that has only recently come into existence. There is a long history of cybersecurity, one that is still being written today. Our current data protection tools have their roots in ancient times and are still being developed to meet the threats and difficulties of the future. Let’s see the development of cybersecurity up to this point.
Basic Principles of Cybersecurity
We must first embrace the foundations of cybersecurity before making the journey through its history. The term “cyber” derives from “cybernetics,” a discipline that studies information flow, communication, and control systems. The terms “cybersecurity,” “malware,” “antivirus software,” and “encryption” are the ones we really need to define.
What is cybersecurity?
All aspects of computer security, internet security, and network safety fall under the umbrella of “cybersecurity.” Although the majority of cybersecurity threats concern internet-connected devices, offline systems and devices are also included in this field. People are safeguarded against threats posed by malicious online actors, and data and devices are safeguarded against unauthorised access.
Understanding cyberattacks, which this security is intended to defend against, is also necessary to define cybersecurity. The majority of cyberattacks involve either an attempt to disrupt normal network or connected device operations or an attempt to gain unauthorised access to specific networks or device components.
What is cybersecurity software?
Any software that shields us from threats and intrusions online is considered cybersecurity software. The most typical illustration of this is antivirus or anti-malware software.
Anti-malware software can significantly reduce online risks. They can scan our devices for harmful or unwanted documents, restrict our access to websites known to host malware and be driverless to carry out security procedures without human interference.
The basic system used by much of this software is a blocklist, a database that is usually stored in the cloud and contains lists of known threats. These could be questionable programme actions, questionable websites and file types, or even just specific ones. The software takes action to eliminate the threat when it finds something that matches an entry in its database.
A Brief History Of Cybersecurity
Let’s explore the development of cybersecurity over the years, from the invention of the internet to global cyberwars. Although cybersecurity is a fairly recent development that only began to take off in the second half of the 20th century, it has already undergone a number of versions to become the set of tools and techniques we are using now.
The Year Of The Cyber: The 1960s
Cybersecurity actually didn’t exist in the frame until the computer started getting connected and building networks. This began to take place in the 1950s when the first computer networks and modems were developed.
Though the internet as we know it today began to take shape in the 1960s, the shaping was taking place during that time period and is what we see today. The earliest electronic digital computer, known as the ABC, made its debut in 1942, and the first mechanical computer was developed in 1822.
Before the development of the first internet versions, the only way to hack a computer was to gain physical access to it. If someone had done so unlawfully, the offense they would have been committing was trespassing, not hacking or cyber espionage.
When the Internet Was Born!
In the late 1960s, the Pentagon’s Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA) created a system that enables computers to communicate with each other from a large distance. Previously, the majority of computers were only networked if they were in the same or a nearby area or location. Even the capability of exchanging data was limited, and ARPA wanted to transform that.
In 1969, a message from a computer at the University of California, Los Angeles, was sent across the state to a device at the Stanford Research Institute, thanks to ARPA’s new networking system, which is known as packet switching. Suddenly, a network of computers could send and receive data packets. The birth of cyberspace.
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In Part II of this blog, we will investigate the later periods of development and change that occurred in the evolution of cyber security. So, stay tuned with us for our upcoming blog.
