Cybersecurity in 2021

As cybersecurity and technology have evolved, so have criminals and “malicious users” looking to exploit system weaknesses for personal gain or prove something.
The emerging theory of computer viruses was made in 1949 when computer science pioneer John Von Neumann speculated that computer programs could reproduce.
The first reference to malicious hacking was in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology student newspaper. Although by the 1960s, computers were large mainframes locked in costly and temperature-controlled secure rooms, access (even for programmers) was still limited. Still, some of the developers were forays into hacking. Who had access, students? The attacks had no commercial or geopolitical benefits. Most were curious cheaters or looking to improve existing systems by making them work faster or more efficiently.
In 1967, IBM invited students to test its new computer. After exploring the accessible parts of the system, students worked to dig deeper, learning the system’s language and gaining access to other parts of the system.
This was a valuable lesson for the company. They acknowledged their gratitude to “various students for their drive to bomb the system,” which aided in developing defensive measures and the defensive mindset that would be essential for developers. Ethical hacking is still practiced today.
Cybersecurity began in 1972 with a research project on ARPANET (Advanced Research Project Agency…