COLORADO SPRINGS — As our lives become more intertwined with technology, from smartphones and laptops to connected cars and even refrigerators, maintaining cybersecurity has never been more important.
With constant online activity, it's crucial to understand who might have access to your conversations, internet searches, and personal data, and how to protect it.
The landscape of cybersecurity is constantly evolving. According to the Colorado Springs Business Journal, the local cybersecurity industry is anticipating a 15 percent growth over the next few years.
Michael Skiba, a cybersecurity expert known as "Dr. Fraud," says breaches are all too common and can happen in even the most casual settings.
"So I think to a savvy criminal and we see these breaches all the time, you know, in those public areas, I would say be very cautious, you know, always watch if you're in a coffee shop doing some work, watch your laptop, you know whose whose shoulder gate. Thing because it's it's a real big phenomenon where someone with just, you know, a keen eye and even a recording device can can look at your keystrokes when you're typing in your password and look and see where you're logging into and things like this are very important," he said.
Skiba says that even small adjustments can significantly improve your online security. He recommends tightening the security settings on your devices, utilizing biometric screening, and regularly changing your passwords—ideally every 30 days. Additionally, enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) and ensuring your internet service provider (ISP) is using strong security protocols can all help make it more difficult for criminals to access your accounts.
"It’s about making things as difficult as possible for the bad guys," says Skiba. "Every little security step helps."
The growing demand for cybersecurity experts is shown in the industry's projected growth. With the rise of cyber threats, there’s an increasing need for skilled professionals.
To meet this demand, Colorado State University Global offers online courses where students can earn an undergraduate certificate [csuglobal.edu], graduate certificate [csuglobal.edu] and/or a bachelor's degree [csuglobal.edu] in cybersecurity.
Winter alerts go into effect Friday as snow is on the way
Southern Colorado will see winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings in effect on Friday and expire on Saturday.
