It has never been easier to become a victim of a carefully thought out phishing scam online. Of course, no one wants to face this kind of an experience because it brings along nothing but trouble.

Passwords and pins have become such an old-school feature. Who uses passwords anymore? It seems like everyone has switched to biometrics as the most popular feature of newer smartphone devices. Biometrics such as fingerprint ID, face recognition, and even eye scans are becoming more and more common, even on the lower budget smartphones.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's framework, better known as the NIST framework, is not in any way mandatory by law but it has become a necessity in cybersecurity. The number of cybersecurity risks is not expected to drop any time soon, which means businesses and organizations will have to continue their battle against cybercrime.

People all over the world use mobile devices on a daily basis. With the rapid advance in mobile technologies, smartphones have become an unavoidable component of our bags and pockets. In other words, we carry mobile devices everywhere and use them to complete a wide variety of actions from taking photos, making calls, and scrolling social media, to making bank transactions, and shopping online.

The NIST cybersecurity framework offers voluntary guidance about securing businesses and protecting their networks and data from cybersecurity threats. According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, 60% of small businesses close down only six months after a cybersecurity attack.

Millions of devices and security systems were compromised in 2018 because of a large number of data breaches across various different industries. Even though some of the world’s largest corporations, such as Facebook, suffered plenty of consequences, small businesses took the largest portion of the damage.

Cyber-attacks are not only way too common but also too difficult to shake off. The first step toward protecting your device from cyber-attacks is to take appropriate safety measures such as improving your passwords, installing a firewall, and scanning the device for viruses.

The year 2018 was not a very stable year when it came to cybersecurity. We saw many ups and downs, improvements and drawbacks, as well as many attacks that marked the year. There has been a lot of talk about cybersecurity in the past year, which is great because people are becoming more aware of its importance.

Complying to all the regulations of the NIST cybersecurity framework might sound too complex, especially if you don’t have a team of professionals standing by your side. Even though you are not legally required to comply to these regulations, it is highly recommended to do so for the sake of your company’s cybersecurity.

The number of cybersecurity threats and executed attacks is constantly growing and there’s not so much you can do to prevent your business or personal devices from becoming another target. However, it is possible to reduce the risk and exposure towards cybercrime by implementing the core NIST functions in both business and personal life.