In the 21st computers have become more publicly accessible than ever before. There are more computers in an average American household than many people even realize, these computers consist of more thought of machines like smartphones, but can also consist of unusual computers, like the washer and dryer machines. Because the world today has more technology involved, it has the potential to leave people vulnerable, and open to threats. That being said there is a way for people to protect themselves against this unseen threat. Cybersecurity has recently started to become popular and be seen as an important field even though in the past was passed over by the average American.
Cybersecurity on its own is an extremely broad term. Essentially Cybersecurity is the securement of computer systems and their networks. Generally, when people think of Cybersecurity they think of hackers. But hacking is just the tip of the iceberg. Along with hackers systems are kept safe from; malware, natural occurrences, bad codes. The most dangerous threat to systems being human error. It is important for people to know that the first major cyberattack that happened in the United States, was an accident. A worm created by a Professor at MIT, Robert Morris, went rogue and disrupted many computers, almost destroying the internet (FBI). It is in my opinion that one of the most important parts of Cybersecurity is also the most overlooked part of the field, which is the cyber-education aspect.
Originally I had no interest in Cybersecurity. I did not even know what it was. I wanted to go to college as a history major so I could breeze through and go to law school. I only switched majors because I received a scholarship for being a major in Cybersecurity, and that was only because I came from a small state with two major state schools. Now a year and a half into my major, I cannot wrap my head around the fact that introduction to Cybersecurity is not a mandatory class requirement for every student. I have learned about how to be safe on the internet and how to problem solve everyday technical issues. It has taught me to think outside of my normal realm of thought by being more logical, and technical. Through learning more about this topic I have been able to talk to an entire population of technical computer minds, with whom I have never been able to connect before. In fact, one of my specialties is being able to “translate”. What that means is being able to translate the technical language in a way that a non-technical person can understand. In the future, After graduating from Old Dominion I still would like to go to law school. However, I have changed my sights, in law school, I want to specialize in cyberlaw, so I could work as a Cyber Lawyer and help pioneer the field of cyberlaw.
A survey conducted in 2020, showed that an average American household has a minimum of ten internet-connected devices (Vailshery). And those are just the computers connected to the internet. Cybersecurity is so important because without having any knowledge about the threats anyone with a computer faces every day, they are not able to protect themselves from these threats. One of the big things that should be taught more to people, is about cyber-hygiene. This is important because it is how someone stays safe when dealing with a computer. These threats can consist anywhere from malware to phishing email. Luckily bigger corporate companies are starting to think more about Cybersecurity and how to protect themselves from threats. One of the ways that the companies are dealing with safety is by teaching their employees about the different types of threats that the employees may face. An average American can also take courses in Cybersecurity, where they are taught about the different cyber threats. These courses are important because if someone is made aware of a threat then there is a higher chance that the person can protect themselves against that threat.
The field of Cybersecurity is the way that someone can protect their network and devices from outside threats. It is not a very well known topic, but after majoring in Cybersecurity, and taking classes I have come to the conclusion that everyone should take cyber classes, and it should be a general education class to take an introduction to Cybersecurity class at Old Dominion University because it is important for people to learn about how to protect themselves from online threats. I am not alone in this belief either, large companies are starting to invest in Cybersecurity, and providing cyber-training to their employees. Cybersecurity is a field that is on the rise, although it has been overlooked by the general public.
Works Cited
“The Morris Worm.” FBI, FBI, 2 Nov. 2018,
Vailshery, Lionel Sujay. “Average Number of Connected Devices in U.S. 2020.” Statista, 22 Jan.
2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107206/average-number-of-connected-devices-us-house/.