Building a cyber fortress

Tech experts say the best way to protect against cyberattacks is with layers of defense, including training employees

By Andrew Weeks

When it comes to cybersecurity, think of it like a castle.

“You have the castle and you have the drive, you have the high walls, you have the guard towers, you have the drop gates, you have the moat,” said one cybersecurity expert. “You have the clearfield, and then you have the woods – all of those different layers help protect the internals.”

Good advice from Eric Wilkens, director of cybersecurity at Arvig, headquartered in Perham, Minnesota.

Wilkens, who was named to his current role in summer 2021, said cybercriminals are always vigilant in their nefarious efforts and, as such, companies and individuals must also be vigilant, constantly on guard to protect their networks and information.

In this case, the old maxim holds true: the best defense is offense.

An uptick in attacks

Cyberattacks have been around as long as the internet, but shady characters always try to find new ways to wreak their havoc – or use old means in new ways. Of the latter, for instance, they are always scheming with additional ways to lure victims to their phishing attacks –deceiving emails that, if opened, may infiltrate a network and grab personal and company information.

Malware and ransomware also are serious threats to companies and individuals – the latter which lock computers, allowing criminals to steal proprietary information and hold it ransom until their demands are met, usually in large sums of money.