What is Cybersecurity? Everyday threats explained simply.

Have you ever received a suspicious SMS link saying - "Click the link to win an iPhone." My friend received it and, she clicked on it. Hackers asked for an OTP, by evening she lost 2 lakhs from her account.
This is a cyberattack.
Cybersecurity is how we protect ourselves from such incidents.

What is cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is the practice which protects our devices, accounts from cyberattacks.

Take the analogy of locking the door. We lock to keep strangers out.
Similarly we use passwords to protect our bank account, clouds, emails from cyberattack.

Why does it matter?

Information is the biggest weapon.
If someone gets hold of our passwords, they can access our private photos, empty our bank accounts, misuse our credit card.
Data leaks affect millions of people worldwide with their information sold on dark web.
For example: In 2026, a dark web service named Nexus claimed to sell scans of 153 million license cards of USA/Canadian citizens. (Source: Krebs on Security / TechSpot).

Common threats and ways to avoid them

Let's look at some common threats and what can be done to avoid them.

Phishing

Sending fake messages or link to someone to extract personal information is the biggest cyberattack against general public. The SMS my friend received was a phishing attack.
How to avoid it :
Never open any unidentified SMS or email link and never share OTP with anyone.

Weak passwords

Nowadays while setting up passwords, we are required to use minimum length, number, symbols and letters.
The stronger the password the lower the chances of hacking. A weak password is short or easy to guess, like 123456
How to avoid it:
Make sure your password is strong, and never share your password with anyone.
Turn on 2FA whenever possible.

Public Wi-Fi

Imagine you go to Starbucks to get your favorite cappuccino, and connect open free public WiFi. Public WiFi is unsecure and hacker on same network can see what you are doing and can set up a fake hotspot .
How to avoid it:
Never use unauthorized public wifi.
Use mobile data or VPN instead.

What to do if you are hacked?

• Act quickly Change your passwords, log out of all the devices, block your sim card or credit/debit card.
• Report the incident In India call 1930, to report cyberattack crime at cybercrime.gov.in.
• Never pay a hacker Don't pay ransom to hacker, instead try to control the damage caused.

Conclusion

In future if technology exists so are malicious intents. Awareness and keeping updated with technology are the some of the ways to protect from cyber crimes. Do not click unknown links, use strong passwords with 2FA, and avoid public Wi-Fi for banking.