Before the internet, ARPANET was created in the late 1960s. It was a computer network developed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), a branch of the U.S. Defense Department. Though it may not have been as sophisticated as the internet we observe today, it still possessed numerous similar qualities, one of which being that it was hackable. In 1971, Bob Thomas, BBN Technologies computer scientist, created a program called “Creeper” to leave trails as the tool scoured across ARPANET to identify vulnerable areas. As a result, In 1972, Ray Tomlinson, another computer scientist at BBN Technologies and the creator of email, created the opposite, “Reaper” to hunt down and delete the Creeper. The Reaper was the first cybersecurity tool used for securing information on the web. This tool laid out the framework for an industry that is predicted to be worth $345.4 billion by 2026.

Cybersecurity is often thought of as software used for guarding personal information stored in databases and websites. This is true, as famous cybersecurity companies such as McAfee, CrowdStrike, and Deepwatch have aided computer users for many years. However, this same software can be used for creating the computer virus in the first place. In modern society, the whole world is online, posting pictures, gossip, and numerous other forms of media. The internet being a norm now has made it easier for hackers to exploit social media to steal personal information.

Well, what about the cybersecurity programs? Can they not evolve to prevent these viruses? This is completely true, but what is to say that viruses cannot also become more advanced?

Much like biological viruses adapting to vaccines, computer viruses evolve to counter advancements in malware protection. Some viruses may be created using artificial intelligence, allowing them to naturally learn the virus-prevention software’s boundaries and automatically develop into a stronger virus that can be undetected. Two specific types of advanced computer viruses that are much more difficult to spot are denial of service (DoS) attacks and man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. DoS attacks are a barrage of hits on a network/machine resource that overwhelms the resource and makes it unavailable to users. MitM attacks are those that intercept and alter forms of communication between two parties, which typically occur on public Wi-Fi networks.

Virus creators can also utilize the same software from cybersecurity programs to create “Trojans.” Trojans are what seem to be authentic software to the human eye. However, after entering the application, the user would have harmful viruses downloaded that steal accounts or damage the whole system.

However, cybersecurity can help prevent these viruses, as well as safeguard privacy. To prove this, we need to further delve into the social media world. Though the aforementioned statement of social media accounts being victims of cybercrime is true, there is another side to the story. Cybersecurity can support these social media users as well. Added locks can be embedded into the application as an outer wall of defense that also does not impair the user interface (UI) for other legitimate viewers. Now, individuals committing cybercrime have to brainstorm new ideas that are more difficult and less likely to be attempted. This scenario has saved countless accounts on social media apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Before focusing on cybersecurity, the personal accounts of millions of people on these applications were easy prey to cybercrime and hacking.

Overall, the cybersecurity industry is known for its ups and downs. The true irony is that our devices would not be protected without security programs, but the reason we need to safeguard our devices in the first place is because of programs that are developed based on these security technologies. Only time will tell whether cybersecurity will have enough power to permanently stop its negative counterpart from affecting any more users.

Information retrieved from World Economic Forum, NBC News, Cyber Magazine, ThrottleNet, and Built In