Your Guide to Knowing Everything About Cyber Literacy

Posted on: Dec 23, 2022 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

Your Guide to Knowing Everything About Cyber Literacy

For large corporates or any company today, cyber insurance has become mandatory. But the usage of the internet in everyday life for a common man is also a lot. When we talk of cyber insurance in India, the first thought that comes to mind is the potential attacks that a company can face. But what about individuals?

It is tough to imagine a world without cyberspace. Everything we do today is one way or the other, makes us a part of this world. Back in the day, it was important to be literate, which meant that you had basic reading and writing skills. The need of the hour now is to be digitally literate. The term cyber literacy means more than knowing the basics of cyberspace. The term is a very simple language that means to ensure the effective use of technology and also to understand the implications of this usage. It is essential to know everything about cyber literacy to understand your position. Also, with constant use of the internet, the risks are increasing, and understanding the clear position becomes a life skill.

In this post, we will discuss what exactly is meant by cyber literacy and why is it so important.

What is cyber literacy?

In simple words, cyber literacy is a skill that enables the internet user to use computers and technology in an effective and efficient manner and also understand how this will help and impact them and others. The usage of accurate and reliable sources is the utmost important thing for anyone in cyberspace today. Acyber security policy will cover the financial losses that can occur due to a cyber-attack but what is more important and essential is for everyone to know how to use this space in a proper manner.

Cyber literacy is not just understanding technology and knowing how to use it. It is also being responsible for your actions in the space. For a clearer understanding, let us discuss some examples of cyber literacy:

● Following safe practices against phishing scams and viruses

● Ability to judge if the website is legitimate

● Filtering the appropriate information that can be put on social networking sites

● The consciousness of all activities online

● Understanding the consequences of the usage of online time.

Why is cyber literacy so important?

We have understood what cyber literacy is. In the present times, when the world is functioning on computers and the internet, it is not very difficult to understand its importance. Let us still understand in detail why cyber literacy is important in today’s day and age:

1. Self Enhancement:

There is hardly any field today which works without the usage of computers. It is beneficial to understand the hardware of the computer systems, the programs and applications, and the operating systems. This only helps us work and find the information needed faster, but also helps to stay away from fraud and phishing. A cyber insurance policy takes care of the after-effects for companies, but an individual should be well aware and stay safe from such scams.

2. Change cyber security habits:

If you know anyone who knows about cyber security policy, you will know the number of cyber breaches and data loss. We all read about it in the papers as well, but the issue is how many of us work to create safe passwords and work on our internet usage habits to ensure we are safe. The reason can be laziness, misunderstanding, or just denial. But the end result is that our systems and our data are in danger. Hackers are always looking for such people as they are easy targets. Understanding the nuances and details of this security is important and this is what makes cyber literacy important.

3. Functional skills:

At the end of the day, cyberspace is technology driven. Understanding how it works and its systems are important for critical thinking in the world today. Finding ways and means of staying secure and increasing your knowledge, and enhancing your skills all contribute to the improvement and lead to the enhancement of functional skills.

4. Communication and etiquette:

Many people think that they work in the online space, and thus, communication skills are not needed. This is absolutely wrong as there is an etiquette to work on the internet space as well, and communication forms a large part of it. It is possible that physical interaction is limited, but there is certainly a way in which one needs to conduct themselves. Also, this affects the way you are on social media and your interaction with others.

5. Finding information:

Today there is hardly any information that is not available online. It is the profession of content creators and bloggers, and writers to ensure that all information is available in the right way. But with so many websites and blogs, it is tough to find the correct information. Cyber literacy also means being able to find the right information at the right time. You need to be careful of websites and frauds also, and thus, you need to know about cyber insurance as well. All of this implies that cyber literacy is extremely important.

6. Understanding the digital culture:

When we talk of cyber insurance in India, we only think of how to stay safe from a data breach. But at the same time, we need to understand that there is a culture in cyber security space and, thus, in cyber literacy as well. The beliefs, knowledge, perceptions, assumptions, attitudes, values, and norms of people all form a part of it and must be learned. These skills are essential in today’s time and age, and this makes cyber literacy very important.

Conclusion

For future generations, it is imperative to understand the opportunities and threats and also the cyber terms to thrive in the extremely competitive world. We are in apposition that our assets will also become digital. It is important to understand the issues in cyberspace today and be well-prepared to handle them. Having cyber insuranceis important but what must not be forgotten is that you need to keep yourself and your information safe in space today. This implies personal information and also that of the company you are working in. Cyber literacy is a much-needed skill in today’s world. Understanding it and its importance and working towards it all form a part of it and at no point should be underestimated.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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