What is a Technical Cybersecurity Control?

So, first things first. Let’s picture cybersecurity as a huge, protective bubble around our digital lives.

This bubble consists of various shields or “controls” that are actively working to fend off any cyber threats that come our way.

Among these shields, the technical control is like the sturdy outer layer, built with the latest tech, to ensure no hacker can just invade our private space.

If you’ve ever wondered about the mechanics behind the scenes that protect us when we shop online, send an email, or even just scroll through our favorite social media sites, that’s where technical controls shine. They’re all about using technology to directly manage and mitigate risks.

This means software, hardware, and all those nifty technical tools that work day and night, ensuring our digital world is safeguarded.

Let’s break this down with a simple analogy. Remember those movies where there’s a high-tech safe, and to crack it, a thief has to bypass lasers, fingerprint scanners, and maybe even some voice recognition system?

Each of those barriers is a technical control in action, but for our digital assets.

In our day-to-day digital experiences, technical controls are more common than we realize.

Ever noticed how some websites start with “https”? That “s” signifies a secure connection, thanks to SSL/TLS encryption – a technical control. Then, there’s multifactor authentication, where you have to provide two or more verification methods.

It could be something you know (like a password), something you have (like a mobile device to receive a code), or something you are (like your fingerprint). Firewalls? Anti-virus software? Yup, those are technical controls too!

But here’s a tiny hiccup.

Technical controls, as cool as they sound, aren’t invincible. Just like how, in movies, there’s always that one genius thief who manages to bypass all the high-tech security (all while looking incredibly dashing), in the real world, cybercriminals are continually finding ways to outsmart our tech.

And as our technology evolves, so do their tactics.

That’s why it’s not just about having these controls but also about continuously updating and tweaking them. Think of it like updating your phone’s software.

If you don’t, it becomes slower and more vulnerable over time. Similarly, our technical controls need constant fine-tuning to stay ahead in this cat-and-mouse game.

So, what’s the takeaway? While it might sound like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, technical cybersecurity controls are the unsung heroes in our daily digital dance. As we scroll, click, like, and share, these controls are tirelessly working in the background, ensuring our data stays just that – ours.