Cybersecurity: basic principles and practical advices

What is cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity involves protecting systems, devices, networks and data from digital attacks. These attacks can take many forms, most commonly phishing (a type of fraud used to obtain sensitive data via electronic communication), malware (malicious software) and ransomware (ransom software).

The goal of cybersecurity is to ensure:

• Confidentiality: Sensitive information is only accessible to authorised persons.

• Integrity: Data is protected from unauthorised modification.

• Availability: Systems and data are available when needed.

Why is cybersecurity important?

Cyberattacks can have serious consequences, including financial losses, reputational damage or loss of sensitive data. Companies must protect their systems and data to avoid these risks and ensure business continuity. From a private perspective, this concerns guaranteeing the protection of funds, identity or personal data.

Practical tips for ensuring cyber security

Be careful when:

• Processing emails: Do not open attachments or links from unknown senders. Be careful when using so-called URL shorteners, as the real destination of the link cannot be identified from the link. This is popularly used by attackers. To verify these links, you can use, for example, the service https://2ip.io/url-expander/.

• Working on the Internet: Verify the correctness of the domain you are on (especially when entering access or payment details)!

• Selecting and installing applications/add-ons.

Be careful of fraudulent communication when the attacker tries to impersonate another person. This can be phone calls, text and voice messages on various platforms (e.g. SMS, social networks, communication applications such as WhatsApp, advertising services).

Use strong and unique passwords, ideally using a password management application.

Secure your private digital identity with multi-factor authentication.

Regularly back up important data so you can restore it in the event of an attack.

Regularly update operating systems and applications to protect against known vulnerabilities.

Install and regularly update antivirus software to protect your system from malware.

Cybersecurity is essential to protecting our digital lives. By following basic principles and practical tips, we can minimise risks and ensure the security of our systems and data.

The author of the article is Jan Hladík, IS/ICT Security Manager, PREGIS, a.s.

Published 21 January 2026