There's a New Superhero in Town: Cyber Avenger

What would the world be like without superheroes?
Superheroes make kids dream. Like any other kid, I dreamt of being one and saving the world from doom.

Yes, dream! Because superheroes fuel our fantasies. But what if they really did exist? And what if you could become one yourself?

Now get ready for this…I am about to unveil a new real-life superhero: Cyber Avenger.

Cyberuser, Cyberspace & Cyber Avenger 

Every time you use a computer and access the Internet, you turn into a Cyberuser. As a Cyberuser, you create, change and share loads of personal data in Cyberspace. 

Where or what is that? Cyberspace is the world you enter every time you are a Cyberuser. This is a world populated by good citizens like you but also by villains. Did you hear about the diabolical Dr. Malware and his ruthless passion for collecting sensitive data? Or how about the insidious Keylogger with a sneaky obsession for stealing passwords? Despite different interests, these villains share the same goal – to access your data and use it in nasty ways in Cyberspace. Precious things are at risk – your identity, your money, the safety of your family and friends… But fear not! Cyber Avenger is here to save us!

Who is this mysterious Cyber Avenger? This superhero of Cyberspace is driven by the honorable mission to keep our data from falling into wicked hands.

How does Cyber Avenger protect us? To save our data and privacy, Cyber Avenger uses three Cyberpowers:

#1 - The Cybershield

Cyberspace doesn’t have a natural defense system. Without protections, the villains can attack us any time they want. When activated, the Cybershield has the ability to block evil attacks and keep us safe.

#2 - The Cybercrypt language

While the Cybershield is an effective way to protect your data, some villains possess the power of mimicry. By pretending to act as good decent citizens, they can pass through the Cybershield. So for an added layer of protection, Cyber Avenger uses the Cybercrypt – a language that appears to be nonsense. How does it work? Easy. The nonsense becomes clear only with the right password! Otherwise, this is what the villains will see:

-----BEGIN ENCODED MESSAGE-----
Version: BCTextEncoder Utility v. 1.00.2

wy4ECQMCbHZe8m87oJFgbAH9jjCa9AhZ9h1gg4nONwcuzLjYeHHAA+uto+WaF9Z+
0qwBl0t6h8batQ468qzI/xh2V251zrneGWCrkA0cW9C7NlS+DnPkHB8gbBUeNn9I
4zq1T5Bej3ox7lxj2TZqvsAtaTdChUDgAernxKYcgJ2iN59IM/W7eYIFMpRNHt3A
2drU905CGs8LyHjkaxs6aMIIFKWg0Ev0JkfVoAOuFXXTv7v1VAQcucF3jl+HTj/p
JJeiMsPsZKAURPszmXTWvqjeRmNV40GKUoADHIZJ
-----END ENCODED MESSAGE-----

#3 - The Cybercleaner

When no longer needed, data is left behind and forgotten. By doing so, we often stop protecting it. Yet someone else – perhaps the villains – might want it. To keep Cyberspace clean, Cyber Avenger uses the Cybercleaner. By automatically catching and cleaning all that data remanence and residue, the villains are left empty-handed.

Are You the Next Cyber Avenger?

Unlike other superheroes, Cyber Avenger doesn’t need to be bitten by a spider or come from another planet. To fight the villains and help Cyberusers to live in a safer Cyberspace, Cyber Avenger uses a very common tool: a computer. Yes, just like the one you are using right now to read this blog.

With the right enthusiasm and determination, anyone can take up a career in Cybersecurity and become the next Cyber Avenger – man or woman. That’s right. Cyberspace is not only a man’s world and our fearless defender can be any gender. I have two small children, a son and a daughter, and I wish for both of them to dream freely of being superheroes in Cyberspace.

To help boost gender diversity in cybersecurity, Jetico is supporting events organized by Rails Girls – a nonprofit operation started in Finland aiming to open up technology and make it more approachable for girls and women all over the world.

Rails Girls is not alone. For example, Sit With Me is another nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase the meaningful participation of women and girls in computing, operating in the United States. To learn more, visit sitwithme.org.

This post originally appeared as part of a guest blog on StaySafeOnline.org, the website of the National Cyber Security Alliance, and is republished here with permission of NCSA.