Computers and Cybersecurity

Computers in Cybersecurity

Computers play a critical role in cybersecurity. Cyberattacks are becoming more prominent as computers continue gaining popularity (Zeng et al., 2024). Gaining control over computers and networks is the primary goal of threat actors in cybersecurity (TestOut, 2024). Computers store valuable information, such as financial and medical records. Threat actors can steal your secrets and do whatever they want if they enter your computer. Cybercriminals send fraudulent emails that lead users to replicated websites (phishing) and other forms of social engineering to steal your personal information (TestOut, 2024). Cybersecurity analysts defend people and networks against threat actors. They use computers daily to review emails and monitor security alerts (Struggle Security, 2023). They also use computers to access the internet and learn about the updates in cybersecurity and technology (Struggle Security, 2023). Staying up to date keeps security analysts in the loop with the most significant trends in cybersecurity. Without computers, security analyst could not do their jobs.

Computer Literacy

Computer literacy is vital in cybersecurity because people rely on experts to educate and assist them with computer-related security concerns. Penetration testers find weaknesses within a network or device, security analysts defend them, and engineers invent new defenses (TestOut, 2024). Each role requires different technological expertise, and experts must stay current in their fields. According to Struggle City (2024), the infosec pages on Twitter are a very popular sources for staying up to date in cybersecurity. Check them out after you finish reading this post. There, people can find the latest news in tech, good and bad. People who work in cybersecurity are also responsible for educating the people they work with (Struggle City, 2024). Many cyberattacks are preventable if you know what to look for (TestOut, 2024). Therefore, experts share their knowledge with others. Computer literacy makes their jobs easier and digital environments safer.

Technological Advancements

Advancements in technology will help cybersecurity experts defend people against the escalating wave of cyber threats. According to Zeng et al. (2024), by 2030, there will be over 29 billion IoT devices on the planet. Many devices will be a part of smart city networks, managing city power grids and traffic (Zeng et al., 2024). Imagine if a device controlling traffic or energy flow fell into the wrong hands. It could cause a lot of damage! Security analysts will need the help of AI to monitor these city networks (Zeng et al., 2024). AI can quickly analyze a tremendous amount of information, find hidden dangers, and spot unusual attack patterns, helping identify potential cyber breaches (Zeng et al., 2024). By using AI, security analysts can fix problems on city networks and keep them running smoothly.

However, AI and data centers consume substantial amounts of energy. Popular chatbots like ChatGPT consume as much energy as a single phone charge to make one decision (CNBC, 2024). By 2030, the power consumption of data centers driven by artificial intelligence is projected to equal current cloud power consumption rates, accounting for approximately 16% of the nation’s total power consumption (CNBC, 2024). In this case, I don’t see the idea of smart cities gaining popularity with the people because the networks might consume more power than they manage. AI needs to reduce its own footprint before attempting to manage ours.

Controversially, I have hope. Moore’s Law predicts that the number of transistors people can fit on a microchip doubles every two years (Griffin, 2025). The Law is famous for its accuracy (Griffin, 2025). Yet, the CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, claims his company is on track to outpace the Law with AI (Griffin, 2025). Nvidia designs GPUs that process video output and train artificial intelligence models (TestOut, 2024). Nvidia has already developed a superchip for data centers that helps AI make decisions 30x faster (Griffin, 2025). Huang believes his company can boast the processing power of AI and continue to drive down its decision-making cost. If Nvidia’s GPUs outpace Moore’s Law, there will be a point when the data centers consume less energy and become more efficient. Then, the idea of smart cities might sound more appealing to the people. In that case, the need for cybersecurity experts will increase dramatically.

 

Jensen Huang

References

CNBC. (2024). How the massive power draw of generative AI is overtaxing our grid. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJQIQJYxey4&t=127s

Griffin, M. (2025). Nvidia says their new AI chips are beating Moore's Law. Industrial Revolution. https://www.fanaticalfuturist.com/2025/01/nvidia-ceo-says-their-new-ai-chips-are-beating-moores-law/#:~:text=However%2C%20despite%20all%20these%20doom,drove%20computing%20progress%20for%20decades.

Security, S. (2023). What is a cyber security analyst? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVnvIBNiC58&t=21s

TestOut Corp. (2024). CertMaster Learn Tech+. http://www.testout.com

Zeng, H., Yunis, M., Khalil, A., & Mirza, N. (2024). Toward a conceptual framework for AI-driven anomaly detection in smart city networks for enhanced cybersecurity. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 9(4), p. 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2024.10060