With election season fast approaching, the most nerve wracking decision for many individuals in the political sphere, aside from picking a candidate, is ensuring that the electoral cycle runs smoothly and securely. Guaranteeing a free and fair election is top priority, and in order to do so, it is necessary to ensure the security of voting systems and polls.

As cyber security takes its place as the industry to watch for the foreseeable future, discussion surrounding this sector has become a minefield of buzz words and infographics. One of its most talked about—yet least understood—concepts is.

Cybersecurity is without a doubt one of the hottest topics within the world today. It represents both an exciting new frontier and ominous new threat for companies and government entities across all industries, and is growing more and more important by the day. Unfortunately, as is often the case with new technologies and responsibilities, misinformation about cybersecurity runs rampant.Unfamiliarity with the nature of cyberthreats, lack of knowledge of its tools and best practices, and confusion about where management fits in terms of creating a solid infrastructure are all common pitfalls when seeking to create a solid security posture. Here are some common misconceptions and how you can help your company avoid the pitfalls of misinformation in the new age of cybersecurity.

Humans are often regarded as the weakest link in a security breach. According to a study from CompTIA conducted in 2015, which surveyed people from several organizations in the United States, human error represents 52 percent of the cause of security breaches.[1] Businesses spend large amounts of money annually on security solutions but fail to properly address the human element of information security. Human error, whether accidental or malicious, can cause serious security risks or breaches.

169 million records were compromised in the 781 recorded incidents in 2015.[1] That is more than the population of California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia and North Carolina combined. Numerous companies in a variety of industries were victimized. While the medical and healthcare industry accounted for a staggering two-thirds of all compromises, businesses such as small and large corporations and law firms, suffered the most breaches. So, what exactly happened in 2015? Here is the breakdown of just a few major breaches:

Visionary Steve Jobs once spoke of a dream in which data could be uploaded and accessed anywhere. Before there was the cloud, there were floppy disks, CD ROMs and very large immobile hardware. Fast forward to 2015 – now we are able to access and store information without physical limitations.

In 2015, the higher education industry experienced 165 security incidents.[1] This year, seven higher education institutions withstood malicious, large-scale data breaches.No higher education institution of any size or prestige is immune to security threats.[2] A compromised security infrastructure can cripple reputation and moreover, result in financial loss.

Most organizations are addressing the need for IT governance as an important matter. In a study conducted by Gartner in April 2015, 71 percent of respondents indicated that IT risk management data has influence at the board level. Alarmingly however, only 30 percent of respondents said business units are actively involved in developing security policies that will impact their businesses.

Remaining ahead of the curb is crucial in cybersecurity. Organizations that are vulnerable to cyber-attacks must ensure their lines of protection are not outdated – falling behind in this aspect results in a loss of ground to potential hackers. There are innumerable network solutions that are currently on the market that bolster network security and help drastically reduce the risk of an attack. But as the market grows, it makes choosing a plan of defense increasingly complex, let alone selecting appropriate solutions.