by Scott M. Lewis
The technology landscape around how to develop and manage an IT security methodology is continuously changing. New threats emerge daily, and the business of hacking and black-market data is continually growing. You need a strategy to secure your business and to keep an eye on new emerging threats.
According to ZDNet, there were over 4,000 websites that were Cryptojacked, including the UK Government, the United States Government, and the Australian Services, all due to a vulnerable third-party plugin. Under Armor’s mobile app was hacked resulting in the compromise of 150 million accounts, including email addresses and usernames, but no financial data was compromised. Teensafes mobile app was compromised leaking parents’ email addresses, child Apple IDs, device names and device identifiers. According to Cybersecurity Magazine, in the first six months of 2019, there was a 52% increase in data breaches across just about every business sector.
What is going to be some of the contributors to new and emerging technology threats? Starting with 5G technology, the high availability of bandwidth and the increase in the use of mobile devices and mobile apps will allow for an increase in the number of attacks, creating more powerful and damaging attacks. 5G technologies will create a shift in the software market, and business processes and interactions will become increasingly software-dependent. As this occurs, the vulnerabilities that are inherent to software will force us to rethink our security processes. Another contributing factor is going to be the use of Artificial Intelligence or machine learning; both of these are poised to make huge advances in 2020; however, that will come in many small steps which could result in security vulnerabilities.
Cloud jacking is considered an emerging threat primarily due to the consumer assumption that by moving to the cloud, it is more secure than having in-house systems. However, this is a misconception because the cloud is a placeholder for the data, which doesn’t mean secure. There are a lot of advantages to the cloud if you keep your expectations and responsibilities in check with the service that you are purchasing. Part of those responsibilities is to ensure that you have a backup of your data or that the vendor of choice is backing up your data. Don’t assume that it is automatically part of the service you have purchased. Cloud jacking is very similar to other crypto crimes, and are executed in the same manner. One methodology would be getting help from users, execute a virus or malware which allows a pathway to cloud-based data. Compromising websites is an example that can be used for brute force attacks or use scripting to exploit vulnerabilities in the underlying code. In most cases, cloud providers will spend more on security than most companies are willing to, but I recommend that you reinforce security with good employee training and building a culture of security awareness.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of interconnected items or devices that are all interconnected through the Internet which collect and exchange data. Some easy examples would be Alexa, Google Home devices, your new internet-based refrigerator, smart lights in your home, to name a few. These devices are finding their way into the business arena and will create a whole security problem for corporations. As the Internet of Things expands and finds its way into the corporate world, because the company is taking advantage of IoT or because employees are taking advantage of its convenience, you must start thinking about security. According to Norton here are a few things to consider when building a culture of security.
- Make sure that you have anti-virus and ransom protection on your smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
- Make sure that privacy settings are on, and up to the highest levels. These devices collect a lot of personal data; need to be aware of what they are collecting and where it is stored.
- Be aware of the App you load on your phone, know what it is going to access and why and what it is going to do with the data.
- Utilize a VPN to help secure the transmission of the data over the Internet
- Never leave a Smartphone or mobile device unattended in a public place and do not connect to public WIFI; use your cellular connection instead.
- Turn off WIFI when in public and don’t allow for connections to your smart devices.
Scott Lewis is the President and CEO of Winning Technologies Group of Companies, which includes Liberty One Software. Scott has more than 36 years of experience in the technology industry and is a nationally recognized speaker and author on technology subjects. Scott has worked with hundreds of large and small businesses to empower them to use technology to improve work processes, increase productivity, and reduce costs. Scott has designed thousands of systems for large, medium, and small companies, and Winning Technologies’ goal is to work with companies on the selection, implementation, management, and support of technology resources. Learn more about Winning Technologies at www.winningtech.com or call 877-379-8279.
Submitted 4 years 20 days ago