In an event that seemed almost like a work of fiction, major US information technology firm SolarWinds was the subject of a cyber-attack in 2020, which compromised the sensitive data of almost 18,000 of the firm’s clients. These clients include government agencies such as the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as non-government agencies like Microsoft, Cisco, and Intel. This attack proved the necessity for stronger data security policies and techniques.
There are, of course, best practices in protecting your personal data. With the digitization of most of our transactions, all of us are at risk for cyber-attacks such as phishing and hacking. Understanding the most significant trends when it comes to data security is a good start in mitigating these threats and keeping yourself safe.
Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Technology
Artificial intelligence has already become a staple term when discussing technology, particularly when it comes to information security. Capgemini Research Institute surveyed 850 executives of cybersecurity, IT information security, and IT operations firms across 10 countries and these experts agreed that strengthening cybersecurity defenses with AI is urgent for modern enterprises. Three out of four surveyed executives also say that AI helps their organizations in responding faster to breaches.
AI itself is rapidly evolving, leaving behind inefficient systems. According to TripleBlind, data privacy-enhancing solutions that take a long time to compute or those that require significant network resources may fall out of trend. This means that the cybersecurity solutions that will remain moving forward are better capable of detecting and combating threats.
IoT and 5G Vulnerability
The introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G wireless technology is completely transforming telecommunication networks. IoT With transfer speeds expected to hit 10 GB per second through 5G, the transfer of data through an IoT ecosystem is faster and more efficient. However, as IoT and 5G are relatively new forms of technology, they also pose significant risks. The National Security Agency states that since 5G technologies enable the potential for billions of connected devices, this introduces the opportunity for malicious actors to obtain unauthorized access to a 5G network. As such, manufacturers need to follow strict guidelines in developing 5G hardware to mitigate these risks.
The Cloud and Predictive Security
The emergence of cloud computing has significantly shifted the way companies store and manage their data. Given the benefits of moving to the cloud, including slashed IT costs, increased efficiency, and the potential for innovation, it is not surprising that traditional servers are set to decline to 32% of all enterprise applications by the end of this year, half of what it was in 2019. The rise of remote work during the pandemic has only accelerated this transition.
On the other hand, most cloud services that exist today do not offer security measures such as secure encryption and authentication. In some cases, user data can also be randomly shared with other cloud users. If cloud security is poorly configured, malicious actors can also bypass structures that protect sensitive information in the database. To mitigate these issues, cloud security is progressing to predictive and innovative security, which can identify threats before attackers even make their move.
With most of our transactions and business transactions being done online, understanding these data security trends is necessary. By being informed of these developments as well as their benefits and risks, you are also taking a significant step in keeping your data safe.
