The resolve of cyber criminals seems to be strengthened with every improvement made in technology. The honor is on security providers to stay ahead of them in order to able to give proactive rather than reactive responses to the same. Such efforts have to be tailored in line with the below trends.
Large Data Management
The increased amount of data being handled by companies could jeopardize the integrity of such data, especially bearing in mind factors such as human error in processing this data. Wrong analysis of such data can easily lead to making of bad decisions that will cost the company money. The risk might not necessarily mean the theft of data but that of employees manipulating the data with sinister intentions without the employer suspecting a thing.
The Internet of Things (IoT)
The greatest impediments to capitalizing on the benefits of IoT are security concerns. With close to 7 billion connected devices by the end of 2016, it will not only provide business to providers of cyber security but will also pause immense challenges. It is the prerogative of security providers to anticipate the numerous vulnerabilities that IoT will bring and develop ways of mitigating them.
Responsible Disclosure
It is a debate that has pervaded the discourse in the circles of providers of data security for quite a while. It has become common practice for security researchers to be hired by companies to reveal security flaws in systems. This at the heart of the proactive approach mentioned previously. It is however not uncommon for companies to bury their heads in the sand, failing to disclose the flaws uncovered by search research. The expectation the security researchers should commit to solving such flaws and that the companies should be honest enough to admit such flaws exist.
Creating Awareness
Success in the war on cyber crime especially in companies has yielded fruit due to sensitizing employees on the same and providing the requisite training. This approach is fast being expanded to cover even the consumer. It involves imparting knowledge that consumers need to protect themselves from cyber criminals marauding on-line.
It is important to note that unlike in the past where cyber attacks have been restricted to individuals – identities being stolen etc, cyber criminals of late have changed tact and are going after large groups of people. This underscores the need for public awareness both for individuals and groups of people.
Mergers and Consolidation of Security Providers
It is in essence the merging of forces to strengthen them against one common enemy. The acquisitions of Lancope a security company by Cisco or EMC by Dell are pointers to this trend of joining forces. This allows provision of all the services of a company under one roof. It enhances the service delivery to the consumer will allowing the company to concentrate its cyber security resources in one place. The Small and Mid-sized Businesses have to take a cue from such developments and invest more in data security.
This is especially with the growing number of companies such as Vtech and Securus Technologies who have been forced to learn the hard way, having been hacked. SMBs are at a higher risk of being targeted by hackers due to their perceived low investment in IT compared to larger companies.
Rules and Regulations
The discourse on data security and cyber crime is incomplete without the mention of privacy. Cases such as that of Safe Harbor in Europe have brought to the fore privacy issues that have to be addressed with the same urgency. As such, the transfer of data abroad as well as the role of the professionals concerned has to be looked into.
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