Read on to find out the top 3 emerging information security technologies
Cyberattacks are on the rise. They’re increasing both in volume and the impact and devastation that they can cause. According to recent data, attacks targeted at corporate networks increased by 50% in 2021 compared to 2020.
The 2022 Cyber Security Report that listed the key cybersecurity trends from 2021, mentioned a veritable ‘frenzy’ of supply chain attacks that had an increasingly disruptive impact on people’s daily lives.
In order to counter this rising threat, companies need to quickly adapt to emerging security technologies and latest cyber security methods that can protect them against an ever-evolving list of threats. Managed IT Security Los Angeles can help your local business secure its data and operations with the right security tools and technologies.
Why Must Companies Adopt The Latest Security Technologies?
Changing Attack Targets
Cyber-crimes are not limited to petty hacking attempts by rogue hackers anymore. Individual hackers are getting consolidated into large criminal enterprises that are run quite professionally. This means that hackers now have access to much more sophisticated tools, technologies, knowledge databases, and most importantly, deeper pockets of funding.
They are no longer limited to exacting small acts of vengeance against individual targets, stealing confidential information or holding systems at ransom to earn a quick buck. They now have bigger targets and more complicated and sinister motives that often devolve into cyber warfare.
As more and more of our critical public infrastructures, such as utility services, power plants, power generation plants, healthcare facilities, airports etc. and even corporate networks get connected and managed by (often outdated and vulnerable) digital systems – the more security loopholes exist for hackers to take advantage of.
Moreover, with the mushrooming of IoT devices, there are likely to be more than 30 billion connected devices by 2030 presenting an unbelievably widened attack surface. As more and more technology systems converge to create better systems for user convenience, they also give rise to complexities in the interactions and the potential for vulnerabilities.
Irrespective of whether hackers choose to target public or private infrastructure, the impact is similar in many cases. All breaches of privacy result in damages to trust, credibility, sales, profits, financial and legal repercussions and can even jeopardize national and public security.
Advanced Cyber Threats
People often make the mistake of thinking that since hackers often work in isolation or as individuals, they may not have the same skill sets as legitimate white hat hackers and computer science professionals. Nothing could be further from the truth. Cyber criminals often have the same and even more technical prowess than legitimate computer professionals.
Moreover, they often risk a lot personally and professionally in order to carry out large-scale attacks and given the severe penalties attached to cybercrimes these days, they are incredibly motivated to avoid detection and traceability. They also often have a need to be recognized/ remembered for the brilliance or the devastation caused by their schemes.
They virtually employ any means possible including highly advanced technical tools and skills (now highly available on the dark web) to evade all defense mechanisms already in place at most organizations.
Most importantly, advanced cyber threats and tools have the ability to impact not just individual organizations, but also to take down connected public infrastructures – causing damages not just in terms of finances and data losses, but potentially large scale loss of lives and property destruction. IT Support Los Angeles can help protect your company from substantial damages sustained in privacy breaches.
Top 3 Emerging Information Security Technologies
1. Hardware Authentication
Although credential-based authentication, such as usernames and passwords continue to be in vogue, their security vulnerabilities are well-documented. With an intensifying need for more secure forms of authentication, companies are increasingly turning towards hardware-based authentication.
This kind of authentication essentially leverages a piece of hardware that’s owned or only operated by specific individuals. Similar to licensing technologies and tokens, hardware-based authentication makes use of what users have (tokens or a piece of hardware) in conjunction with what users know (credentials).
Hardware authentication has significant use cases in complicated network structures like the Internet of Things (IoT) networks where user verification of specific devices can be absolutely crucial. Currently, this form of authentication is being widely deployed in endpoint authentication in modern IT environments.
2. User-behavior Analytics
Credential compromises currently have the capacity to exploit a user’s entire access to the network. In order to counter that, companies are increasingly turning to user behavior analytics (UBA) that leverages big data analytics to alert system admins to any unusual user behavior.
The technology helps companies effectively address a long-persistent blind spot in enterprise security by differentiating normal user activity from any abnormalities by studying both the user’s own past behavior as well as a comparable peer activity. This can help the system intuitively ‘understand’ illegitimate, unauthorized, or abnormal activities or user actions in the network. UBA can also be a key enabler in helping employees adopt and stick to better security practices and existing security policies at organizations.
Any violation of these can be traced to users who can then receive further training and instruction to help them adhere to set policies and security practices.
3. Data Loss Prevention
Data loss prevention has been a major concern for companies and increasingly, many of them are adopting technologies such as encryption and tokenization to facilitate the same. These technologies allow companies a granular level of control over their data and can secure data at the very field and subfield level.
This means that it becomes difficult for hackers to monetize data even in the case of successful breaches. These also help companies to mitigate exposure and risk since moving data becomes easier and companies can perform all required business processes and analytics even on secured data.
This also helps companies improve their compliance status when it comes to data privacy and security regulations pertaining to the security of payment card information (PCI), personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI). Know how to improve your stance on security and privacy with IT Consulting Los Angeles.
Note: This is a guest post by Brent Whitfield.
