Cybersecurity - How will it impact you and your Future?

Hey there,

Here I am, back again, guess who’s back, to talk about Future again. Na, na, na….

I was thinking to enlighten myself and the 5 peeps that read my article about Quantum Computing but because everyone is getting Ransomware I will throw some light on Cybersecurity instead.

Let’s first chat about why suddenly all of us are so concerned about Security. What has changed? Why is everyone getting hacked and what the heck is Ransomware, DDoS, Malware, Phishing and Password attacks, Spyware, adware, Trojans? a never-ending list, eh!

Well, According to Forbes, There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day at our current pace, but that pace is only accelerating with the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT). Over the last two years alone 90 percent of the data in the world was generated. With more Data creation comes the risk of losing them. That is why we are at such a risk.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that demands a ransom fee be paid after the software is installed on a computer system. This type of malware is very common and was the cause of the NHS data breach earlier last year. You can google each term if you are interested to know more but each type of attack, but it is basically designed according to your organisation and based on the hacker’s motive. If I have intentions to make money from the attack, Ransomware is the tool. If I want to bring your infrastructure down/inaccessible because your competitor has paid me, I will do a DDoS attack.

In the fossil days of Technology, back in the 80’s and 90’s all the financial records and important data were kept in file cabinets. There were no backups hence no worries about encryption. There was no cloud, no digital transformation and hence there was no stress for the strategist or the company’s IT chief. We have come a long way, We are on the verge of a major technological shift and the threat right now is more imminent than ever. We are talking about colonizing Mars, Robots, Hyper-loop and all sorts of sci-fi things and hence the security needs to be top-notch.

Here, In Africa, we are far behind. According to IT News Africa, South Africa is the third most exposed country in the world to cyber risks. Slowly but surely, we are also getting all our ducks in a row. There is still a lot of companies that need to be enlightened on this, I was once in a meeting with a CTO of a top firm, I asked what are the cyber-security measures in place at the company and the answer I received was breath-taking but funny. He said he has a quality Firewall and Antivirus on all the computers. Good stuff, I said. I advised on what can be done, zero heed was paid to my advice. The story stays the same across all the conferences and seminars I go to, everyone talks about it but no one or very few have actually adopted it and have implemented it.

In this era, we need a complete end to end Cybersecurity solutions, Beginning from Perimeter security to email filtering. From Antivirus to AI inbuilt Deep learning based Anti ransomware and anti-exploit systems. The employees need to be trained on what emails to open and what is the difference between a .pdf and .html payslip.  We have a serious lack of skills. The hacks generally come from China or Russia. We need our engineers and technicians to be better or at least on the same level as these hackers.

Well, I have already deployed a honeypot server on my international interconnect rack, Kidding. I believe in Prevention than cure but if the plague hits we should be ready to take charge. We need proper functioning Security Operations Center with the brightest minds to handle the code red. We have regulations in place such as POPI act and all sort of standards for the companies to be adaptive to the cyber laws. We should have encrypted cloud backups so that the data still stays intact. It will be an uncomfortable move and it will cost money but it is something we all need not just at work but also in our personal lives. Never use the same password for all your Banking and Social Media. Always change your password every 3 months. Invest in a good quality Antivirus for your personal computer, speak to your Fibre Service provider to enquire about the security on the router at home. Don't use your atm pin as your phone's passcode.

These are small measures which we need to take to be safe and be proactive to the threats of future. I think the war of the future will be fought using the computers if not with stick and stones as Einstein predicted. Better be ready. Five Eyes will understand what I mean (Go, google it).

We better act now. This is the need of the hour. I am open to talk about this in detail or even help you achieve the cyber security standards.

Drop me an email on amit91.cse@gmail.com.

Cheers for now! Be safe out there on the Internet. :)