Cybersecurity As We Know It Is About To Change
Cybersecurity As We Know It Is About To Change
IT Data Solutions
Pundits across the world have set their sights on a post-pandemic future, arguing that a new normal is about to descend upon us. While I recognize much of what the future holds is ambiguous, I believe there is an area that will become our inevitable reality — continued cyberthreats as a result of rapid digitalization.
According to a report by the Australian Cybersecurity Growth Network (via Forbes), the global cybersecurity market is set to increase to $270 billion by 2026. This signals the priority boardrooms have placed on cyber risk management even as digital transformation takes place en masse.
To wrap their minds around the post-pandemic realities, business leaders and CISOs need to understand the cybersecurity impact of these strategic digital shifts. COVID-19 has become the catalyst to trigger change in the ways we manage and operate technology. Let me outline a few here.
Telecommuting Is The Only Way Of Working For Many
• Adoption of the virtual desktop will finally see an upswing: With teleworking likely to become the norm, virtual desktops could become the security baseline for IT teams to enforce data management standards. Virtual desktops emulate a computer system so that IT can control access as such adding input/output devices as well as software and applications. This could become an important control point when remote workers are operating outside the safety of a corporate network.
To meet the stringent criteria of regulatory and corporate compliance regarding data security, many companies will see the adoption of virtual desktops as the go-to solution.
• We will notice surge in adoption of decentralized cybersecurity: Traditional cybersecurity controls dictate a centralized approach where data is consolidated from different sources to perform analysis and investigation. With swift digitalization, security controls will shift to data sources, similar to the trend witnessed in IoT. We could start seeing a new wave of anti-virus, data loss protection, digital rights management, and endpoint-based firewalls and other security controls gain traction.
With millions of employees working from home, hackers’ focus has shifted from enterprise to remote working individuals. To handle the menace that exists in cyberspace, decentralized cybersecurity will rise where greater emphasis will be placed on data sources such as actual remote employees themselves.
• Rise in biometric way of authentication: User access controls have largely revolved around single or two-factor authentication. These methods rely on “something you know (username)” and “something you have (password).” Since they present employees as the weak link to start a technical exploit for hackers, we will continue to see cyberattacks directed toward individuals.
This means identity protection will be a top priority, and the best defense should involve building authentication systems that focus on “who you are.” This would require advanced biometric solutions such as fingerprint/thumbprint/handprint, retina, iris, voice and other facial recognition technologies.
