Who is Winning the Internet Security War?

The Internet may have transformed every aspect of business and personal life but the truth is that it is still in its infancy. As a result, there is a clear lack of sophistication and maturity regarding the way the Internet is used and abused today.

Data security is, without a doubt, the primary concern. The continuous innovation in the way in which businesses and individuals operate online is only matched by the level of invention and diversification in the hacker’s armory. Mark Kedgley, CTO, New Net Technologies, argues that the only way to win the Internet Security war is to approach it like any traditional war, with a variety of tactics to win each individual battle and a clear focus on intelligence.

One message remains clear – no one can expect to stop every single new breach. Whether the security threat is internationally funded terrorist organizations, governments, industry competitors, organized crime or even still the clichéd teenage geek, it will continue to expand and also evolve. And facing this kind of future, any organization not prepared to mobilize a full range of tactics to both stops - and spot - a breach will, inevitably, end up as another casualty of the Internet War.

To be blunt, there is no way to guarantee a company will not be breached. In fact, the only option is to complement any threat prevention measures with a way of rapidly detecting breach-activity before it causes any significant damage – from stealing customer information to gaining invaluable intellectual property or just wreaking havoc across the corporate network.

And that means evolving from an emphasis on stopping the breach, to one of stopping AND spotting the breach.

The good news is that this model is beginning to gain traction. According to Gartner, 40 percent of large organizations will have formal plans to address “aggressive” cyber-security business disruption attacks by 2018. In its “Attack on Sony Pictures Is a Digital Business Game Changer” report, the firm says that while there are currently no companies adopting such a strategy, which would see CISOs and business continuity managers (BCMs) increasingly move from prevention to detecting and responding to attacks, attitudes are changing, fast.

Indeed, there is a wider effect of raised awareness as a result of these high-profile breaches, with Gartner insisting these events’institutionalize more proactive thinking about cyber-security risks’. This attitude will, without a doubt, affect the way individuals perceive suppliers, customers and business partners alike and will ensure far more people at every level of the business are attuned to the issues of online security.

You can read the full article on Pro Security Zone here