Cybersecurity 2015: Adapt or Die
As cyber attacks become more sophisticated, organizations need to re-evaluate their approach to cybersecurity. Those that don’t will be left behind.
Cyber attacks have become so prolific that it’s not uncommon to hear mention of an impending cyber war. President Obama has even declared the rising number of cyber attacks a national emergency. The interesting thing is that hacking has been around since the early 20th century, and yet it has only become a major concern for some businesses now. Now more than ever we need to invest in more than anti-virus and anti-malware software. We need protection which goes beyond the perimeter.
The Early Days
There is nothing new about cybercrime. For as long as the Internet has existed, criminals, pranksters and troublemakers have tried to exploit it. Interestingly, there are examples of hacking even before the advent of the personal computers. The best example of this is phone phreaking where computerized phone systems were manipulated to make free phone calls.
But these activities quickly developed from harmless pranks into more malicious cyberattacks. The 1980s saw a number of blackhat hackers commit the unthinkable from hacking into NASA computers to compromising top secret FBI databases. One hacker in particular who stands out from this period is Kevin Mitnick. His hacking career started off harmlessly enough and involved mostly phone phreaking. By the late 90s, however, he was one of the most wanted hackers in the U.S. The 1990s also saw the rise of never seen before viruses which sparked a need for comprehensive virus protection software.
The Nature of Modern Cyber Attacks
Cyber attacks now occur far more frequently, and the repercussions are often crippling, with some estimates suggesting that cyber attacks cost businesses $400 billion every year. But it’s more than the frequency or financial implications that are cause for concern. Increasingly, cyber attacks are politically motivated with groups like Anonymous relying on distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) to bring down government, religious and corporate websites they disagree with.
Cyberattacks are also no longer limited to a company’s website exclusively. After all most companies have an extensive online footprint that extends to their social media profiles, blog and website. These online assets, while useful for branding, have vulnerabilities that can easily be exploited by hackers. In 2013, for example, the Syrian Electronic Army hacked the New York Times website and Twitter feed using sophisticated phishing techniques. These kinds of attacks are becoming increasingly common.
DNS hijacking is another thing businesses need to worry about. This involves an attack on a website’s Domain Name System (DNS) where a website’s domain name records are modified to redirect to a different website. Many companies have been attacked in this way recently. In February, for example, Lenovo and Google’s Vietnam domain were hijacked in a DNS attack.
Cybersecurity has to Adapt
In response to the ever-changing nature of cyber attacks, cybersecurity has also had to evolve. Malware, spyware and viruses are now the least of a company’s worries. Businesses need a far more intelligent solution which is able to respond to threats in real-time. There is also a need to secure more than simply a company’s website.
For cybersecurity to be effective it needs to adapt to the challenges posed by a growing digital footprint. What’s needed is an all-encompassing approach which covers everything from a company’s social media profiles to their company blog.
Cybersecurity in its current form is outdated, ineffective and incapable of providing the level of protection needed. Businesses have little choice but to get smart about cybersecurity. After all those that fail to adapt are likely to fall prey to a malicious attack. That’s where a solution like CyberInt comes in. This includes targeted cyber intelligence and comprehensive online asset protection that goes beyond the perimeter.
Have you adapted or will you be left behind?