Securing the Everything

For cybersecurity month, AT&T gathered a stellar lineup of experts to deliver security information and insight. A series of entertaining virtual presentations identified current and future threats and offered useful solutions and actionable recommendations.

The event was specifically designed to give any organization’s C-Suite the important updates needed to inform critical decision-making. In the on-demand version, participants can easily browse all the presentations across 24 individual categories. Event sponsors included Akamai Technologies , Fortinet , IBM , Palo Alto Networks , and SentinelOne . The areas that drew my personal attention were:

●???????5G Network Security;

●???????Emerging Tech, Disinformation & Deepfakes

●???????Current Threat Landscape; and

●???????Governance.

5G Network Security

5G offers broad coverage areas for both consumers and businesses over the low-band spectrum. While this service is ideal for mobile customers who need performance while on the go, network security must differ from the traditional approach.

Private 5G Edge: The Next Trend in Next-Gen Mobility Networks

Private 5G network use cases are currently outpacing public deployments. These solutions are designed to be simpler, more flexible, and faster to set up for organizations of all shapes and sizes. Private 5G also includes end users' ability to roam beyond a private network's geographical boundaries and stay connected to private applications through public mobile networks. This talk covered key best practices to help provide security for the Private 5G edge environment and mobile devices as they transition from private to public networks.

Self-Driving Zero Trust Security and Operations for 5G Networks

5G networks that use cloud-native technologies and design patterns diverge significantly from previous cellular networks. Those earlier deployments were primarily monolithic and hardware-centric. The modern 5G network presents a new attack surface that invites attackers to use techniques more common in non-telco-based cloud applications and APIs. This change requires a new approach and a different architecture to provide the appropriate level of network security and control.

Emerging Tech, Disinformation & Deepfakes

The security threats represented by disinformation and deepfakes are surprising and include:

●???????Face reenactment - where software manipulates an individual’s facial features;

●???????Face generation - where a new face is created that does not relate to a specific individual;

●???????Face swapping - where one person’s face is swapped with another’s; and

●???????Speech synthesis - where voices are re-created.

The following presentations can help get you up to speed on these threats:

Synthetic Media, Deepfakes, and Security in the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence is no longer science fiction. Its rapid move into practical reality has already transformed how we live, work, and think. So much so that AI-created 'synthetic media' now presents new security threats and could be used by adversaries to launch new forms of social engineering and disinformation attacks.

Cryptographic Agility for a Post-Quantum World

While quantum computers and technology have many positive aspects, they also bring huge complications to managing cybersecurity.?Although new quantum-resistant algorithms have been developed to prevent quantum computers from cracking current encryption methods, the widely used Rainbow algorithm was broken over a weekend using a laptop.?This highlights the need to change encryption algorithms quickly.

Current Threat Landscape

The threat landscape addresses the scope of potential and recognized cybersecurity threats affecting user groups, organizations, specific industries, or a particular time. While new cyber threats emerge daily, ramifications stemming from the war in Ukraine are top of mind today.

Cyberwarfare in Ukraine: The New Digital Battlefield

Ukraine served as Russia’s testbed for cyberattacks for several years before Russia's invasion. In December 2015, Russian hackers launched a cyberattack that took down three regional electric power distribution networks in western Ukraine, leaving 225,000 people without power for several hours during a cold winter. What was striking about this particular attack is that the three grids were disabled within a half hour, and the grids were not connected. What does this tell us about the emerging face of cyberwarfare? What lessons can the public and private sectors learn from the offensive and defensive tactics used in the Russia-Ukraine War?

The Perfect Weapon: The Next Chapter

The war in Ukraine is the first time cyberweapons have been used in a full-out kinetic war.?This session explores the surprising lessons learned in this conflict by looking at issues such as government/private sector cooperation, supply chain, and the international threat landscape. How can your organization protect itself against cyberwarfare?

Governance

Cybersecurity governance is establishing the architecture and internal processes that ensure a company's security programs align with business objectives, comply with regulations and standards, and achieve objectives for managing security and risk. Adequate governance is crucial to the success of any cyber defense program.

Managing Risk and the Digital Divide

America’s digital divide needs to be closed through active investment in fiber build-outs, affordable connectivity services, and various innovative education programs for underserved markets and demographics. These efforts will also close the current opportunity gap between those with reliable Internet access and those without it. As the divide closes, newly connected populations may also be more vulnerable to new threats they are unprepared to defend against.?

The Complete Data Protection Lifecycle: What We Have Learned

Data is at the core of every business but often simultaneously distributed throughout it and a primary target. To protect this important asset, a “lifecycle” approach should be created, with data security a key consideration at every phase: discovery, classification, protection, malicious activity detection, incident response, and compliance.?

AT&T ThreatTraq

To stay up to date throughout the year, don’t forget to subscribe to AT&T ThreatTraq. This online resource delivers security insights from those who manage threats across the global AT&T network. The weekly show features AT&T Data Security Analysts discussing the latest cybersecurity threats and trends.

Don’t miss out on the 2022 AT&T Security Conference while it’s available on demand! Watch here for free. This year’s conference is definitely worth your time. Its approach toward addressing the wide spectrum of security threats, countermeasures, and required defensive steps helps us all attain our collective goal to "Secure the Everything!"

AT&T Business sponsored this post, but the opinions are my own and don’t necessarily represent AT&T Business’s positions or strategies.