Insights on:
Cybersecurity & Defense
What’s my take on Cybersecurity & Defense
Cybersecurity & Defense is one of the most essential and often overlooked aspects of every organization. Companies around the world are on the front lines of digital warfare with a broad range of counterparties attempting to access our systems. These counterparties can range from curious teenagers, professional criminals, activists (hacktivists,) cyber terrorists, and even nation-states.
Before you say that the scenario above doesn’t apply to you, let me assure you that it does. Anyone with a mobile phone, computer, internet connection, bank account, health records, a job, or running a company are just some of the people being directly and indirectly targeted everyday. In the age of data, your data and the data you have access to is valuable.
While most companies understand that they are targets of these attacks, very few take meaningful measures to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. Top executives do even less when it comes to the human hacking that many sophisticated groups employ to gain access to sensitive and valuable information. Most wait until after they have been breached (if they even find out) to take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
I believe Cybersecurity & Defense is one of the most significant risks and opportunities for companies to address from an operations and risk standpoint for every company worldwide.
What is Cybersecurity & Defense?
Cybersecurity & Defense refers to the ability to identify, prevent, disrupt, and respond to all forms of cyberattacks targeting unauthorized access to sensitive information, trade secrets, medical history, financial data, private photos, etc.
For a business, the main goal is to thwart the attackers while providing easy and uninterrupted operations internally and with clients.
As a private citizen, it’s about maintaining access to your photos, emails, computers, hard drives, smart home devices without any unauthorized access or disruption (i.e. Loss of access to your data) from a third party.
There are three critical components to review when fortifying and securing a system:
Software
Hardware
Humans
Each one plays a critical role in the Cybersecurity & Defense of a business or person. Hardware is the only one that is less relevant for many businesses and private citizens given the expense of examining all the hardware being used, but from some companies, forensic analysis of hardware is of critical importance.
How does it apply?
Since every person, company, and organization is a modern digital gold mine, it makes sense to implement structured safeguards and proactive measures to secure your hard-earned data, money, research, photos, and digital life.
For organizations, implementing robust Cybersecurity & Defense measures can protect the business from intellectual property theft, software & hardware damage, clients information breaches, unauthorized money transfers, and legal exposure resulting from the attack.
For individuals, Cybersecurity & Defense measures are even more crucial. While a company can go out of business, be sued, and lose money, that is nothing compared to what an individual could face. Life savings lost, personal & professional reputations damaged, legal consequences, and exposure of sensitive photos, videos, messages etc. are just some of the impacts that could result from poor cyber habits.
What we can offer you in relation to Cybersecurity & Defense
In our Digital Literacy Solutions, we work to help individuals understand the risks and consequences of their digital habits as part of the program. Human hacking, influence campaigns carried out via social media, and other more covert actions are directed at us every day. Companies should invest in training their employees to counter these sophisticated hybrid attacks.
I believe the best cyber security starts with the individuals inside the company, operating the systems, and making critical decisions every day. Everyone has to operate on the same cyber security mindset; otherwise, the most sophisticated hardware and software defenses will be rendered useless.
In the meantime, I suggest you visit our Technology Think Tank Wandering Alpha to learn about all the latest technologies, how they work, and why they are relevant. Over the past 5 years, Wandering Alpha has become a trusted resource for Fortune 500 Companies, Alternative Investment Firms, Universities, Startups, NGOs, and Government Agencies.
Later in 2022, we will be launching the New Arms Race, a site dedicated to the modern technologies driving the arms race of tomorrow. From AI, Deep Fakes, Influence & Disinformation Campaigns, Hypersonic Weapons, Autonomous Weapons, Quantum Technologies, and more. We will have a section on how cybercriminals, hacktivists, cyber terrorists, and nation-states target individuals, companies, and organizations via physical interactions with targets.
