Cybersecurity in the Digital Age: The Good And The Bad
4 min read
As the world accelerated its transition to cyberspace because of the pandemic, the importance of cybersecurity can no longer be overstated. Data leaks and breaches are becoming more dangerous and more frequent.
To help you protect your assets in the changing virtual landscape, here are a few points to reconsider the importance of cybersecurity in the digital age.
The Good
Essentially, cybersecurity technologies and practices continue to evolve. Some solutions allow businesses and individuals to transition to the internet more conveniently and securely. Here are some of the advantages technology offers for individual and workspace security needs.
Access The Office Anywhere
With the travel and in-person restrictions for most countries, businesses had to adopt remote working arrangements. People have also transferred most business processes to the internet with this trend. This shift led to a rapid increase in communication and organization apps like Slack and Trello. It has allowed employees to perform their duties from the safety of their homes.
Cybersecurity has made it commonplace for businesses to thrive in the digital space. A LogicMonitor survey revealed that the cloud would do about 83 percent of business workloads in 2020. In the same study, IT professionals noted security as a top concern for businesses making the shift.
More Intelligent Security Systems
In cybersecurity, the tools used to attack and defend systems are usually the same. They only vary depending on the intent of using them. The same strategies used by attackers are now used to develop more robust security systems. A particular trend among responsive cybersecurity systems is artificial intelligence (AI).
Tools powered by AI can automate security decisions and make iterative changes to its definition of risks and threats. For example, deep learning models are being used to detect anomalies or irregularities in internet network traffic, indicating malicious activities. It allows active monitoring of large amounts of data flowing through channels and creating fast and accurate responses.
A Security-Focused Cultural Shift
With the rapid changes occurring all at once, responsibility for keeping organizations afloat has become a shared task among everyone. Now, every employee is responsible for keeping confidential files and communications safe from unauthorized access. There has been an increased focus on raising awareness among employees. The use of company gadgets in public places or making certain modifications to the home wi-fi network are some of the changes from this shift.
Similarly, businesses are becoming more proactive in reassessing their capabilities to fight off cyberattacks. It is now commonplace for leaders and administrators to have a technology due to diligence checklist for a more secure business. The use of unlicensed software has seen a drop in the previous years, partly due to the security risks. Business owners and leaders are reassessing their technological aspects, from the office software to the products themselves, to align with the changing digital landscape.
The Bad
Security measures in place a couple of years ago are no longer relevant or robust enough in the face of today’s persisting threats. The drive to improve and develop better tools comes from the need to keep attackers at bay. To help you see and understand the hazards inherent in the current scene, here are some of the bad that comes with digital age cybersecurity.
More Expensive Attacks
The year 2021 saw a significant increase in the costs associated with data breaches and leaks. It marked the highest costs in the past 17 years, with an average breach amounting to $4.24 million. Additionally, this average cost was higher in places where remote work was more adopted.
As more data is transmitted through online channels–from customer information to payment transaction history–the stakes become higher as people move to cyberspace. With the digital shift, the need for more robust security systems is also becoming critical for the company’s survival.
The Distinction Between Work and Life
Before the pandemic, all work-related matters were usually done through company equipment that is often localized and isolated on the business premises. However, with the new normal, both work and personal affairs are done on the same gadgets and network. This behavior has created new challenges in pursuing a work-life balance and the cybersecurity risks it poses for organizations.
From a security standpoint, there are opportunities for a data breach and leak, especially among employees that are not aware of the risks their everyday activity can pose. For example, some employees connect to public wi-fi networks. This could compromise their personal information via social media and access logins to company portals.
Thriving in the New Normal
As we enjoy the added portability, convenience, and accessibility of emerging technologies, we should also be aware of the added responsibility of the power we now wield. For organizations to thrive in the new normal, it is vital to recognize every team member’s role in keeping their digital assets safe from attackers.
The good creates the bad, and the bad drives the good to be even better. Professionals and leaders have to learn to adapt to this cycle of improvement and growth to maintain leadership in the new normal.
Binary Blogger has spent 20 years in the Information Security space currently providing security solutions and evangelism to clients. From early web application programming, system administration, senior management to enterprise consulting I provide practical security analysis and solutions to help companies and individuals figure out HOW to be secure every day.
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