Innovative Cyber Security and Data Protection Practices for the Digitally Driven World
First Prize Winning Entry by Mr. Sunil Kumar Singh| Theme - Cyber Security and Data Protection
By
Mr. Sunil Kumar Singh2nd Year, Electronics/Electrical
Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi)
Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi)
Rapid growth and innovation in technology have enabled humans to
solve many challenging problems. With faster, cheaper, and effective
technological solutions, we have entered the Information
Age where data serves as fuel. Unlike other sources
of fuel, data is not limited. It is created every second by everyone at an
unimaginable rate. A recent study shows we generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of
data every day.[1] This number is only going to increase with increasing dependency
of organizations and governments upon IoT devices, digital tools, and services
to drive the economy and fulfill the needs of society.
Why Cyber security?
With more data, comes more risk. If the private and confidential data of the public goes in the wrong hands, it can lead to severe damage to corporations and individuals, and hence, needs to be protected.
With more data, comes more risk. If the private and confidential data of the public goes in the wrong hands, it can lead to severe damage to corporations and individuals, and hence, needs to be protected.
Statistics show that there is a web attack every 39 seconds across
the globe[2] and 30,000 new websites get hacked every day on average.[3] Globalization
has surely facilitated trade and sharing of ideas, but it has also made the whole world one entity, making
them dependent on each other and hence, vulnerable.
In the middle of a global pandemic COVID-19, our dependence on
cyberspace has grown more than ever. From basic transactions to government
bodies' meetings, everything is being done online. As online activities
increase, so does the risk of cyber-attacks. We have started to realize that
the protection of our data is as important as the proper utilization of
it.
Murphy’s law holds true in cyberspace
which states, “If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong.” meaning, even a
single mistake can lead to disruption of organizations and even
governments.
What are we doing Right?
Many organizations already have good security policies in
place with a dedicated department for security to safeguard users' data. The
security teams identify and mitigate threats that can potentially harm a
company. Apart from that, companies are also following different tactics to
ensure data security, such as penetration testing, vulnerability management,
endpoint security, etc.
Developers have started adopting
necessary security measures like 2-Factor Authentication, web-application firewalls
on both client as well as server sides, etc
In recent years many companies have come up with ‘Responsible
Disclosures Programs’ persuading good minds to hack for good. Platforms
like HackerOne and BugCrowd, facilitate such
programs and award white hat hackers with monetary rewards, popularly known by
the buzz word 'bug bounty' for finding vulnerabilities in their
companies and reporting them ethically.
Is it in(Sufficient)?
Still, a huge number of companies don't have
adequate security measures due to various reasons, which puts users' data at
risk. A recent study by Acunetix shows that 46% of web applications suffer from critical
vulnerabilities and 87% suffer from medium-level vulnerabilities.[4]
Less secure systems lead
to massive data breaches, which have become a very common incident in
recent times.[5] This leads to leakage and misuse of users’ private and
confidential data ranging from their contact details to credit card
information.
Popular bug-bounty platforms fail to ensure 100% security as most
companies allow only a limited portion of their assets to be tested by ethical
security researchers, giving cyber criminals ample space to hack on. Some
companies are also reported to give very little monetary rewards as compared to
the potential loss in certain cases,[6] which pushes white hat
hackers to the black side.
Future Challenges
| 100% security is a
myth
Companies always go through changes. Applications always roll out
updates. Technologies change all the time. Today's security can be tomorrow's
vulnerability.
If all goes right, we have humans as masters, who are one of the
most vulnerable pieces in a system. No matter how secure the application is, it
can be hacked in minutes if the administrator's password is 'password'.
New technologies can not only introduce new vulnerabilities but
can also turn old weaknesses into potential vulnerabilities. PTSecurity reported,
web-applications with 'extremely poor' security have doubled compared
to the previous year[4].
Over time, vulnerabilities might have remained the same, but the
potential loss has increased many folds. The number of cases of ransomware
attacks, data breaches, etc. has increased globally, which demands new
innovative solutions instead of the traditional approach.
Research in quantum computing may facilitate cyber-attacks
with exponentially faster computing power enabling hackers to destroy major encryptions
and making security even more difficult.
Hence, to solve such problems which have never existed, we need
solutions which never existed.
Innovative Solutions
Horizontal vs. Vertical Growth
| It's not about
Horizontal or Vertical, but Horizontal and Vertical.
Horizontal growth, i.e. expansion of
existing security policies to every sector and organization is as important as Vertical
growth, which means developing new policies and measures to protect user
data in a more efficient way. Only with balanced growth in both the fields, can
we hope for a more secure world.
People Are Vulnerabilities
Every employee is a potential entry point to the internal network for an attacker. A simple social engineering trick can compromise an employee's identity leading to a severe attack. Employees must be tested and trained regularly for such attacks.
Every employee is a potential entry point to the internal network for an attacker. A simple social engineering trick can compromise an employee's identity leading to a severe attack. Employees must be tested and trained regularly for such attacks.
| Equality is not always good
Not every employee should be authorized to alter database entries.
There must be a hierarchy in place giving different privileges to different
people.
Monitored Updates
A large number of companies have been compromised because of outdated software and services in place. An automated system should monitor all the assets owned by the company and update them as soon as a new patch is issued. 5G technology can aid to achieve the same globally, keeping all the systems updated across the globe all the time. This will remove many CVEs which are prime sources of cyber-attacks.
A large number of companies have been compromised because of outdated software and services in place. An automated system should monitor all the assets owned by the company and update them as soon as a new patch is issued. 5G technology can aid to achieve the same globally, keeping all the systems updated across the globe all the time. This will remove many CVEs which are prime sources of cyber-attacks.
White Hat vs. Black Hat
Employees switch jobs for better recognition of their skills. If white-hats were paid more than black-hats, we'd have had fewer cyber criminals, if not zero.
Employees switch jobs for better recognition of their skills. If white-hats were paid more than black-hats, we'd have had fewer cyber criminals, if not zero.
The term “Ethical” in "Ethical hacker" forces us
to think a hacker by default is unethical, which is not the case. The
incentives and rewards which hackers see appear huge to them as compared to the
risk involved, which persuades good minds to do evil.
Black-hat hackers enjoy full freedom while
white-hat hackers are restricted to certain areas for testing. An army
can't save a country if soldiers are confined to bunkers and criminals are free
to attack from wherever they want. Providing ethical researchers more freedom
and access to resources will not only make security easier but also transform
black-hats into white-hats.
Stricter Laws and Rules
Governments must make and implement stricter rules for cyber security, and keep organizations in check.
● Companies with more than a certain user base must meet predefined security criteria. ● Startups must have a security team from the very start. ● Cyber-police should keep people in check and make them follow government rules. ● Cyber rules should be an integral part of the school's curriculum same as the "Fundamental Rules".
Governments must make and implement stricter rules for cyber security, and keep organizations in check.
● Companies with more than a certain user base must meet predefined security criteria. ● Startups must have a security team from the very start. ● Cyber-police should keep people in check and make them follow government rules. ● Cyber rules should be an integral part of the school's curriculum same as the "Fundamental Rules".
Ahead of 'Them'
Since 100% security is impossible, we need to be ahead of the criminals in order to stay safe.
Since 100% security is impossible, we need to be ahead of the criminals in order to stay safe.
More research in cyber security should be promoted and
facilitated by increasing funding. Cyber security should be considered as
important as a country's army because weapons can’t help if they are open to
cyber attacks.
There have been cases where claims have been made to have
successfully compromised fingerprint scanners as well.[7] This
shows we need better scanning technology, encryptions, and cryptography
in the future.
Blockchain Technology
Arguably claimed by some experts, Blockchain can be the future of the internet. Well, it may not be the case, but it can surely help make cloud services more secure.
Arguably claimed by some experts, Blockchain can be the future of the internet. Well, it may not be the case, but it can surely help make cloud services more secure.
In blockchain technology, a digital ledger is maintained where the
information is added permanently after verification. With more transparency and
visibility to individuals, it makes tampering of data difficult. Further research in blockchain
technology is needed for cloud protection as almost 95% of companies rely on
cloud services.[8]
Final words
To keep the cyber-threats in check, cyber security researchers need to keep on finding innovative technological solutions. By implementation of better security policies and measures, a safer world will not just remain a dream.
To keep the cyber-threats in check, cyber security researchers need to keep on finding innovative technological solutions. By implementation of better security policies and measures, a safer world will not just remain a dream.
References:
[1] How Much Data Do We
Create Every Day? The Mind-Blowing Stats Everyone Should Read by Bernard Marr,
Forbes, Published on May 21, 2018
[2] Hackers Attack Every
39 Seconds | Security Magazine, studied at University
of Maryland, Published in Security Magazine on February 10, 2017
[3] 30,000 Web Sites Hacked A Day | Forbes by James Lyne,
Forbes, Published on Sep 6, 2013
[4] Acunetix’s report “Web
Application Vulnerability 2019”, Acunetix, Published on
March 5, 2019 [5] The 15 biggest data
breaches of the 21st century, by Dan Swinhoe, CSO, April 17, 2020
[6] #nofreebugs twitter
hashtags by security researchers against their exploitation [started in 2011]
[7] Hackers Claim ‘Any’ Smartphone Fingerprint
Lock Can Be Broken In 20 Minutes, by Davey Winder, Editors' Pick, Forbes,
Nov 2, 2019
[8] Changing Attitudes Towards Business
Intelligence in the Cloud, DataSync, Published on
August 16, 2017
[*] Copyright-Free Images, RawPixel
and PixaBay
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