Essays

GUEST ESSAY: The promise and pitfalls of using augmented reality– ‘AR’ — in cybersecurity

By Iam Waqas

Augmented reality use cases have become prevalent in our society.

The technology, which first emerged primarily in the world of gaming and entertainment, now promises to reshape our reality with interactive information and immersive experiences. In short, AR is undoubtedly a groundbreaking technology that will reinvent how we interact with the digital world.

Related: Is the Metaverse truly secure?

However, before we get too carried away, it is crucial to explore the symbiotic relationship between AR and cybersecurity.

This is primarily because AR is still relatively new and a rapidly evolving technology, which ultimately means that it is bound to bring about unprecedented opportunities, challenges, and even risks to cybersecurity.

Are there any applications of augmented reality in cybersecurity?

While exploring the impact of every new form of technology on cybersecurity, there comes the unpleasant thought of looming cyberthreats.

Comment | Read | November 12th, 2024 | Essays | Top Stories

GUEST ESSAY: Achieving end-to-end data security with the right ‘fully homomorphic encryption’

By Ravi Srivatsav

Everyone knows the cost and frequency of data breaches are rising. The question is, do you know if your data is truly secure? I have news for you. It’s not.

Why? Many companies rely on regular encryption to safeguard data, the organization’s crown jewel. But it only goes so far. Mainstream encryption solutions only protect data in transit and at rest.

When data is in use–when queried or analyzed–and when it moves between stages in its lifecycle–from storage to processing, processing to analysis, analysis to interpretation, and finally to archival–current encryption methods make data inaccessible and require that it be decrypted.

Sophisticated threat actors knowingly target and act on these encryption gaps, putting companies at significant risk.

Continuous encryption

To maintain end-to-end data security, companies need continuous encryption, the only way to ensure data is protected across its lifecycle and when in use. The only way to achieve continuous encryption is through fully homomorphic encryption (FHE).

Here’s the problem: not all FHE solutions are created equal, which causes market confusion and a perception that FHE isn’t viable. That perception couldn’t be further from the truth. Business leaders must understand what to look for to ensure FHE does what it promises:

Comment | Read | October 14th, 2024 | Essays | Top Stories

GUEST ESSAY: CrowdStrike outage fallout — stricter regulations required to achieve resiliency

By Sumedh Barde

What does the recent CrowdStrike outage tell us about the state of digital resiliency?

On a resiliency scale of one to 10, most enterprises are at about two. This was clear over the weekend when over 4000 flights were grounded, hospitals had to postpone services, and financial systems went down.

The only reason the impact was not broader was luck – not everybody runs CrowdStrike, and not all processes have been digitized.

The world was also lucky that this outage was due to a mistake by a legitimate vendor, and the recovery steps were relatively straightforward, albeit laborious. This made it possible for all users to recover cleanly and be sure that they have completely recovered.

Comment | Read | July 30th, 2024 | Essays | Top Stories

GUEST ESSAY: Consumers, institutions continue to shoulder burden for making mobile banking secure

By Hira Ehtesham

The rapid adoption of mobile banking has revolutionized how we manage our finances.

With millions of users worldwide relying on mobile apps for their banking needs, the convenience is undeniable. However, this surge in digital banking also brings about substantial security concerns.

Alarmingly, 85% of banks are predicted to be at risk from rising cyber threats. The increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, including phishing, malware, and man-in-the-middle attacks, poses a serious threat to both users and financial institutions. This essay offers insights into best practices for secure mobile banking to help mitigate these risks.

Surging attacks

Mobile banking has become a prime target for cybercriminals. The increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, including phishing, malware, and man-in-the-middle attacks, poses a serious threat to both users and financial institutions. The recent surge in mobile banking fraud highlights the pressing need for enhanced security measures.

Implementing robust security practices is essential for safeguarding mobile banking transactions. According to a comprehensive analysis on cybersecurity in banking, adopting stringent measures is crucial. Here are some best practices that can help mitigate the risks associated with mobile banking:

Comment | Read | July 17th, 2024 | Essays | Top Stories

GUEST ESSAY: How cybercriminals are using ‘infostealers’ to sidestep passwordless authentication

By Trevor Hilligoss

Passwords have been the cornerstone of basic cybersecurity hygiene for decades.

However, as users engage with more applications across multiple devices, the digital security landscape is shifting from passwords and password managers towards including passwordless authentication, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometrics, and, as of late, passkeys.

But as secure and user-friendly as these authentication methods are, cybercriminals are already busily sidestepping all forms of authentication – passwords, MFA, and passkeys – to sometimes devastating effect.

Passwordless work arounds

Without a doubt, passwordless authentication is a significant improvement over traditional passwords and effectively addresses the persistent risk of easy to guess passwords and password reuse. Most passkeys available to consumers leverage unique biometric authentication data and cryptographically secure means to authenticate users when they access websites and applications.

This new authentication technique is gaining traction, especially since the FIDO Alliance has advocated for its implementation over the last year. Moreover, leading tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple have developed robust frameworks to integrate this system of authentication.

GUEST ESSAY: Taking a systematic approach to achieving secured, ethical AI model development

By Harish Mandadi

AI has the potential to revolutionize industries and improve lives, but only if we can trust it to operate securely and ethically.

By prioritizing security and responsibility in AI development, we can harness its power for good and create a safer, more unbiased future.

Developing a secured AI system is essential because artificial intelligence is a transformative technology, expanding its capabilities and societal influence. Initiatives focused on trustworthy AI understand the profound impacts this technology can have on individuals and society. They are committed to steering its development and application towards responsible and positive outcomes.

Security considerations

Securing artificial intelligence (AI) models is essential due to their increasing prevalence and criticality across various industries. They are used in healthcare, finance, transportation, and education, significantly impacting society. Consequently, ensuring the security of these models has become a top priority to prevent potential risks and threats.

•Data security. Securing training data is crucial for protecting AI models. Encrypting data during transmissionwill prevent unauthorized access. Storing training data in encrypted containers or secure databases adds a further layer of security.

Comment | Read | May 31st, 2024 | Essays | Top Stories

GUEST ESSAY: Turning to cloud services can help SMBs scale to meet growth needs

By Brian Sibley

Meeting the demands of the modern-day SMB is one of the challenges facing many business leaders and IT operators today. Traditional, office-based infrastructure was fine up until the point where greater capacity was needed than those servers could deliver, vendor support became an issue, or the needs of a hybrid workforce weren’t being met.

Related: SMB brand spoofing

In the highly competitive SMB space, maintaining and investing in a robust and efficient IT infrastructure can be one of the ways to stay ahead of competitors.

Thankfully, with the advent of cloud offerings, a new scalable model has entered the landscape; whether it be 20 or 20,000 users, the cloud will fit all and with it comes a much simpler, per user cost model. This facility to integrate modern computing environments in the day-to-day workplace, means businesses can now stop rushing to catch up and with this comes the invaluable peace of mind that these operations will scale up or down as required. Added to which, the potential cost savings and added value will better serve each business and help to future-proof the organisation, even when on a tight budget. Cloud service solutions are almost infinitely flexible, rather than traditional on-premises options and won’t require in-house maintenance.

Comment | Read | May 16th, 2024 | Essays | Top Stories

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