Cybersecurity is a fast-changing field and 2015 was no exception. The proliferation of cybersecurity issues continued to make headlines, including the very dramatic hacking of a vehicle to allow for remote control over steering, brakes, the transmission and other critical functions. There was also state-sponsored hacking that targeted government, defence and other strategic sectors of the marketplace. Staying on top of these breaches still remains a challenge.
Securing the Internet of Things
While we can’t discuss the details of our projects over the past year, we are proud to say that NTT Com Security has been successful in identifying new vulnerabilities in mobile devices, home security systems, and automotive telematics interfaces. These are all part of the important area of the “Internet of Things” that will continue their climb into the information security headlines in 2016.
For the New Year, we are anticipating a broader focus beyond the servers, workstations and communications infrastructure that we are used to, growing to encompass appliances, vehicles, factories, utility infrastructure, medical devices, and myriad other devices that will eventually all be connected to the Internet – and therein lies the ongoing task.
The Internet in general is extremely vulnerable, and companies and individuals have a long way to go in learning how to protect themselves. We can expect continued attacks targeting payment card data wherever it can be found along with attempts to commit financial fraud with stolen banking credentials or via social engineering tricks like spear phishing emails.
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| High profile breaches, such as the Edward Snowden leaks, have brought security to the forefront of the public consciousness |
Security and risk management
Fortunately, these high-profile breaches, hack demonstrations (like the Jeep hack), and the Snowden leaks have all helped bring the topic of security directly into the public consciousness. With consumers becoming aware of the value of their information and the importance of protecting their privacy, companies will be forced to design security into their products. We are already seeing a public demonstration of this with the new security and encryption controls Apple has implemented on the iPhone.
Meanwhile, talking about risks and vulnerabilities can sometimes feel like shouting at a crowd that refuses to listen despite the obvious danger they are in. The good news is that we are taking active steps to guard against risk and combat it where it happens. NTT Com Security has developed a global cybersecurity and risk management portfolio of managed services, consulting and technology solutions to protect critical and confidential data from attacks.
See the full coverage of 2015/2016 Review and Forecast articles here
