DATA PROTECTION
The wounds of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scam still haven’t healed. It was a very difficult time for the entire internet community because it gave us some serious trust issues. At a time when we erroneously save sensitive information on our phones and allow indiscriminate access to applications and access, it becomes essential to question our stand on data protection. Fully aware, that it is not a very wise decision, the efficiency of our electronics almost seems to compel us to depend entirely on them.
With ever-augmenting information exchange rates, the necessity for securing data is glaring at us. Data is undoubtedly the most potent weapon today, and Dan Brown’s bleak future is unfolding in front of our eyes. Data is possibly the most important asset for a company which mustn’t be compromised. While saving information on the cloud is extremely convenient for business corporations, it also poses a threat to maintaining confidentiality and permanence of data.
An active approach to data protection can safeguard important information from corruption, compromise or loss. The main aim of data protection strategy is ensuring that data can be restored quickly after any corruption or loss. Data duplication, creating multiple copies of the same data may also be practised. However, the best solution would be to create backups for the data. This could be physical backups such as disk-based storage arrays or tape cartridge devices. Alternatively, organizations which deal with huge amounts of data regularly prefer cloud backups.
To combat and triumph over an enemy, we must first research and read everything about it. Malware, phishing and pharming software can highly compromise data. Ransomware is a type of malware, which holds data hostage for an extortion fee. It is a growing problem where even traditional backup methods have failed at protecting data from ransomware. The latest version of the malware slowly infiltrates an organization’s data over time so the organization ends up backing up the ransomware virus along with the data. This situation makes it difficult, if not impossible, to roll back to a clean version of the data. In crucial, high-profile situations such as these, it is advisable to consult IT solution companies that can provide all-round protection for information. Data is the new oil of the digital economy, and needs as much protection.
In data protection disaster recovery and backup are two crucial, interrelated concepts. Disaster recovery focuses on how backups are used once a mishap happens, while backups are aimed at averting such disasters.
The latest data protection trends only seem to emphasize the gravity of keeping data secure. They include:
- Hyper-convergence- Hyperconvergence integrates software and hardware so that they can serve as a backup target for existing backup applications in the data center. With the advent of hyperconvergence, vendors have started offering appliances that provide backup and recovery for physical and virtual environments. Data protection capabilities integrated into hyper-converged infrastructure can replace a range of devices in the data center.
- Copy data management- It cuts down on the number of copies of data an organization must save, thereby reducing the overhead costs required to store and manage data, simplifying data protection.
The looming giant of data theft looms over us all, but we must not cower. Governments are updating laws about data protection and privacy in the best interests of individuals and corporates. The European Union constantly updates its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to protect organizations and individuals in their jurisdiction. The basics include:
- safeguarding the data
- getting consent from the person whose data needs to be collected
- identifying the regulations that apply to the organization and screening the data it collects (as individuals)
- ensuring that the employees are fully trained in the nuances of data privacy and security to efficiently deal with mishaps.
CYBERSECURITY
What we have grown to accept as our world is an alarmingly complex web of networks. Banks, government infrastructure and intelligence use networks and now it has become more important than ever to guard these networks.
Cyber-attacks and high-profile information leaks have raised major security concerns in the past, and their frequency is on the rise.
Cyber-attacks are now an international concern, as high-profile breaches have raised many concerns that could endanger the global economy. Cyber-attackers use malicious code and software that can compromise data and lead to cyber-crimes such as information and identity theft or system infiltration. Cybercrimes are one of the biggest threats the 21st-century faces because of the increasing dependence on electronic devices. They are alarmingly frequent and even highly secure government networks face data theft threats and they seek better cyber defence strategies.
Cyber-crime can be categorized into breaches in data security and sabotage. Data security breaches refer to the theft of personal data, intellectual property or trade secrets. Sabotage usually culminates in service attacks. These attacks flood web services with bogus messages, as well as more conventional efforts to disable systems and infrastructure. Giving access to cookies increases the occurrence of sabotage. At an individual level what we can do, is regularly update our devices with the latest security updates rolled out by the manufacturers to give our devices the best possible protection. This may not guarantee complete protection from such attacks, but it is surely a step in preventing them. Another valuable step would be to read the terms and conditions of applications before giving them access to the resources in your devices. This may seem tedious and even dispensable, but, it can go a long way in protecting information.
Commercial losses, public relations issues, disruption of operations and the possibility of extortion aside, cyber-attacks may also impose companies to a damaging loss of trust amongst customers and suppliers. With constant technical innovation come the new dangers of networking. Cybercriminals attack devices such as phones or entities like third-party cloud providers which are epicentres of information to cause maximum damage. The development of the Internet of Things, which enables communication between devices, is said to have boosted information misuse.
Such a rampant rise in cyber attacks has forced us to awaken to a new, unsafe world. At a time like this, it becomes imperative for us to protect our networks. Organizations often suffer massive losses due to cyber-attacks because they are not equipped with equally responsive and efficient defence strategies. Their cyber resilience is sorely tested during such attacks. Cyber resilience refers to the ability of an organization to restrict the impact of security incidents. It encompasses cybersecurity strategies and business continuity management. Cyber resilience has a two plank approach. The first plank focuses on preventing the attacks with measures such as continuous monitoring and threat reporting. The second plank focuses on developing appropriate response plans in the event of a cyber attack. Most businesses err at the second step.
For developing a sound cyber resilience plan, enterprises must first assess the risks they are exposed to. Regular risk assessment and reviews are essential. It is only after this that, formulating an incident response plan (as in the case of attacks) is possible.
Our phones have come to represent us, and we take refuge in them. When the question of protection arises, let’s take up security measures and fight, fight for ourselves, fight for protecting everything we stand for, fight in this brewing war.
