How emerging technologies can ensure robust cyber security

Technological advancements have to be embraced for the good of mankind. Either adapt or perish is the new normal in the digital era

The best use case example to the world for embracing emerging technologies is India and its digital India campaign under the leadership of honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Highlights of any new emerging technology should be the value it adds, accessibility and the affordability. Cyber Security should be an integral part of any new technology that is being adopted in an organisation. By using new-age innovative technologies, organizations can effectively fight the menace of cybersecurity threats and keep their data and information safe from unscrupulous hackers. 

New-age technologies are quickly making their way into functional procedures of organisations cutting across industries. While the integration of these innovations are enhancing the overall efficiency of firms, cybersecurity is the specific area where the benefits are of immense significance for firms. So, which are these new emerging technologies and how these can help to keep your organization safe from malicious hacking attempts, read on to find out:

1) Blockchain Technology:​​ Trust and integrity play a key role in information security.The prominent rise of blockchain technology can be easily attributed to its high level of safety and security credentials. The same principles of the open-ledger can be integrated into cyber security for enhancing the overall robustness of solutions. Just like the encryption and authentication techniques of blockchain, the cybersecurity space should also employ these procedures before allowing participants to log into the network. This will ensure  superior protection against hacking attempts and help companies effectively neutralize unauthorized access to systems. 

2) Multi-level Authentication: The integration of new innovations is facilitating the procedure of multi-level authentication for accessing the systems and networks. Take, for instance, the sixth-generation microprocessor invented by Intel named vPro Chips, these units are embedded within the hardware of the system and this combination of user authentication using both Software and Hardware has proven to be effective in keeping unscrupulous elements at bay. 

3) Decentralized Encryption: By using distributed-encryption technology, organizations can effectively tame the efforts of hackers to break into the data networks. The emergence of privacy-complementing computation methods is now leading efforts to ensure the safety aspects of data networks of corporations around the globe. The best part of the technology is that stakeholders can easily work, collaborate, and analyze data within the ecosystem while enjoying the highest grade of safety and security to their data and networks.  

4) Passwordless Authentication: Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) once considered secure can be bypassed and is prone to phishing/spear phishing attacks. We will see attacks on Biometrics in the coming days. Biometrics won't fix your authentication problems, as there are several flaws that organizations can’t avoid when exploring biometric authentication. If a user's biometric information is compromised, all accounts using this authentication method are at risk, and  the damage may be impactful. Technologies of passwordless authentication will help in implementing robust cybersecurity in an organisation.

5) Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation, and Machine Learning (ML): Today AI and ML are increasingly being used to offer protection against cyberattacks including malware, spyware, and ransomware. While these technologies are quite efficient in handling threats independently, the combined use of AI and ML can virtually make your organisation immune from cybersecurity attacks. By further incorporating automation, the deviations in the systems and networks can be detected on a real-time basis which takes the overall safety of the system a notch higher than before. 

6) Power of Supercomputers: Research conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found that supercomputers can significantly reduce breach attempts through the early detection of threat patterns. With their exceptionally high computing capacity, these machines can instantly make comparisons between normal and deviating patterns of the machines and networks. Accordingly, analysts can decide about the level of threat perception and take precautionary measures to counter ongoing or prospective attempts of hacking.  

7)  Distributed Cloud Technology: Covid-19 has taught us all the importance of having a distributed system of working and connecting with each other, albeit in a hard way. As a result, we are now witnessing the emergence of Distributed Cloud Technology. Under the system, data is distributed on clouds throughout the world although the operational command lies in the hands of a centralized service provider. This wide geographic spread considerably reduces the threat of centralized hacking and also helps the service provided to comply with specific regulatory frameworks of different nations. 

8) Behavioural Analytics: With ever-expanding the scope of Analytics, the discipline is now touted to become a game changer in the field of cybersecurity too. By closely studying the behaviour patterns of users and networks, analysts can easily detect both real-time and potential cybersecurity threats. For example, if you notice any sudden spike in data usage, it could be an indication of the real-time threat to the firm’s network and IT infrastructure. However, to achieve desirable results from behavioural analytics, this analysis technique must be used in a Holistic manner covering all stakeholders in the firm including individual users, systems, and their devices. 

Conclusion 

Business leaders must be ready for technological upheaval acknowledge the complexities of a safe digital ecosystem. In this day and time of enhanced data consumption and usage, it is absolutely mandatory for organisations to develop an all-encompassing approach toward cybersecurity solutions. The thrust of any such solution is to conceptualize and plan a holistic policy at the central level and then strive for its implementation in a modular and distributed manner. By only combining these opposite ends of the continuum, a robust and secure mesh can be created that will prove successful in countering all cybersecurity attacks on the organization. 

The article has been written by Saurabh Seth - VP eSec Forte Technologies