Challenges for Cybersecurity in a World of Quantum Computers
In the 2013 documentary Taming the Quantum World (1), physicists in the Canary Islands are working on a project to build a quantum computer by harnessing the mysterious powers of quantum physics. They hope to create a ‘global quantum internet’ that will instantaneously teleport a humungous amount of data to anywhere in the world, using […]
The In and Out of Insider Threats
The In and Out of Insider Threats ‘Trust no one, verify everyone’ is a mantra commonly referred to when speaking about Zero Trust Architecture (1). Threat actors are not just out there but are very much within our own circle of operation. Take the case of the Waymo self-driving car project of Google’s parent company […]
The Endless Need for Employee Education and Awareness in Cybersecurity
When employees of tech giants Google and Facebook, arguably amongst the most inviolable when it comes to scamming and certainly amongst the most updated when it comes to security awareness, fell for a phishing scam in 2015 (1) that resulted in approximately USD 100 million being lost, heads in the cybersecurity world turned and almost […]
Attacks on Critical Infrastructure – An Uphill Battle
In May 2021 when the gasoline supplies to the East Coast of the US went down as a consequence of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, nobody foresaw the mass panic that the hack would entail. Breaching the internal systems which controlled the company’s billing and supplies with the aid of a compromised password, DarkSide crippled […]
State-Sponsored Cyber Terrorism: A Harbinger of Things to Come
Introduction In the beginning, there was Stuxnet. The year was 2010, and the world had not yet encountered a cyberweapon. Stuxnet, a computer worm unleashed on Siemens systems deployed in Iran’s uranium facilities, successfully slowed down and significantly damaged the centrifuges used to separate elements in the uranium gas. Infecting the Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), […]
Dark Data: What It Is and Why It Need Not Be So Dark After All
There is an ominous ring to the word ‘dark’. The words dark web, dark matter, and dark night, to name just a few, evoke feelings of fear and anxiety. Dark data is no different. Getting its name from its invisible nature, dark data is being increasingly considered a problem in the making for organizations. Gartner […]
The Role of Automation in Cybersecurity
In the not-so-distant past, it was the done thing for Security Operating Centers (SOC) to manually address data breaches. Cyberattacks today however are so frequent, voluminous, and automated that such a reactive posture is no longer feasible. Entry points have grown. So too has the wherewithal of cybercriminals who have incorporated automation into their cyberattacks. […]
Mobile Is the New Target
It’s safe to say that the future of computers and communication lies not in the conventional desktop, but with mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The ease of operation, the single point benefits they offer, their price effectiveness, and their size make them a hot favorite, ideal to use from any place that provides […]
5G and IOT – Symbiotically Changing the World
Introduction When Graham Bell invented the first working telephone in 1876, almost a century and a half ago, never would he have imagined even in his wildest dreams where his invention would go, or what avenues would unfold as a consequence. Yet it wasn’t until another 60 years later in 1936 when Alan Turing built […]
Cyberterrorism – A Devastating Reality
One of the crudest but also true-to-life jokes about the advent of online goes like this: “Terrorist organizations have decided to get into online crime to keep up to date. They have just launched a new app called Pay-Up-Pal.” A joke, yes, but one that is driving cyber criminals today, hell-bent on making online fraud, […]
