Cyber System In The Digital Age

CYBER SYSTEMS IN THE DIGITAL AGE  

The bad news is that the cyber systems that have become the underpinning of virtually all of aspects of life in the digital age are becoming increasing less secure. There are multiple reasons for this distressing trend. First, the system is getting technologically weaker. Virtually no one writes code or develops “apps” from scratch. We are still relying on many of the core protocols designed in the 1970s and 80s. These protocols were designed to be “open,” not secure. Now the attacking community is going back through these core elements of the Internet and discovering still new vulnerabilities.

So as new functionalities come online, their own vulnerabilities are simply added to the existing and expanding vulnerabilities they are built upon. The reality is that the fabric of the Internet is riddled with holes, and as we continue to stretch that fabric, it is becoming increasingly less secure. Additionally, vulnerabilities in many open source codes, widely in use for years, are becoming increasingly apparent and being exploited by modern “zero-day”

The bad guys are getting better. Just after the turn of the century, the NSA coined a new term, the “APT,” which stood for the advanced persistent threat. The APT referred to ultra-sophisticated cyberattack methods being practiced by advanced nation-state actors. These attacks were characterized by their targeted nature, often focused on specific people instead of networks, their continued and evolving nature, and their clever social engineering tactics. These were not “hackers” and “script kiddies.” These were pros for whom cyberattacks were their day job. They were also characterized by their ability to compromise virtually any target they selected. APTs routinely compromised all anti-virus intrusion detection and best practices. They made perimeter defense obsolete. Now these same attack methods, once practiced only by sophisticated nation-states, are widely in use by common criminals. The increasing professionalism and sophistication of the attack community is fueled by the enormous profits cyberattacks attacks, and the patching system we have relied on to remediate the system can’t keep pace. In 2015 Symantec estimates there are now more than a million malicious apps in existence. In fast-moving, early stage industry, developers have a strong incentive to offer new functionality and features, but data protection and privacy policies tend to be a lesser priority. The risks created by the core of the system becoming intrinsically weaker is being further magnified by the explosion of access points to the system, many with little or no security built into their development.

Conclusively: Some analysts are already asserting that there are more mobile devices than there are people on the earth. If that is not yet literally true, it will shortly be. It is now common for individuals to have multiple mobile devices and use them interchangeably for work and leisure often without substantial security settings. Although this certainly poses a risk of data being stolen directly from smartphones, the greater concern is that mobile devices are increasingly conduits to the cloud, which holds increasing amounts of valuable data.

By:  KIYABO NELLY

      BAPRM 42587