It would be very accurate to compare cybersecurity to an arms race. Like two nations struggling to obtain the latest and best weaponry, both hackers and cybersecurity professionals are constantly looking for new tools with which to defeat one another. This is one of the main reasons that top-tier cybersecurity can end up being so expensive, but that isn’t our topic for today. Instead, we want to go over five emerging cybersecurity technologies and how they are likely to affect things in the future.
The Counterattack Approach
Cyber-attacks have become a massive global problem and they only seem to get worse with every passing year. We have now reached a point where criminals and criminal groups are regularly able to steal millions of dollars from companies, organizations, and sometimes even governments. Worse yet, they aren’t usually caught, even if their attack fails. As such, it is time to evaluate new solutions, and one of the most promising solutions is the idea of “hacking the hackers.”
Without a significant deterrent, this problem will never be solved. Hackers must know that they cannot do these things without taking huge risks, but that is not the case at present. Thankfully, we aren’t the only ones who have considered this approach. For example, take a look at the recent disappearance of REvil, a hacker group that was probably based in Russia.
Based on the information we have (which isn’t much), it seems likely that the U.S. government and/or the Russian government finally took action against these people, knocking all their sites offline. We applaud this action and hope that it indicates a future trend.
Bio-metric Identification Methods
One of the biggest inherent problems with cybersecurity is the relative anonymity of the internet. It is very difficult to ascertain someone’s identity with any real certainty when they are using the web, and there are many ways to spoof someone else’s credentials. That’s where biometric identification might come to play a larger role in the future.
Bio-metric identification would include things like handprint scans, fingerprint scans, retinal scans, or facial scans. It is much more difficult to fake this kind of thing, of course. We are not advocating for the use of this technology in all aspects of life (as that would be immoral and oppressive), the pinpointed use of biometric ID could turn out to be a real boon for the cybersecurity industry.
The Use Of Machine Learning
Machine learning is the basis of artificial intelligence, and it is beginning to make its way into the cybersecurity field. For a long time, people have avoided the large-scale use of AI in cybersecurity software. This is because, naturally, the AI must be completely trustworthy. The creation of a trustworthy AI doesn’t seem to be very easy, but the technology is improving year by year.
At the present time, the behavior of even the best AI’s is still too erratic. Thus, it wouldn’t be smart to trust your security to a bot. Nevertheless, it is safe to assume that this situation is going to change. The only question lies in when and how it will change. At present, the only real obstacle is a lack of consumer confidence.
IoT Security Solutions
You have probably heard about some of the various “smart devices” on the market and you might even have one or two in your home. While these things offer a lot of conveniences, they also offer an easy way for cyber-attackers to penetrate your defenses. These devices are often equipped with little or no security measures, making them very attractive to malicious hackers.
As these devices become more common, there is no doubt that this major gap must be addressed. That is going to create opportunities for cybersecurity professionals and companies to try some new things and close some serious holes in the armor of these IoT devices. Due to their automated nature, these things could easily become tools for the prevention of attacks or the reporting of data related to those attacks. There are already some organizations working to make this a reality.
Virtualization
The act of virtualization (sometimes called “sandboxing“) is not a new idea, but it is a chronically under-used idea. The idea is to create a duplicate system within a real one. That way, you have a totally segregated duplicate for testing purposes. So, for instance, let’s say you get a suspicious email with an equally suspicious link. If you report it to the authorities or your cybersecurity team, they can investigate the link by opening it in a virtual system. It’s kind of like the “holodeck” on Star Trek, and it really has an unlimited amount of security potential.
One great possibility is the idea of using a virtual system as a “honeypot” with which to catch hackers. Of course, hackers have developed numerous methods of stealing data, and all of these could be used against them by such a virtual system. Basically, you make things look totally legit from the outside, and that is the bait in the trap. Once they are inside, all their keystrokes and network information can be captured and used to prosecute them. This approach is already being used for research purposes, but we think it can do a lot more.
Conclusion
All of these trends are likely to continue well into the future, but there is no way to know for sure. In the end, there is no substitute for a qualified hand at the wheel, and that is where providers of expert cybersecurity services come into the picture. At PCH Technologies, we understand the importance of good cybersecurity. As a managed security service provider and a leading managed IT support company, we have all the right tools and people to make sure that you get the best security in the present. If you would like to know more about what we can do for you, feel free to call us at (856) 754-7500.