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behind screen heathrow airport

Why cybersecurity education is taking off at Heathrow Airport

  • min read
    • You might not think of cybersecurity first when it comes to airport safety, but Jasvinder Pham, Head of Cyber Development and Assurance and Matthew Bourne, Cyber Security Manager, believes it's at the heart of London Heathrow's safety practice. And education is their most important protective gear against cybercriminals that use psychological tricks, also known as social engineering, on their staff. In Tomorrow Unlocked's video Next Departure: Fighting Cybercrime, Pham and Bourne outline how they're helping Heathrow staff see through cybercriminals' mind games. What is social engineering? And Pham says it's a common tactic. "Nine out of ten breaches are done through social engineering. At Heathrow, we tend to get scattergun emails across the whole estate. We call that phishing. They'll ask a user to enter login and password details or click a link." Learning to recognize the mind tricks Where phishing emails are a scattergun approach, the Heathrow cybersecurity team responds with carefully targeted cybersecurity education. They use internal advertising to raise staff awareness of social engineering techniques, then send out their own phishing-style test emails to see who takes the bait. It's part of a wider cybersecurity education program based on identifying those who can benefit most from the learning. Bourne says, "We've turned training courses on their head by asking the questions first. If you answer them all correctly, you don't need the training. If you don't, you can sometimes complete training in less than 10 minutes." Bourne believes cybersecurity training should resemble real-world cyberthreat situations. "We've started using live actors to get a bigger impact and bring it to the context of the airport." Customers are ready for better security Pham says Heathrow wants to be on the cutting edge of security technology, but it's not always easy. "We want to stay one step ahead, but I feel like we're one step behind." But Pham believes one thing on their side is staff and customer readiness to embrace the latest security features. "People use services like WhatsApp and multi-factor authentication in their home. They want more, so we need to make sure we don't miss out."
space infrastructure cybersecurity

Why aliens might be the next big cyber-hackers

  • min read
    • On Earth, we depend on what we've put into space. And like all critical infrastructure, space infrastructure needs cybersecurity. It's a vital backbone for sensitive systems and tasks that support economies, communication and science. Increased technology in critical infrastructure means improved service, but it also means more ways for intruders to attack. We use satellites to communicate and monitor weather, but also to explore space. Increasing space missions also bring new ways to attack. And whenever a new technology emerges, it attracts hacktivists, organized state cybercriminals and cyber mercenaries. We must learn from past mistakes and put cybersecurity front and center while expanding space operations. Layers of space infrastructure Like typical critical infrastructure, space infrastructure has three main layers. Corporate network or user segment Typical critical infrastructure has a corporate network that hosts email, file servers, digital services and so on. In space infrastructure, it's called the 'user segment,' and it's where administrators and systems operators process data from all segments. Field layer or space segment Space probes, sensors, satellites and other things that collect data from the environment are the 'space segment.' In traditional critical infrastructure, it's the field layer. The space segment facilitates long-range communication and monitoring services to the ground segment. Supervisory or ground segment We need a layer between connecting field devices with the corporate network for monitoring and processing data. It's called the supervisory segment in critical infrastructure or the 'ground segment' in space. The ground segment receives space communications, and monitors and controls spacecraft like satellites, telescopes and probes. Each segment hosts systems, networks and devices and provides a set of services to other segments. When a service or device is network-connected, it's exposed to cyber threats. Cyberthreats in space Cyberattacks can enter space infrastructure through corporate networks (the user segment,) satellites, satellite communication and any system that connects to the space network. As early as 2022, 4G towers on the moon could be another entry point. We don't often hear about cyberattacks on space infrastructure, but they happen, which is why some countries are expanding their space cyber defense. In 2019, the US government established the Space Force as its sixth armed force. The Space Force protects US interests in space, including cyber operations. In the same year, NASA found a rogue device, a Raspberry Pi, stealing sensitive information undetected for 10 months. Cyberattacks affect space agencies like all big organizations. Cybercriminals target their networks for many reasons. As well as targeting space networks' user segment, threat actors target communication between ground stations and satellites, eavesdropping and spying. We also see an arms race in space warfare. Global powers are establishing space units within armed forces, while others are taking it to the next level with kamikaze satellites. But seriously, alien cyber-hackers So far, we've discussed human-generated threats. But there are also non-human and unintentional threats like space junk, solar flares and thunderstorms that affect space infrastructure and cause disruptions on Earth. Future of space exploration More countries than ever are launching missions to space. In 2020 alone, China, the United Arab Emirates and the US launched missions to Mars while China's rover has been exploring the Martian surface. NASA's Artemis program aims to place the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024, to study and collect information for planning a base camp on its south pole for the next giant leap – sending humans to Mars. Once, only governments were in space, but private companies are now taking over the space race. Here are my predictions for the future of space exploration. We'll fly by rocket instead of airplane We're always looking for the fastest way to travel. On the ground, the proposed Hyperloop could reach speeds of 760 miles an hour – 50 percent faster than commercial jets. Meanwhile, Elon Musk wants to fly people in rockets instead of airplanes, avoiding friction and air resistance to make speeds up to 17,000 miles per hour, or London to Dubai in under 30 minutes. Space tourism will be a norm Space tourism is right around the corner. We'll see hotels in orbit as our newest 'getaway' on a whole new level. Gateway Foundation announced plans to open the first space hotel, Voyager Station, as early as 2027. As we learn how to survive in conditions different from Earth, we'll also see vacation destinations on the moon and Mars. Robots are the new astronauts Artificial Intelligence is prominent in our lives today. It's just a matter of time before we have robots capable of doing anything humans can do, including becoming astronauts. We can design robots to withstand harsh conditions on different planets. There are already semi-autonomous machines like Perseverance on Mars, but their computational intelligence is limited. As technology advances, we'll send robots powered by supercomputers to discover the unknown. Human colonies on planets and moons Humans will venture into space and start colonizing solar system planets and moons. We're already planning bases on the moon and Mars, so it's just a matter of time until we see sustainable colonies hosting thousands, if not millions, of people. Infrastructure will also progress to host hospitals, farms and schools. We'll mine space resources To settle on a planet, we'll need to mine its raw materials. Water could be highly valuable on other planets because it can be broken down to hydrogen for rocket fuel and oxygen to breathe. Space mining will be one of the most crucial industries for humans going interplanetary. This space future, or any other we imagine, will need IT infrastructure and communication, and like space infrastructure today, will have ways for cybercriminals – alien or human – to attack. We must remember space infrastructure is already crucial to life on Earth and protect it accordingly. Cybercriminals have already shown they can hide a Raspberry Pi from NASA, and they'll have many more tricks up their sleeves. Let's make sure we explore the solar system and the universe in the safest way we can.
history of electricity

Electricity’s history has surprising lessons for innovation

  • min read
    • Innovation is sometimes in seeing what's right in front of you. "Why is electricity valuable?" asked William Gladstone, British Prime Minister from 1868 to 1874. Renowned physicist Michael Faraday replied, "One day, sir, you may tax it." He understood electricity's vast potential and how to get Gladstone's attention. Today, without electricity, most economies would falter. It powers nearly all technologies. With several landmark anniversaries for electricity in 2020, the story of electricity has a lot to tell us about potential. Electricity was never invented Electricity occurs in nature. Civilizations gradually worked out how to use it. Ancient Egyptians thought electric fish protected other fish. In the Roman Empire, people touched these fish, thinking the powerful jolt could cure gout and headache. The ancient Greeks thought amber had magnetic, magical properties after seeing that rubbing amber with cats' fur attracted feathers – the triboelectric effect, or static electricity. 200 years ago, in 1820, Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted noticed his compass needle deflected from magnetic north when he switched his battery on and off. His research showed electric currents produce a magnetic field. The race to illuminate the world was on. Mavericks on dangerous, high-voltage quests The Baroque era was the unlikely birthplace of electronic music. The Golden Dionysus, created in 1748 by Czech theologian Václav Prokop Diviš, used electrically-charged magnets to excite keyboard strings, creating sounds that mimicked other instruments, like the harpsichord, lute and flute. It also performed a practical joke on its player: Giving them an electric shock. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin flew a kite with a metal key attached during a lightning storm. This, and similar experiments by others, led to the lightning rod's invention and understanding of positive and negative charges. The 1870s brought the race to commercialize electricity and the war of the currents. Nikola Tesla demonstrated his invention, alternating current (AC,) by dazzling audiences with an illuminated lightbulb held in his hands – a neat trick using his body as a conductor. Thomas Edison, who developed direct current (DC,) played dirty. He dubbed AC a menace to public safety and made sure the electric chair used AC, so people would associate it with danger. Later, the rival technologies merged as AC/DC, bringing electricity safely into workplaces and homes. 19th-century engineers like Bell, Kelvin and von Siemens turned electricity from a curiosity to an everyday essential. The incandescent lightbulb let factories operate around the clock, and the electric motor accelerated the industrial revolution. Welcome to the mass communication age The electric telegraph launched the mass communication age – initially delivered via telegraph poles before underwater cables were laid transatlantic. Communication no longer relied on newspapers or snail mail. Radio's invention began mass broadcasting. In 1900, priest Roberto Landell de Moura transmitted his voice five miles across São Paulo, Brazil. In November 1920, the first commercial radio station broadcast the results of the US presidential election from KDKA in Pittsburgh. A hundred years later, the same story will go out on digital platforms, including HD radio and web streaming. Music to manifest the future Radio technology also allowed the commercialization of electronic music. Around 1920, Moscow scientist Leon Theremin was researching how to measure the density of gas using audio proximity sensors. Also a cello player, Theremin realized his work could bring about a new way to make music. The theremin seemed to symbolize the enigmatic futurism of electricity. Blessed by Soviet leader Lenin, it wooed (literally, the theremin has an ethereal, warbling sound) concert audiences throughout the world as a manifestation of Lenin's 'Soviet power through electrification.' Some of those in the amazed audiences thought it was magic. Despite its shortcomings – a strange appearance and difficulty playing traditional western melodies without keys or strings – many players worldwide still try to tame this enchanting instrument, I among them. The theremin's technologies later brought the synthesizer and drum machine. Without it, we may never have heard electronic music – from Kraftwerk to Hip Hop. In 1927, Leon Theremin used similar technologies to invent the first wireless television, but much of his pioneering inventions were shrouded in secrecy behind the iron curtain. From 1947 until today, and into the future The next evolution in electricity came faster. Mainstream computing started small, with the invention of the transistor in 1947. Integrated circuits now have several billion tiny transistors squeezed onto a small board. By 1959, Bell Labs found they could produce more compact transistors with silicon, starting the silicon or digital age. Electricity's slow move into our homes and workplaces makes me wonder, what if we'd harnessed it sooner? Could society have advanced faster? Maybe not. Nikola Tesla and Leon Theremin found some fame but little fortune in their lifetimes. They were in the right place at the wrong time. And so was Hero of Alexandria. In 10CE, he made the first steam engine and automated devices such as a coin-operated vending machine, inventing both steam power and cybernetics. But empire leaders didn't see the potential, perhaps because Ancient Greece was already powered by a cheap and plentiful source of free labor. Electrical growing pains Growing electricity consumption signals a growing economy. Between 1900 and 1930, US demand grew 12 percent each year. There's now similar growth in China and India. The electricity industry is in existential crisis: How can it help us prosper while negating the effects of climate change? In April 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic slowed industry, the UK went two months without burning coal for the first time in 230 years. Global industry is targeting zero emissions from coal. Investment in renewable energies – like wind, solar and tidal – must accelerate to ween us off polluting coal, oil and risky nuclear power. There's some way to go: Renewables are just 28 percent of global electricity generation. Fortunately, there are many tech start-ups committed to ingenious solutions to meet the challenges of finding new sources of power. New Zealand's Vortex Power Systems generates low-carbon electricity from waste heat from thermal processes. A controllable vortex, similar to a waterspout, is created from differences between temperate and water vapour. This circulates to produce wind, like a controlled tornado, which connects to a wind turbine to produce electricity. Digital technologies use a lot of energy Digital transformation has shifted interactions from the real world to the cloud, but the internet isn't 'green' – Swedish Royal Institute of Technology KTH estimates the internet made up 10 percent of global electricity use in 2019. Data centers alone use as much electricity as some mid-size developing nations. Illegitimate internet use is a new threat. Cryptojacking is illicit hacking of computers for power-intensive cryptomining and the subject of extensive Kaspersky research in 2018. Businesses can take practical steps to reduce their carbon footprint, like optimizing website pages and choosing cloud providers with better environmental credentials. Smarter workplace design can also reduce electricity use. Protecting critical infrastructure Electricity helps industry thrive and communities grow. It means better economic, health and education performance. Like gas, water, and, many now say, the internet, it must operate around the clock. But it's not a right for all: 13 percent of the world's population don't have access to electricity. It's no surprise who's missing out: The worst-off communities in Sub-Saharan Africa. When electricity fails, business and society quickly falter. It's not just developing countries hit. In 1974, the UK responded to an oil crisis with a 'three-day week.' Commercial electricity was strictly limited, with early curfews on TV broadcasts and pub openings. A political flashpoint triggered as coal miners went on strike. People speculated that to keep the lights on, the army may have to be called in to transport coal. Today, cybercrime groups linked to nation states sabotage critical infrastructure. In 2016, an attack on a Ukraine power company left 225,000 citizens in the dark. Cyber safety is as vital as physical safety for the energy industry. Electricity as a human right The evolution of electricity shows mavericks spearheaded innovation, just in time to accelerate the industrial revolution and take us into the digital age. Electricity must become a right for everyone. Nations should enshrine access for all citizens and work with energy companies to protect supply. Lives depend on it. As electricity consumers, in work and life, we must think about the products and services we buy, and how we use our devices, to protect this precious resource.
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Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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