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If we do our job, nothing happens

  • min read
    • There is a line in a 2019 keynote speech by Mikko Hypponen, the CRO of F-Secure that goes something like this: "If we do our job in cybersecurity, then nothing happens." It's so true and made me think of the times when various corporate executives challenge their investments in cybersecurity, wanting to see something tangible. Hypponen made this point by asking the audience to look around at the conference room where these conversations are taking place, asking them if it's cleaned to their satisfaction. If so, perhaps they should fire their cleaning staff, because they're no longer needed. Cleaning up the virtual dirt Now, the difference between your security engineering staff and your cleaners is obvious. You can't see all the virtual dirt and digital clutter that's building up across your network, the cruft of old software that needs updating and polishing, and the garbage that your users download onto their PCs that will leave them susceptible to attack. And that's part of the problem with cybersecurity: most things are invisible to mere mortals, and even specialists can't always agree on the best cyber-hygiene techniques. Most of us have an innate sense that mopping the floor before dusting the shelves above is the wrong way to go about cleaning the room. That's because we all understand (at least on a basic level) how gravity operates. But when it comes to cybersecurity, should we be changing our password regularly (some say yes, some say nay)? Or using complex strings of a certain length (some say 10 digits is fine, others say longer ones are needed)? Be prepared for a breach Hypponen ends his talk by saying that we must assume that we're all targets for someone, whether they're a hacker who's still in high school, or an international spy that's eager to get inside our company's network. He says: I agree completely. We must get better at seeing the virtual dirt on our networks. Building a better or bigger wall won't stop everyone and will just foster a false sense of cyber-immunity. And just because nothing happens, this doesn't mean that cybersecurity folks aren't hard at work. They're the cleaners we don't ever see, unless one day they fail to clean up. This article represents the personal opinion of the author.

Why clearing your digital clutter can boost your office’s data security defenses

  • min read
    • If you work in a digital environment, you know what it's like. Creating and storing sensitive documents every day, then sharing them with colleagues, suppliers, suppliers' employees… The list goes on. But did you know that without adequate encryption, access rights and secure storage, these documents can threaten your company's data security? We call it digital clutter – disorganized data that, left unchecked, can help hackers access your systems and expose your business's confidential customer and personal data. Let's take a look at why digital clutter can expose your business and what you can do about it. Why a fridge can talk about the threat of digital clutter I'll explain more after this video of comedian Josh Pieters pulling a (related) office prank. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wYXx35Av_k&feature=youtu.be Imagine a fridge. Filled with glorious, unlabeled and – in some cases – rotting food. Now, without those labels and someone to regulate what goes in or out – or a system to get rid of the dangerously out-of-date goods – people are free to take whatever they please. While that might be great (or not) for a hungry chancer, it's not good for the owner of the food. Or, in this case, the owner of the files – your business. Payroll information, photos of your cat, blueprints for a takeover or acquisition – whatever is on your server or cloud, it's easy for hackers or angry ex-employees to use it against you if not labeled, organized or encrypted properly. How digital clutter can affect data security Imagine: a group email chain at work. You bought a few people pizza last week. You send your bank details out for these lucky colleagues to pay you back. Has everyone deleted the email with your banking information? Probably not. This could leave your company, and your bank account, open to a cyberattack. Or your recent news of a pay rise. Congratulations! Have you stored the details somewhere safe on the server or the cloud? Is it password protected? If not, there's a high chance that one of your team members could find it. Swap the word 'team member' for 'organized hacker' and there's a problem. Organized hackers, malicious insiders, disgruntled ex-employees: digital clutter can help any of them to compromise your data security. There's also a chance that exposing your business's customer or personal data could lead to prosecution under local data regulations, like GDPR. The good news? You can skip all that stress with a few simple steps. Sort out your digital clutter today For the IT managers or IT security managers amongst you, we recommend telling your employees about the risks of digital clutter. Why? Because education is the most powerful form of defense. According to Kaspersky's Dmitry Aleshin, training your colleagues on how to prevent digital clutter will help you find your digital feng shui. In a nutshell: for every digital document and folder, you need to consider who has access, how long for and whether it needs to be encrypted. Customer data and financial plans, for example, need encrypting to the highest level. Bonus tip: just because you've lost a device or it's been stolen, it still needs encrypting, which a lot of endpoint security products offer. Find out more about the issue and how to fix it in Kaspersky's report on digital clutter. You can find a bucketload of stats to impress your colleagues with and help them secure their personal data. Lunchtimes will never be the same again.
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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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