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identity theft university

How one university’s stolen student IDs caused a crime wave

  • min read
    • Cybercriminals see education as an amazing opportunity. But they're not taking classes or gaining qualifications – they target universities and other educational institutions for the wealth of personal information they hold. In Tomorrow Unlocked's video The Backdoor into Campus, Royal Holloway, University of London cybersecurity experts talk about how a major identity theft incident on campus happened and how they're working to keep students and staff safe in future. How educational institutions are attacked Universities and colleges often have many people using their systems, like staff, students and visitors. They also offer many kinds of services online. Mike Johnson, Chief Information Officer at Royal Holloway, University of London, describes a recent security incident. "A staff member's credentials were stolen and used to send convincing offers of part-time work to students. Some students undertook the work and were paid. But they were overpaid, then asked to return some of the money. It was money laundering on a significant scale." Why cybercriminals love stealing identities "Commonly, we find those who try to attack us are looking to harvest identities," says Johnson. "When they've got them, they'll try to harvest more until they're sure they can attack us in the way they want to." Education can stop attacks on education It's all about authentication, says Keith Martin, Professor of Information Security at Royal Holloway, University of London: Knowing the person trying to access something online is the person they say they are. "Imagine a front door. Whoever has the key can open it. To breach that, you need to get hold of the key. Entering a country is more high security: Border control looks at credentials like a passport and the person submitting it." Professor Martin continues, "In cyberspace, it's a bigger problem because we can't see who's asking for access. The most popular authentication is a password, but passwords are like keys – easily copied or stolen. So we need to use the passport model – asking for multiple things to gain access." That's called multi-factor authentication. You'd need more than a password to gain access, such as a code sent by SMS or biometrics, like a fingerprint. Senior security researcher at Kaspersky, Noushin Shabab, says for the best security, multi-factor authentication should combine biometrics like facial recognition with another credential. Developing 'cyber common sense' in education Professor Martin says the most important thing anyone can do to keep their identity safe is to develop 'cyber common sense.' "Hesitate before doing anything in cyberspace – if you're sent a link or a message asking for information, ask, why do they want this?" Johnson feels education institutes are perfect places to learn cybersecurity awareness. "We've got to be willing to have a conversation with students about digital security and what protecting their identities means. We're educators – we're well placed to help people operate in an environment they'll operate in for a long time."
virtual reality VR education

Learning in 3D: How virtual reality is changing higher education

  • min read
    • In 1989 film Back to the Future II, set in an imagined California of 2015, virtual reality (VR) headsets are as common as our smartphones. Protagonist Marty McFly, seen in the first Back to the Future traveling to the 1950s and nearly erasing his existence, in the future finds his teenage offspring glued to their VR headsets. Beyond the real year 2015, VR is yet to become a fixture in our lives. But it's fast-growing – a study by Artillery Intelligence predicted VR will reach 25 percent of US internet users by 2023. Global shipments of VR and augmented reality (AR) headsets are set to reach 43.5 million by 2025 – a 690 percent growth on 2020 numbers. Part of this growth may be in VR's potential to change how future generations study, with immersive experiences giving learners a deeper understanding of their topic. "The limits are near endless. History teachers take students to the battleground and recreate battles. Instructors give virtual tours of museums, and students create 3D models of bridges and buildings, then stress-test them with weather effects," says Jonathan Kinsey, Senior Instructional Designer at Collegis Education, a higher education technology services provider. "It's an excellent tool for applying knowledge," he adds. Gur Windmiller, Astronomy instructor at the San Diego University, says, "I think VR can be used wherever content lends itself to the combination of immersion, interactivity and 3D spatial geometry. With enough funding, I can see many subjects benefitting from VR." Steven King, professor at University of North Carolina's Hussman School of Journalism and Media, built a 3D virtual version of his classroom, letting students walk about, talk to each other and form groups. "I feel like I'm engaging in class — a community aspect I would not have gotten from Zoom," said one of King's students in university news, The Daily Tar Heel. 3D visualizing in medical sciences Teaching anatomy and neurology involves translating a mass of complex, three-dimensional data into two-dimensional images for learning. Tod Clapp, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University, says, "We got into VR because we wanted to find something that could solve the problem of students trying to translate two-dimensional images into three dimensions." Colorado State University built the world's first large-scale VR lab – 2,500 square feet equipped with 100 computers and VR headsets. Anatomy students can work in 'pods' of four, interacting with each other in the VR environment. "Students reported the course to be as engaging, or more engaging, than a face-to-face course," continues Clapp. Since Colorado State University was pioneering the use of VR on this scale in education, most course content had to be developed in-house – a huge undertaking, but one Clapp considers worth the effort. "In materials science data, we've had some collaborators looking at the way atoms align in metals. That's been exciting because when I look at it in three dimensions and collaborate with colleagues in three dimensions, it's intuitive." Traveling back in time with VR History buffs may have wondered what it was like to be a gladiator in Rome's Colosseum in 80 AD. Or to have roamed Pompeii's streets in 79 AD, seeing monuments, frescoes and public baths. Or when the Great Pyramid at Giza was built during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu in 2500 BC. With VR, history students can explore ancient civilizations almost as if they were there. In 2018, for the first time, anthropology students from Harvard University in the US and Zhejiang University, China "traveled" to the Giza Plateau and studied the tombs and Sphinx from their respective VR-equipped classrooms. About 7,000 miles away from each other, the two student groups worked together as avatars examining tombs and studying Egyptian hieroglyphs. More recently, apps like KingTut VR, Timelooper, and Trench Experience VR let students visit King Tutankhamun's tomb, experience World War II and virtually time travel around the world, all from a VR headset. Meanwhile, portals like ClassVR bring VR history curriculums to the classroom, letting students visit Stonehenge, the tomb of Ramesses VI or the Acropolis of Athens. News publishers like The New York Times and BBC have also released impressive VR learning experiences. Medical emergency practice without risk Nurses need to make fast decisions about patient care in high-stakes, stressful situations. Trainers have previously relied on 'manikins' – life-sized models – to demonstrate and let students practice. There's no scope for controlled crisis scenarios where student nurses can practice thinking on their feet. VR can bridge this gap. In 2019, West Carolina University's School of Nursing conducted a trial VR simulation. Participants were introduced to a virtual environment where a patient had experienced a severe allergic reaction. The virtual patient, whom a cat had bitten, was given an antibiotic which led to the patient going into anaphylactic shock. The participants had to deal with the emergency while the patient's condition worsened rapidly. Patricia Rade, a senior nursing major, told the university news, "It felt like I was at the scene and dealing with an actual emergency. It was a great experience. I had to use my knowledge and critical thinking skills to prioritize the best action." As well as simulating scenarios that would be hard to replicate, VR can reduce training costs that in some countries fall on students. Jonathan Kinsey of Collegis Education says, "Nurses probably need more tools than anyone – tools that need to be bought every time. VR gives us the chance to say, "Wait, let's replace this recurring expense with an up-front cost and never worry about it again."" More engaging, hands-on learning Students must often grapple with a flat and uninspired form of learning with online learning: Staring at a screen. But virtual classrooms can be more engaging, allowing better retention than even face-to-face classrooms. Students can interact with each other using avatars, look closer at what they're learning about and be physically involved in the subject. Windmiller says, "There is no question in my mind that VR is extremely engaging, especially being novel and different from anything else the students are doing." Clapp agrees, saying, "We see each other's avatars, and you reflexively turn to that person when you're talking to them. So, for us, VR has proven valuable for working and looking at three-dimensional data, and it's also highly engaging." A 2020 study showed how efficient VR learning can be, with a 75 percent retention rate over 5 and 10 percent respectively for lectures and reading. The only form of learning that beat VR was teaching others, with a retention rate of 90 percent. Another study in a Beijing classroom compared VR with traditional methods and reported students taught using VR scored 27 to 32 percent higher in tests. As with any connected technology, VR has its share of privacy and cybersecurity concerns. It may store sensitive personal data and is vulnerable to data breach and 'deep fakes – artificial video footage that closely mimics how a real person acts and sounds. Anyone investing in VR should learn about reducing cybersecurity and privacy risk and follow security steps like encrypting sensitive data and keeping firmware up to date. VR has much to offer in education, improving engagement, information retention and facilitating hard-to-replicate experiences, from high-pressure situations they'd face on a job or traveling back in time to see historical events play out. Although its adoption is far from widespread, headsets are selling fast, and big players are entering the market for developing VR learning experiences. With privacy and security at the forefront of our minds, VR could open new levels of skill, competence and opportunity for the next generation.
women who shaped computing

We should all know about these women who shaped cybersecurity

  • min read
    • The UK's National Health Service (NHS) asks, "Is cyber a man's world?" It's a provocative statement to promote cybersecurity careers to women, but why should we be asking this question today? Surely cyber and computing careers are for everyone. So why are many women tuning out? Today's working wisdom is that diversity benefits teams, but there's slow progress in getting more women to join technology-led careers and keeping them on board. Human computers: The first data scientists The word 'computer,' coined in 1613, was first used for humans who performed computation. Many of the best were women: Nicole-Reine Etable de la Brière Lepaute helped predict Halley's Comet's return in 1758. A century later, Maria Mitchell plotted the planet Venus's motion, earning an astronomy professorship. When the US Civil War ended in 1865, war widows needed to support themselves. Women were hired as human computers. Agnes Meyer Driscoll, known as 'Madame X,' led the decoding of Japanese ciphers and manuals for the US during both world wars. Women solved the ultimate Enigma Britain's Alan Turing is famed for cracking the Nazi's 'Enigma' code during World War II, but it wasn't the work of a lone genius. Of Bletchley Park's codebreaking team, 75 percent were women. Turing's colleague Joan Clarke worked out how to speed up decoding double-encrypted messages, but unlike many of her male colleagues, her technique wasn't named after her. Clarke's job title didn't match her expertise – there was no 'senior female cryptanalyst' role, so she was given the job title 'linguist.' Painstaking calculation devalued as 'kilo-girls' The dominance of women as human computers cloaked an inconvenient truth. Their work was on average better, and they were cheaper than male counterparts. The Harvard Computers, mockingly called "Pickering's harem," supported Edward Pickering at Harvard Observatory in the 1880s, doing work men and scholars found tedious, unpaid or at a fraction of what men earned. The term 'kilo-girl' came about in the 1940s to describe complex calculations seen as 'women's work.' We measure computing power in gigabytes or terabytes, but they measured kilo-girl hours – one kilo-girl was a thousand hours of painstaking calculations. The kilo-girls work was far from trivial: In the 1950s, Gladys West's calculations for the US Naval Weapons Laboratory led to GPS's development. Computing becomes a man's world By the 1960s, human computing had given way to machines. In the 1940s programmers were mostly women, but by the end of the 1960s women made up 30 to 50 percent. Women were still paid less and few were promoted to leadership. The perception computing is for men and boys started at home. A 1984 report showed 1 in 5 girls used a computer at home, compared with 1 in 2 boys. Female computer science graduates peaked in 1984 at 37 percent, before steadily declining. Academic Wendy Hall says by the 1990s, men led professional computing and computers "were sold as toys for boys." Ten women from computer history to know Ada Lovelace invents the first algorithm Publishing the first algorithm in 1843, Ada Lovelace is said to be the world's first computer programmer. She realized Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine could do more than calculation: Combining mathematics and analysis. Ada Lovelace Day celebrates women's achievements in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and encourages young women to follow her path. Hedy Lamarr averts the Cuban Missile Crisis 1940s Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr co-invented a frequency-hopping method to control torpedoes remotely without the risk of signal tracking or jamming. Naval ships were using the technology by the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. It later became part of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Grace Hopper invents new ways to code Grace Hopper created the first compiler for a programming language. She programmed and wrote a comprehensive manual for an electro-mechanical computer based on Babbage and Lovelace's Analytical Engine, Harvard Mark I. She wasn't credited for this but is widely miscredited for coining the term 'bug' when a moth caused her computer to malfunction. She later developed computer programming language COBOL (common business-oriented language) and invented new symbolic ways to write code. Margaret Hamilton took us to the moon The 1969 moon landing wouldn't have happened without Margaret Hamilton, who programmed Apollo's flight software.It needed more 'human computing:' After Hamilton's programming, seamstresses hardwired the code by threading copper wire through magnetic rings. Elizabeth "Jake" Feinler organized the internet At Stanford University in 1969, Elizabeth "Jake" Feinler created the first internet directory, ARPANET, alongside mostly female staff. By the early 1970s, they'd put together the first WHOIS directory of web domain ownership. Feinler suggested categorizing domains by where the computer was, like .edu domains for educational institutions. Women who built new audiences for technology Organizing, building relationships and human factors – often thought of as female traits – are critical in computing projects' success and creating demand for new services. Joan Ball set up the first computer-aided dating service in 1964. In 1988, Stacy Horn started a community in New York, the East Coast Hang Out (ECHO,) where users could chat online. Game designer Brenda Laurel's research showed girls wanted to play more interactive character computer games. In the 1990s, her company Purple Moon developed a best-selling game series inspired by that research. In the 1970s, Joan Margaret Winters researched how software should consider human factors for IBM's SHARE project. When you see the iconic trash symbol on your Apple Mac, thank Susan Kare. She worked with Steve Jobs to design its original icons. Today's influencers for women in cybersecurity When young people see people who look like them succeed in a career, they're more likely to choose it. For women considering going into cybersecurity, there's no shortage of inspiration. Parisa Tabriz, the self-styled "Security Princess" (official title: Director of Engineering,) runs Google's security testing labs. Eva Galperin, Director of Cybersecurity at Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF,) fights for digital privacy, security and civil liberties. Eva Galperin helps women secure their devices against stalkers and spying ex-partners. Rebecca Bace's threat intrusion detection work at the US National Security Agency contributed to famous hacker Kevin Mitnick's arrest. The cybersecurity community nicknamed her 'Den Mother' for her vital mentorship and advice and posthumously inducted her into the 2019 Cyber Security Hall of Fame. Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE creates skills training and certification to encourage young women to pursue cyber careers through her company Stemettes. Jane Frankland, security entrepreneur and author of InSecurity: Why a failure to attract and retain women in cybersecurity is making us all less safe, helps the C-Suite (senior management) attract and retain women in cybersecurity. Attracting and retaining more women in IT careers In the UK, the proportion of women in IT has stayed at 16 percent for the past decade. But in many countries, such as those in Central Asia, women make up nearly half of the IT workforce. It's the gender-equality paradox: In countries with less gender equality, educated women seek careers with more income security, while in countries with better gender equality, women avoid careers said to discriminate against women. There are green shoots of progress. Kaspersky's 2021 Women in tech report surveyed women in four global regions. Encouragingly, 57 percent say gender equality is improving in their organization. Despite this, 44 percent think male colleagues progress faster. COVID-19 has brought one step forward: 1 in 2 think remote working has improved gender equality – but 60 percent say they're now doing "most" of the housework and homeschooling. In the report, Dr. Ronda Zelezny-Green, Co-Founder and Director of Panoply Digital, says change is slow because "too much activity around gender equality in IT focuses on one-off gimmicks and band-aid solutions that can be spotlighted in the press, instead of focusing on female employees and actions that will make a sustained difference in their professional lives." Dr. Zelezny-Green thinks we should entice more women into the industry by creating new products and services for women. Widely-reported diversity problems with Artificial intelligence (AI) could be seen as an opportunity: "There's huge potential in telling the stories of Timnit Gebreu and Joy Buolamwini, black women leading the charge for more ethical and inclusive AI design. These stories make inroads in IT and tech roles where women are currently underrepresented." In a prosperous future, we won't need to ask, "Is cyber a man's world?" or "Where are the women in cyber?" They're not hiding under the desk. They're making change, but in another industry. We're on the right path, but it's a long journey ahead. With more women, we can better create products that represent users and benefit from a gender-equal computing industry.
cybersecurity predictions 2021

What does 2021 have in store for cybersecurity?

  • min read
    • Predicting the future is notoriously precarious. Who would have foreseen a year like 2020? Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team reflect on this year in cybercrime and deduce what we should expect in 2021. Leaked patient records and COVID pressures in healthcare 2020 was the year everyone had a vested interest in new medical technologies' success. Cybercriminals attacked medical devices, hospitals and research institutions, intent on stealing COVID-19 vaccine insights. We also saw the first known directly fatal cyberattack: A patient died because ransomware infection of medical equipment caused care delays. Other cybercrime groups surprised us by ruling out attacking medical institutions. The cybersecurity community set up CTI League: Experts helping medical organizations respond to cyberthreats. Kaspersky gave healthcare organizations free access to tailored cybersecurity. In 2021, expect more attacks on COVID-19 vaccine developers attempting to steal critical data that could help other nations get ahead. Private healthcare organizations will further come under attack, as many don't have the resources to protect valuable patient data. With the transition to cloud computing, we may see patient data leaks from cloud services. Criminals can use personal data in hacked medical records to dupe people into revealing more. More healthcare industry cybersecurity predictions for 2021 Cybercriminals have learned about industrial networks Attacks on industrial networks will become more targeted. By watching randomly infected machines, cybercrime groups have learned organizations' IT setup and know how to exploit it. They can then on-sell network access to more sophisticated cybercrime groups who will take control of finance systems to steal cash. As many industrial control systems (ICS) use old operating systems, the end of support for systems like Windows 7 creates an exploitable loophole. We could see another significant, multi-industry crime campaign like WannaCry. As utilities and government services go through digital transformation they're more vulnerable to attack. Cybercriminals can use a government service as an entry point into industrial systems to disrupt services like public transport. In 2020, COVID-19 restrictions on working on-site delayed IT-system upgrades. During an attack, it may be harder for IT admins to regain system control quickly. Basic malware could spread and become more serious. Upgrading endpoint security and training workers are vital. More industrial cybersecurity predictions for 2021 Online education revolution brought new threats Education changed abruptly in 2020. 1.5 billion students took classes from home. Educators had to learn new skills, like running a class on Zoom or using TikTok lessons. For those who can access the technology, these new services enhance education. But they come with new threats. Learning management systems (LMS) like Google Classroom are exploding. And with growth comes cybercrime. We saw a staggering 20,000 percent growth in threats to online learning platforms between 2019 and 2020. Privacy usually involves getting the user's consent, but a child can't easily manage their privacy settings. Video will keep growing as a learning tool. About 60 percent of teachers use YouTube in the classroom. There's increased risk of exposure to age-inappropriate content, and new threats like Zoombombing could expose learners to harmful content. Games like Minecraft are a great way to make learning more interactive but exposes students to risks like cyberbullying, trolls and malicious files. Teachers must moderate content in their learning management systems, but with the popularity of social platforms and games for pupil engagement, the challenge has leveled-up. More education cybersecurity predictions for 2021 Poverty driving more financial cybercrime in 2021 In 2021, financial companies became less secure thanks to due hastily deployed remote working solutions. Some bought retail laptops that didn't match the security standards of the organization. Limited employee training, default configurations and remote access all contributed to increased attacks. There's rising extortion using distributed denial of service (DDoS) and ransomware. Targeted ransomware is the new normal for financial organizations. Criminals increased ransoms, emboldened by successful attacks and media coverage. To cover their tracks, they'll now expect you to pay in cryptocurrencies. People are often the weakest link, like in the failed attempt to infiltrate Tesla. Stay at home orders didn't affect cybercriminals: Brazilian cybercrime groups went global in 2020, expanding to Europe and beyond, including attempts to hack ATMs. Bigger crime groups are evolving their business models to boost profits by hiring more people within their virtual walls rather than outsourcing. To crack down on cybercrime, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control warned of sanctions for organizations facilitating ransom payment. Next, we predict sanctions against institutions and nations that don't combat cybercrime coming from their territory. More financial cybersecurity predictions for 2021 Crime gangs collaborating on advanced threats Advanced persistent threats (APTs) are the most dangerous kind of attacks, often seen in geopolitical clashes, intent on harming national interests. With the trend towards improved organization security and more people working from home, crime groups will exploit network technologies such as virtual private networks (VPNs,) using social engineering to get access. 5G is big news, with bogus stories of health risks and some nations limiting or banning Huawei products in their 5G infrastructure. Security researchers are examining Huawei and other 5G providers for implementation flaws. If found, they'll make the front pages. As more devices depend on 5G for connectivity, attackers will have more incentive to seek vulnerabilities to exploit. As ransomware becomes the weapon of choice for many criminals, we may see ransomware players' concentrate. In 2020 the Maze and Sodinokibi gangs pioneered an affiliate collaboration model. These bigger groups may combine to deliver APT-style attacks that overwhelm a target organization's system, to access specific data. We'll likely see attacks like these disrupt everyday lives. It could be an intentional attack on critical infrastructure like utilities or collateral damage from ransomware targeting big organizations we all rely on, like supermarkets, mail or public transport. More advanced threat predictions for 2021 Threats may be increasing, but fortunately, there's better education, technology and intelligence available today to help your organization stay secure and face the future.
Stemettes STEM training

Young women may be the answer to cybersecurity’s skills gap

  • min read
    • If there's a regular path into tech, Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE didn't take it. A child prodigy, she was the youngest girl ever to pass A-level (high school) computing. At 20, she graduated UK's Oxford University with a Masters in Maths and Computer Science. Anne-Marie's inspiration to turn her hand to social enterprise came from a stark realization. Attending a work conference in the US, she decided she wanted to change things for women who came after her. "It turned out to be a massive 'women in tech' conference. I had a bit of an epiphany. I'd always been a girl and had always been into tech, and had never noticed that was something strange," she explains. "So I started Stemettes as a response to that, to ensure my unborn daughters could be what they want to be, and thrive, because society depends on it." What Stemettes is changing Stemettes work across the UK, Ireland and beyond to inspire and support young women into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. It includes a content platform full of inspiration, free events and programs such as mentoring, school holiday programs and regular clubs – provided online in the age of COVID-19, in person at other times. "Our ethos across is it's always free, always fun and there's always food," Anne-Marie adds. The idea the tech industry needs more women and girls might seem a little old-hat in 2020. Much has been achieved, but women make up only 10 percent of the global cybersecurity workforce. The cybersecurity skills gap shows there's no room to let any interested young person go without the chance to get more involved. Stemettes has created cybersecurity courses and opportunities for young women where schools aren't yet catering for their interests. Along with British tech skills training provider QA, they've developed certification academies so young women between 17 and 25 can gain professional cybersecurity qualifications over half-term. The skills gap is more complex than you think Anne-Marie thinks there are a few elements to the cyber-skills gap problem across the industry. Understanding them can help inform where and how teaching skills to girls can have most impact. First, there's a lack of focus on basic digital skills across the board. Second, many more people need expert cyber-skills to build the industry and meet its demand. Third, there needs to be more focus on cybersecurity services for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) using digital technologies. "There's a gap in not just cyber-awareness for SMBs, but also cybersecurity services and advice aimed at and priced for them. When I was younger, there were a lot of people, and social media agencies, who'd go to their local high street and say, "Hey, barber, pay me each month and I'll run your Facebook and your Instagram." There's a cottage industry around that, but we don't have that for cybersecurity. We've ended up having a lot of vulnerabilities because people aren't following basic cyber-hygiene." It's bigger than just SMBs turning their businesses digital, though. Anne-Marie says, "There's so much in building systems, even just for us to be able to vote electronically in the future. There's a lot that needs to be developed in the cyberspace just to keep us safe. We don't have enough people with these skills to work in these companies and run these start-ups." Why teaching girls can be the solution In creating the Stemettes Certification Academy, Anne-Marie saw an opportunity for girls not only to be better trained in cyber-skills, but be able to jump into the profession armed with expertise and qualifications. "We spotted from the girls we work with that the provision in the normal education system for anyone who wants to be in computer science is patchy. So academically, they're not able to pursue things they're interested in, or getting blocked from being able to develop skills they'll need when working," Anne-Marie explains. "These girls are learning from real trainers who teach and work professionally in cybersecurity. They're doing real adult qualifications in cyber to learn the basics, but also to understand their options in cyber." For Anne-Marie, Stemettes is playing a role bigger than just filling the current skills gap. "We're skilling up with real certifications and a generation of new young women who can work in cyber, but even if they choose not to, they take cyber-knowledge into medicine, architecture or other parts of life they touch." How should businesses get involved? Stemettes is proving there's a high impact from its focus on sharing, upskilling and awareness-raising. What does Anne-Marie think corporates working with technology could be doing? "They should fund any kind of cyber-awareness, or cyber-skills, programs around them. They need to invest in future skills and skills of their people. They should also open their doors and do as much sharing in the community around them. I get that if you make money from your cyber-knowledge, giving it away for free isn't the easiest. Still, much is already public in skills frameworks, so they can be part of information dissemination to society. That would be amazing." Stemettes is just one organization supporting routes for girls and women into technology. Kaspersky partners with Girls In Tech, a STEM organization for women, and Cyber Starts, its EU campaign to support early talent women which has hosted events in London, UK and Boston, USA with inspiring female industry speakers. It also hosts the Women in cybersecurity Facebook group to support those entering and working in the field. It might seem like Anne-Marie is asking a lot, but the need for a long-term approach in investing in cyber-skills is ever more pertinent in 2020 as the world demands more, better, faster technology. As she puts it: "It ultimately makes their job easier."
services multi cloud

Multicloud may be your cloud strategy’s silver lining

  • min read
    • No one expects to hear bonfire-roasted undersea cables were part of what inspired University of Hawai'i's interest in using the cloud. Galvanized steel conduits come out of the ground right where Honolulu's homeless population tends to light fires. More than once, the undersea cables have ended up cooked, leaving Honolulu with a quarter of its usual bandwidth. It's a novel problem, but the benefits University of Hawai'i is getting from multicloud are shared widely. More than 80 percent of organizations now use more than one cloud provider, say leading technology researchers Gartner. They describe multicloud as, "bringing multiple cloud services under unified management to serve multiple service models such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS,) Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS,) and multiple delivery models (public, private.)" Many businesses are testing ways to use multicloud in digital transformation, to reduce risk, avoid getting locked into using one vendor and get more of the services they need. I spoke with Brian Chee, co-host at TWiT: This Week in Tech – a network of nearly 30 tech podcasts and IT Specialist at University of Hawai'i, to find out how and why the university uses multicloud. He shares his advice for those deciding whether it's a good option for their business, or just getting started. Why multicloud? For Chee, it comes down to none of the major cloud providers doing everything they want. For example, since they've been wooing University of Hawai'i, Chee's been considering the value of Google Cloud. But as they've only just started providing infrastructure as a service (IaaS), he couldn't run anything custom on it without a lot of painful retooling. If he were willing to retool, Google Cloud would be economical. They have many and varied data centers globally, making load balancing and failover capability simple. He thought setting up global load balancing (GLB) on Google Cloud was easier than Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure, but that will change, as Microsoft and Amazon invest big in undersea cables. Does multicloud mean chaos? University of Hawai'i has 10 campuses and 30 research institutes. Its IT group acts more like an Internet Service Provider (ISP.) They provide connectivity to the research and instruction units, but departments buy their own equipment and services. Brian says between them, departments use almost all the cloud providers he's heard of. Recently they've started turning the corner and using private cloud. It delivers services through IT infrastructure used only by their organization. About three years ago, they deployed a system based on VMware so they could pool resources and provision systems through a portal. On top of that, Chee says university departments want a hybrid cloud environment. He knows some are experimenting with Microsoft Azure, who has a deal on trial machines for educational institutions. He uses Amazon Web Services' Glacier for data archiving with a failover: An alternative destination if there's disruption on the original transfer method. Getting started with multicloud There's no "one size fits all" solution Multicloud can happen by circumstance rather than design. Kaspersky's Andrey Pozhogin explains: "When changes happen – like a company restructure, merger or acquisition – the IT team are suddenly managing a very different technical infrastructure stack. How to best resolve this is a unique decision based on your needs. There is no cookie-cutter solution." Know your needs from your wants Chee says, start by making two lists, "needs" and "wants." When you test drive, use these to decide where to place workloads. Proof of concept (POC) As they offer deals for test-driving, you should set up test runs with the major cloud service providers. Try to verify the claims in their brag sheets and marketing materials. This is important because all the big players are different. "Too many people just believe salespeople," says Chee. "Independent, unbiased testing is almost non-existent nowadays." Find a cloud-agnostic dashboard Look for a dashboard that gives you one-touch capability on every switch port, several views into the inter-device path and the health of everything connected to it. Switch ports can be physical or virtual, as long as they talk SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol.) Chee says market pressure means vendors are moving their dashboards toward this kind of functionality. Always have security top of your mind Chee thinks security is lagging behind DevOps. "They tend to be separate tools. SecOps hasn't caught up with the DevOps folks or a single pane of glass yet, but they're getting there." He's only heard of one tool, TotalView by PastSolutions, that combines DevOps and SecOps, but expects more are on the way. Reducing multicloud risk People often think trying to set up failover between cloud providers is complex. Not so much anymore, says Chee. "For cloud providers to stay competitive, they've had to develop Application Programming Interface (API) sets to manage and control IaaS and SaaS images remotely." Another good thing to include in your proof of concept. If they don't lead by example, the rest of the company will keep bad habits like weak passwords, using sticky notes and personal web browsing on company equipment. The C-suite must also be willing to invest in cybersecurity training and company-wide licenses for security tools like password vaults. Portability is the future Chee thinks the flexibility to move applications and data from one cloud provider to another will be critical in the next few years, and he says things are happening there. "It shouldn't be long before I can shop complex mathematical tasks around various computing clusters worldwide to find the best price. I think that kind of portability is just half a dozen years away." Businesses are choosing multicloud to diversify where they place their workloads among the major cloud service providers, taking advantage of their strengths.
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