Awareness is Key to Today's Cybersecurity

Life is full of surprises. In IT, few know that better than those in cybersecurity. As the world becomes more connected and organizations experience massive increases in infrastructure access points, the ability to rapidly counter threats continues to challenge even the best technologists.

Some compare the challenge of responding to today's cybersecurity threats to playing an extreme version of Whac-A-Mole: where the minute one focuses on destroying one mole-like threat, other moles are already popping up. New security information and event management tools can help detect cyberattacks and theft, when other methods can't.

As major security breaches top the news, governments and organizations respond with new regulations, increased oversight and stiffer penalties. Simultaneously, increased demand for mobility and expanding supply chains, along with a desire to link industrial control systems, adds to risk. Cybersecurity has taken center stage for healthcare CIOs, evidenced by a recent survey.

As automotive manufacturers add more Internet-enabled technology to their vehicles, the risk of unwanted passengers joining the ride grows. From less harmful invasions, where hackers use mobile devices to open doors, to more dangerous scenarios where criminals remotely disable a car's systems during operation -- today's connected cars are ripe for cyberexploitation.

The healthcare industry is venturing into a world of tremendous risk. Changes, such as linking systems and medical devices to the Internet, and adopting electronic health records, are creating a health IT landscape fraught with security challenges. Cybercriminals have increased their assaults on critical medical systems to steal valuable patient data.

While the disruption of a social networking site may be annoying or the hacking of a new channel of concern, the potential destruction of critical infrastructure, and the associated cascading damages, is unthinkable. Escalating attempts in the U.S. to destroy infrastructure prompted the president to issue an order and directive aimed at reducing the risk of cyberthreats and attacks on the nation's critical infrastructure.

Despite cloud's stratospheric adoption rates among businesses, governments and personal users, lingering doubts about data security remain.

In Australia, an electronic voting system that allows constituents to cast ballots via the Internet and telephone had a successful trial run in New South Wales' parliamentary election. With that success, officials are preparing iVote for its first full operation in the NSW state election.

Whether you make tanks, electronics or toys, protecting your intellectual property has become challenging. Companies are looking to tighten their cybersecurity as thieves become increasingly capable of pulling together seemingly innocent data and compiling it to create insightful information for adversaries and competitors.

It could have been a scene from a Tom Clancy novel. Take representatives of 192 countries, mix strong feelings with serious economics and differing agendas, and it could have spelled disaster. It didn't.

As a strategic transmission player in Europe's power grid network, Swissgrid needs to meet the most robust cybersecuritry standards.

Increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks are putting the energy sector on the defensive as it adds links and complexity to meet growing demand. Simultaneously, the bad guys are looking to create chaos.

For some companies, the worst fallout from a cyberattack may be hits to earnings, loss of competitive edge or enduring damage to customer relations. However, for owners and operators of critical infrastructure, a successful attack could affect a nation.