| | DECEMBER 20188CIOReviewhe dawn of this age is a testament to the digital revolution that we are all wit-nessing. Digitiza-tion in almost every field has led the world to become a much smaller place. Almost every-thing is available at the click of our fingers, and every information is ac-cessible through the help of internet. How did we reach this time? Thanks to the path-breaking discoveries and peoples' will to accept changes as and when they come. But with every step forward there is always a back-lash that follows. Let's take the evo-lution of technology over time: · 1980's ­ Saw the birth of private internet· 1990's ­ Saw the rapid growth of internet, AOLs and email use· 2000's ­ Saw the birth of Blackber-rys, Iphones, Wifi, Portable Devices, faster internet and social media· 2010s ­ Saw the emergence of cloud apps, data centers, smart phones etcWith all these developments tak-ing place rapidly, a lot of challenges are posed to this sector. ChallengesWe are well aware that how internet has become a critical infrastructure for both individual users as well as businesses, hence security needs to be taken care of very seriously. Our data is vulnerable, and it takes no time for cybercrime to ruin the standing of anyone in the market. With emerging new technologies like Internet of things, Cloud, etc., it becomes extremely important to provide security to run an uninter-rupted business. An end user, usu-ally has two demands, one is privacy and the other is protection and this is a major challenge that concerned bodies are trying to curb. The pos-sible solutions will certainly include, a reliable and secure network infra-structure, but they will also depend on trust on the part of users ­ both individuals and businesses ­ that confidentiality, secure identification, privacy and other issues are properly addressed. Security standardization also plays a key role in protecting the Internet, the communications and business it carries, and both the private and corporate users who rely on it. But in particular, the timing of standardization is equally important, or ICT needs to be secured from the start as well as for the long run. Let's take a look at the timeline of Cyber-attacks for a better understanding:The early attacks in the 80s utilized malware, self-replicating worms and hacking mostly for the purpose of disruption. Early attacks were limited because the internet was proprietary (ARPANET) and small and used attacks like the Mor-ris Worm.· In the 90s, with the advent of the real internet, email threats be-gan, leveraging malicious links and later malicious document attach-ments to download malware to PCs.· In the 2010s, many new at-tacks were launched leveraging the broad internet and large corporate networks. Examples of the new wave of 2010 attacks include:· Advanced Persistent Attacks (APTs)­ These were complex, mul-tistage attacks that collect social data (social engineering), make initial infections, download more mali-cious code, move laterally in your network, and ultimately extract data and quietly exit your networksTBy Harish Kohli, MD and President, Acer IndiaCYBER SECURITY: ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INFRASTRUCTURES IN A COMPANYIN MY OPINIONHarish KohliHarish Kohli
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