Cyber Attack
It seems a daily occurrence but the truth is there are thousands of cyber-attacks every day on IT systems coming from all corners of the world and no IT enabled device is safe. Another truth is it seems that IT attacks are unstoppable, which leaves the average user to be literally left to their own devices. By average user I mean all 100 billion people across the world who are not specialists in cyber security and therefore who we are increasingly dependent on for advice and guidance. We now know that all our smart devices are vulnerable to cyber-attack. Mobile phones, smart devices, PC’s and even home equipment, etc can all be hacked and used as a weapon to bring down government, or commercial, websites without us even knowing. I guess we have all got used to the protection of our computers, tablets and smartphones, but mainly to protect our personal content, our data, our passwords, our pictures and our lifestyle but now, through the so called ‘internet of yhings’ we are all innocent owners of devices that can be turned into attack weapons that could be responsible for unimaginable damage to others. What is concerning is that this serious and overwhelming problem is not unexpected. The inevitability of this situation has been high on security conference agendas for many, many years, with experts focusing on the warning drums which we, in the security industry/profession/sector have heard and still failed to prevent. So, can our devices get the security protection they need? Can someone please tell us the answer? Perhaps there is now a glimmer of hope for civilisation. We read and hear that some governments are investing, both financial and academic resources, to combat this growing clear and present danger, but still our devices become ever more connected and vulnerable as they can be mobilised by a skilled lone attacker, or nation sponsored agency and turned into a mass weapon system. One thing that might help, and that is to grow the number of qualified cyber security specialists. Those who are trained to know and understand the scope of threats and how they are developing with each new generation of technology and devices.
