IT Security 2015 Newer Risks Need Newer Weapons

While there have been some rapid strides in security methods , applications and technologies for IT, there never is really an instance that will allow enterprises to sit back and say- we have put the risks and threats behind us. With innovations that take us a few notches higher in terms of enterprise efficiency, there are always a few steps we fall back, since every new innovation brings with it a new vulnerability.

The issue of security in enterprise IT has been discussed often and enough – under its various heads. Cyber security, all set to touch USD 170 billion in 2020, is expected to show a growth of a little more than double between 2015, at USD 70 billion. Overall, according to research firm Gartner, the worldwide spending on IT security will touch USD 101 by 2018. But these figures are neither shocking nor unexpected. Following Moore’s Law, these should have been even higher. The issue now is, the trends in security for Information technology industry are no longer straightforward- threats caused by cyber attacks, application security breaches, network breaches and data security issues. Today, with innovations and newer technologies driving newer enterprise applications, the threats are coming from unexpected quarters. Though APTs and cyber attacks still abound, enterprises have to now deal with the extraterrestrial variety of attacks as well- the Internet of Things, the Cloud and Mobility.

These new technologies will drive enterprise over the next few years, and hence their security needs to be taken extremely seriously. With this context, where do we stand today? Closing 2015, how is the IT security scenario placed and what does it have in store?

A quick look at the top trends that the industry identifies as security risks for the IT industry, throws out some familiar issue.

Advanced Persistent Threats still abound. The only difference is, they cannot be fought with traditional methods any more. So while the threats are traditional, the mitigation needs to be revolutionary.

What do enterprises see as the top trends in security risks? Opines Jitendra Ghughal, National Channel Manager, India & SAARC, Fortinet, “Data theft has become a big business. More than 1.3 billion records have been exposed in the last two years. The threat evolution is faster than ever – we are, on average, discovering more new threats every day than identifying already known malware. Cybercrime is no longer random or about brute force, it’s more subtle – aiming to infiltrate, stay hidden, and extract data without detection. If security controls cannot detect the malware during this period, then it’s a matter of time before you become a statistic. Too many of these breaches occur because of a lack of focus across the spectrum of possible threats or attack vectors. Rapid innovation on the malware front, the exploitation of new zero-day vulnerabilities, and emerging evasion techniques can all render any single approach ineffective.”

Scary scenario-unless you innovate.

This makes the first trend for security issues going forward- innovative, non traditional ways of looking and resolving threats.  Says Aravindan Anandan, Consulting Systems Engineer, Asia Pacific, Barracuda Networks, “Companies are realizing that Advanced Persistent Threats cannot be handled in the same way as some of the traditional network security issues of the past. There is a need to effectively monitor and analyse incoming data for thousands of malware variations. Leveraging the cloud for this task is proving to be very useful from the point of view of quickly analysing lots of data and effectively managing networks. Not very long ago, this task was handled by on-premises hardware units which could analyse data but was not up to the mark when it came to analysing lots of information in a short time.”

This has also led security solutions providers to offer products that follow this trend – differentiated products that give more power to the fight. Adds Tarun Kaura, Director – Director – Solutions Product Management – APJ, Symantec: “Advanced threats, such as ransomware, remote access Trojans, advanced persistent threats (APTs) and zero day attacks, are on the rise and security professionals can no longer rely on using individual point products at each control point to stop them. The process of uncovering threat data across endpoint, network and email gateways is manual and time-consuming, which gives attackers an edge. Symantec, the global leader in cyber security, recently introduced Symantec Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) that correlates suspicious activity across all control points and prioritizes the events that pose the most risk to an organization. Once a critical threat is identified, it can now be quickly contained and new instances can be blocked.”

The trend, increasingly for cyber security is away from trying to outguess attacks, and instead set up solutions for when and if they happen. While hard experiences have taught enterprises that cyber attacks cannot be prevented, they have also brought the limelight on a simpler and smarter strategy- identifying the indicators of risk or compromise, which, if identified, can lead to a solution when the attack does happen.

Speaking of fighting cyber threats, Jitendra  Ghughal, of Fortinet adds, ”The current state of network threat protection is often focused primarily on the border, working to prevent outside threats. Yet, this approach can be ineffective once a threat gets “past the gate” and enters the internal network by other means, such as end-point devices, infected flash drives, or even internal employees or consultants, putting critical data at risk. The reality is that sophisticated hacker attacks and insider threats continue to penetrate more deeply and persist undetected for long periods of time inside an organization’s internal network, making it even more critical for organizations to mitigate potential damage. Hackers are taking advantage of the typically flat internal architectures to put internal networks at greater risk.”

Once inside the network, the most precious information is at risk, yet most security systems aren’t currently designed to defend against these types of attacks. “The ability to provide protection on the inside of a company’s network is not tenable without a solution engineered with the performance and features required to operate at the increased speeds of the internal network environment. This internal “east/west” traffic can be up to four times the volume of traffic entering and leaving the network,” he says. “A multi-layered security approach is critical for identifying and thwarting today’s highly-sophisticated attacks that find ways to circumvent perimeter defences.”