The pandemic\u2019s shift in lifestyle has brought almost everyone\u2019s work-life out of their offices and into their homes, and by the same token, has pushed businesses away from traditional, brick-and-mortar operations, making them increasingly dependent on digital resources, and even giving rise to whole new business models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With work and commerce taking place online more than ever, it\u2019s no surprise that the pandemic also saw a massive spike in cybercrime!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this increasingly digital world, people have become more and more engaged in privacy and more concerned about how both governments and businesses are handling their sensitive information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A single slip-up in this area by a company can damage the public\u2019s trust in that brand beyond repair. As a business owner, you need to be doing everything you can to ensure your customer\u2019s sensitive data is protected<\/a> from all possible cybersecurity threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In today\u2019s post, we\u2019ll take a look at some of the most effective technology businesses are using today to protect their customers\u2019 data, how they work, and where they might fit into your organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any cybersecurity expert will tell you that the technologies used to protect customer data are only as good as the business operating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With this in mind, here are some of the key policy fundamentals to bear in mind when protecting your customer data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let\u2019s look at some of the newest, most secure technologies businesses are using to protect customer data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most people have heard of the blockchain in some capacity, usually when talking about cryptocurrency trading and NFTs. What makes the blockchain interesting from a security perspective is the fact that it\u2019s intrinsically more secure than similar digital structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each individual \u2018block\u2019 in a chain of data is linked to an original \u2018block\u2019, referred to as a \u2018genesis block\u2019 within cryptography. This structure makes the blockchain a uniquely decentralised system, which in turn makes it highly resistant to security breaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both private and public blockchains<\/a> share this advantage of being decentralised systems, with private blockchains offering great security for internal business communications, and public blockchains being used increasingly to protect customer data during transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the use of a public blockchain with a \u2018private key\u2019 to verify user identities and keep them anonymous to third parties, in combination with confidential computing to allow access to transactional records without exposing sensitive data, businesses can enjoy airtight security at every stage of the checkout process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both consumers and business leaders are often guilty of assuming that the more complex a given piece of technology is, the more susceptible it is to security breaches. Though there\u2019s a lot of nuances when debunking this assumption, AI is one area that\u2019s tended to make businesses more secure, rather than more vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As artificial intelligence becomes the preferred technological avenue for managing large sets of data, it\u2019s being applied more and more often to standardise security policies, and protect the information it\u2019s used to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By analysing user behaviour patterns, and using this information to detect anomalies in the way that a given user behaves, AI algorithms can restrict user access from the moment it detects the early signs of fraudulent activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like anything that artificial intelligence can be used for, the sheer increase in efficiency also gives it a serious edge over more conventional and familiar cybersecurity methods. Rather than relying on human cybersecurity professionals who have a limited amount of time to detect, flag, and neutralise threats, utilising AI cybersecurity eliminates this issue altogether, operating 24\/7 and using sophisticated behaviour models to identify malware in a fraction of a second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the biggest cybersecurity challenges facing businesses in the tech sector is the fact that new technology often introduces new kinds of vulnerabilities<\/a>, which leaves cybersecurity professionals constantly playing catch-up with the current landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital twin technology is a cybersecurity method that\u2019s built around combatting this exact problem!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a basic sense, digital twin allows businesses to create replica cybersecurity models of new devices on a given network (hence \u2018twins\u2019) which can then be exposed to various online threats in the way that the real device would, with cybersecurity professionals observing how they behave and identifying any deficiencies in the existing security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can imagine, the applications for digital twin security are fairly limited in scope right now. However, as the Internet of Things becomes more and more pervasive in physical products, digital twins are set to become a staple of manufacturing any kind of consumer product that fits into the \u201csmart home\u201d of the very near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PINs, passwords, and memorable information may add extra layers to online security, but on their own, these methods are becoming obsolete in the face of modern hacking tactics and cybersecurity threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Embedded hardware authentication is a method that\u2019s increasingly adopted by tech companies, embedding sophisticated layers of technology into their hardware and protecting user data from the get-go. With embedded hardware authentication, components in pieces of hardware can act in the same way as a security USB dongle or a separate device with a unique OTP generator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if a given piece of hardware is no longer in use, it can still represent a security risk until the data is destroyed by a professional IT recycling service. Priority WEEE<\/a> explains, \u201cWhilst data wiping is a perfectly acceptable standard in the industry, we go one step further by having all hard drives physically shredded. This ensures that data cannot be recovered due to human error when using software removal devices, therefore eliminating any potential security risks to your data.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n With this in mind, even businesses that may not have anything to do with manufacturing are expected to make embedded hardware authentication a priority when buying new equipment, thereby adding another layer between cybercriminals and their customers\u2019 sensitive data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Zero Trust Model is a security method that requires any users of a network, whether they\u2019re using an internal or external account, to be validated and authenticated repeatedly in order for them to gain access to sensitive data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a zero trust model, the security framework will assume that there\u2019s no \u201cstandard\u201d network edge, and is built around the modern scope of networks that can be either local, cloud-based, or a hybrid of the two, with potentially legitimate users accessing it from anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut First, Some Fundamentals\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Utilising the Blockchain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Machine Learning and AI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Digital Twin Tech<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Embedded Hardware Authentication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Zero Trust Security Models<\/h2>\n\n\n\n