As businesses and business transactions are growing so are the threats of cyber crimes. There used to be a time when if someone wanted to steal from a bank, they had to go through an elaborate planning montage featuring eleven people which included a small Chinese gymnast.
But, today the game has changed quite a bit. Today the only bank robbery montage you have to go through is that of a socially awkward guy in a hoodie sitting in a coffee shop with his laptop. Whoever thought that would be a ‘cool’ thing to do? Well, the answer is pretty much anyone with a laptop, an internet connection and a basic knowledge of Kali Linux. The cavalier approach to this very much real threat which is seasoned with the occasional media outburst is quite understated but justified.
The reason is that there is only so much that can be done to stop cyber crimes. Which is also true for real crimes. So, the only thing that can be done is beef up security by using newer and more advanced systems. But, let us not forget the fact that for every new security feature that professionals come up with, there is a hacker somewhere trying to counter it.
One of the most interesting developments and reasons for debate on this topic is Big Data. As we have seen in recent years, Big Data has opened up several opportunities for all industries and it is being used in every which way conceivable. The argument with big data in cybersecurity is that it is capable of hurting security systems just as much as it is helping it. For something as sensitive as cybersecurity this is not a gamble we could afford to take. So, let us explore whether this argument holds water.
Every year for the past decade we have had this incident where a massive breach of security has the whole world in an uproar. The past two years, in particular, have been filled with such incidents, from the alleged incident of Russians Hacking the U.S. elections to the Worldwide WannaCry malware. The more recent Cambridge Analytica scandal is a good example of how data breaches don’t necessarily have to involve hacking.
This sheds light on a whole new perspective on data security. With big data at the helm of their marketing strategies, many multinational corporations have access to a lot of information. So, let us move from the data we are trying to hide and have a look at data that we are giving away. With the ongoing Facebook scandal, we have learned one thing, that all the data that we are comfortable with sharing is as exploitable as the sensitive stuff we hide. Big Data here plays a huge role as it has become the go-to data analytics tool. On a global scale, this can become a very notorious issue.
The risks of having a corporation tapping into your published data through seemingly legal means have caused such an issue. Imagine the extent of damage that could be caused if such data fell into the hands of real threats like ISIL. Well, you don’t need to imagine that hard to perceive such a scenario as such hacks are a common thing today. Yet again, it is big data that comes to the forefront as a promoting tool for cyber crimes. Before we can go throwing blame around on corporations, we must remember that they have to maintain and secure several exabytes of data. Which means that they have to constantly analyze potential threats as well as breaches. This is by no means an easy task and the introduction of big data-based technologies in this equation only makes things infinitely worse.
Risk management and intelligence that kicks into action when required are common outcomes of a big data analysis. It would always be good to have tools that can analyze and automate data so that it is available easily and the analyzed data is transferred to the right people at the right time is of the essence.
By doing this, analysts get to categorize threats without investing long hours. If the data comes in after a long delay, the response that comes in would be irrelevant to the attack that the company is under.
Big data comes in handy in the manner that it helps analysts to visualize cyber-attacks by considering the complexity of data from a vast network of data and simplifying the patterns that have been understood into visualizations.
Big data is an excellent method of detecting Trojan horses that come from employee devices. It does so by identifying anomalies in employee and contractor devices also. Where big data is impressively useful is when certain tangible steps are taken towards improving cybersecurity.
Big data allows you to automatically respond to threats noticed in the data that comes in and also enables you to trust the accuracy of the data. This is what is said to be the X-factor behind what makes big data security all the more proficient.
In conclusion, it comes as no surprise that now companies are investing heavily in high-end and advanced infrastructure to enhance cybersecurity thereby detecting threats far efficiently and effectively. Some believe that big data will solve the varied issues of the cybernetics industry in a blink of an eye. The truth, however, is that as these attacks keep getting stronger and advanced, the security installed to avoid them are getting stronger too. Considering the many ways in which big data can be leveraged for cybercrime, it is important for corporations to use their resources to this end responsibly.