Digital security is at the heart of many company worries, especially considering the torn-from-the-headlines scare tactics about massive breaches and hacks.
It’s astonishing just how many hacks take place each year. Only a handful get major media coverage, partially because they’re so common and partially because the businesses don’t particularly want that negative coverage spread. According to Revision Legal, both the severity and the frequency of hacks increased in 2015 and 2016. There’s no reason to think 2017 will be any different.
In total, businesses make up 40% of all victims, with medical and healthcare entities being particularly vulnerable and/or attacked. This is especially worrisome considering the sensitive data held at healthcare facilities. Since healthcare is one of the last industries to adopt cloud technology and e-filing, thanks to HIPAA requirements, some experts are worried about the full extent of hacks once the healthcare industry fully transitions to digital files.
As of 2016, there are more North Americans using mobile devices than laptops or desktops for absolutely everything from online shopping to paying bills and posting on social media. This makes mobile readiness and responsive design more critical than ever—particularly for businesses that are responsible for their customer’s sensitive data. Financial institutions and healthcare providers are especially concerned about the future of Internet security.
The good news is that many leading technology experts are already promoting best practices for Internet security. Opting for multiple authentication is critical, but how realistic is it when simply getting internet users to complicate and change their passwords is a challenge? Using very common passwords is a problem that still exists, and simply changing passwords on a regular basis while making sure those passwords are complex could have prevented countless security breaches and hacks.
There’s a big difference in where Internet security could be in five years and where it likely will be.
The Full Potential
If every website owner and manager followed recommended best practices, the state of Internet security could wildly improve by 2022.This includes using (and updating for fixes/patches) antivirus software, blocking malware and spyware with top of the line software, enabling UAC (user access control), enabling and configuring firewalls, using secure passwords and changing them frequently, only trusting sites with SLSS certification, and choosing multi-factor authentication.
However, the odds of everyone jumping on board with these best practices are slim to none. Professionals of all types, from marketing managers to customer service representatives, are wired to choose the path of least resistance, especially around talk of Internet security where many feel intimidated or overwhelmed.
The Reality
It’s unlikely that by 2022 every site owner and manager will be following every single best practice for Internet security and improving business performance. However, don’t overlook the propensity of people—especially younger generations—to embrace technology with an inherent “cool factor” like eye vein verification or thumbprint authentication. In fact, there’s already a smattering of smart devices and apps allowing for fingerprint authentication.
However, multi-factor authentication doesn’t always automatically mean “safer.” In fact, a 2015 Forbes columnist warned of the dangers of fingerprint authentication, following up with a later column showcasing how hackers took advantage of a technology that was meant to improve safety.
Generally, multi-factor authentication will increase security, but only if the technology used is reliable and secure. So, where will we be in five years? Likely in a very similar situation as now. As security technology advances, so does the savviness of cyber criminals. It’s akin to antibiotics. The stronger the antibiotics (ahem, technology), the stronger the attacker’s strategies and resistance becomes.
According to Symantec’s statistics, hacking strategies continue to increase every year (ransomware went up 35 percent in 2015) while reports of such attacks are going down (it’s estimated that breaches unreported jumped up 85 percent from 2014 to 2015).
We likely won’t be making huge strides in five years in terms of adoption of Internet security adoption. However, with a bevy of startups prioritizing digital security, technology will be dramatically advanced, likely with features and options we can’t fathom at the moment. The trick is getting the adoption of technology to keep pace with it.
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