Why a Secure Communications Channel is a Must

The rate at which sensitive data gets compromised is growing exponentially. In a recent series of tech articles, the Wall Street Journal examined how people in the public and private spheres are vulnerable to and seriously impacted by various cyber-attacks. Governments experience losses of upwards of fifty-thousand dollars from ransomware attacks, and that is just in ransom alone. Corporations are wrestling with protecting computer and network supply chainsfrom information-stealing software. And individuals must now contend with new methods of phone hacking, such as when hackers swap SIM cards. The answer? An alternative secure communications channel that runs independently from your public, private or individual networks.

Consider the outcome if government entities were able to continue to communicate during a ransomware attack. Instead of being beholden to their attackers, they could collaborate to contain the attack – warn employees and give direction – and possibly avoid paying ransom. If ransomware attackers can no longer extort victims, ransomware attacks will decline. This is no laughing matter: over 20 municipalities have been targets of cyber-attacks this year, including Baltimoreand San Antonio. Imagine the difference it could make if government entities could coordinate incident response during a ransomware or any other cyber-attack, leaving the bad actor out of the know. 

Meanwhile, corporations are wrestling with a threat of their own. Today, their supply chains comprise a dizzying global network of components and suppliers, one that makes corporations especially vulnerable to information-stealing software. If a corporation were to discover a vulnerability in its network, its employees could not continue to safely communicate over it. Enter the alternative and independent secure communications channel. Since subcontractors, builders and other who make up the supply chain are diverse and vast, corporations could use an independent secure channel – that is outside of the compromised network – to communicate with them and pre-empt vulnerabilities, through incompetence or malice. 

Finally, there is a new form of mobile phone hacking on the rise: SIM swapping. Attackers gather enough information about an individual victim to convince wireless companies to transfer his or her phone number to a new phone. This, in turn, allows the attacker to access any of the victim’s accounts with two-factor password authentication. So how could an alternative secure communications channel protect individuals here? For one thing, it would protect all confidential information shared in mobile communications; and for another, it is a safe way to continue to use two-factor authentication successfully.

Vaporstream provides an alternative, secure channel that runs independently from its customers’ networks and is used by people in the public and private spheres. Its multilayer security model was built by privacy and compliance experts with over 30 years of experience to ensure secure communications. In fact, Vaporstream’s patented technology is the first messaging solution to be third-party certified by independent mobile security experts and ethical hackers. To learn more, read our NowSecure case study.

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Contributor: The Vaporstream Team