12 Global Data Protection Trends Keeping CEOs More Secure

As cyber-security breaches increase in frequency and severity year on year, CEO’s could soon serve prison terms if an employee from his or her organization unknowingly clicks on a malicious link. The following is a look at 12 global encryption trends that could potentially eliminate CEO’s being held accountable for harmful security incidents outside of their control:

1. Homomorphic Encryption
Homomorphic encryption allows data to be used and analysed without creating a security vulnerability by decrypting it. The results from the processed data can be viewed in an encrypted format.

Sponsorships Available

Sponsorships Available

Sponsorships Available

2. Hardware Based Whole Disk Encryption
Once a key has been given, the entire contents of a volume is encrypted after use. This method also has its vulnerabilities as it does not protect against network attacks via emails and websites, however if a laptop or a device is lost or stolen, data is protected as it is inaccessible without the key.

3. Moving Target Defense
With addresses, work load names, networks and configuration parameters remaining the same over an extended period, the moving target defense (MTD) method and its associated tools, dynamically shifts the attack ‘surface’ making it difficult for attackers to succeed. How MTD functions is whilst attackers move through data infrastructure laterally, the data’s location, size and encryption is dynamically changing, which is ultimately controlled by the administrator of the data.

4. Wearable two-factor authentication
Passwords that are cryptographically generated tend to be more powerful than the method of use and remember passwords; using wearable devices to do this can eliminate the need of having to remember passwords.

5. Physical Security
A method of keeping private information off computers and related devices completely, another related aspect to this would be to make sure removable media is stored in a locked location, by storing sensitive information on USB drives, DVD’s or laptop hard-drives using Full Disk Encryption Software helps to add another layer of data-security.

6. Quantum Cryptography
Also known as Quantum Key Distribution it is a secure communication method. Two parties are enabled to produce a shared random secret key which is known only to them, which can then be used to encrypt/decrypt messages, with the added ability to detect if a third party is trying to gain access to the key itself. It is known to provide greater reliability compared to a secure human courier network.

7. Smart Contracts & Encrypted Payments
Blockchain and cryptocurrency are likely to become standards for secure financial transactions replacing current methods of payment which can be unreliable and vulnerable to high risk.

8. Honey Encryption
This method allows hackers to think that they have successfully gained access and that the information they have is accurate – however the opposite is true. This data-encryption method produces a cipher text, so when the attacker attempts decryption with an incorrect key, he/she is presented with a plausible but incorrect plain-text password or encryption key.

9. IoT Product Security
As more IoT (Internet of Things) products appear on the marketplace, more security policies are being implemented to avoid cyberattacks and personal data being stolen.

10. Voice/Facial Recognition & Biometrics
As voice and facial recognition and biometric authentication increasingly becomes important in securely identifying people who want access sensitive information, asking for a maiden-name will no longer be acceptable.

11. Block Chain Currency
Block Chain Currency has the potential to become a strong tool to use against cyber threats. Through Block Chain -identification cannot be faked. Block chain itself is the technology behind tradeable digital assets being built i.e. digital money which forms the bases of (as mentioned in point 7) cryptocurrency.

12. Tokenization
Tokenization involves substituting an actual piece of data for ‘pseudo data’ with a token, significantly reducing risk in areas such as payment fraud without compromising systems, business process or analytic insight.

See which is data-first approach is best for keeping your business, your customers and your CEO secure in our reference guide: Methods of Data Protection.