The good news is that security is finally getting the focus it needs. The bad news is that security is still playing catch up and cloud (particularly access management) is a real headache for over 90% of organisations.
According to the annual Thales Access Management Index, 49% of organisations (out of 1,050) that were surveyed believe that cloud apps make them targets for cyberattack.
The top three areas of concern were cloud, uncharted infrastructure such as IoT and web portals.
This is, of course, worrying because both cloud and IoT infrastructure is exactly where the digital world is going and the threats will always be ahead of the defences. Just glancing at predictions for how many IoT devices and systems will be out there in five years’ time makes you feel a little weak.
Encouragingly, more and more organisations are establishing CISO positions and security processes are becoming slicker and more mature. More is being invested in training.
The real issue, though, is people. Even though a good majority of people surveyed believe it should be the CISO’s decision on which solutions are deployed only 14% of CISOs are actually given the final say so on cloud access management. Most would put the decision in the hands of IT, particularly a CIO, when it comes to the choice.
One of the problems with access management solutions is that they are – currently – expensive and complicated to implement.
Security is a problem in every corner of the digital world. Very recently, Kaspersky Labs reported having found the infamous FinSpy ‘in the wild’ which means that is being used and developed by people other than the original developers.
FinSpy is particularly nasty because it was originally developed for Governments to use to spy on terrorists. Sadly it found its way onto the dark web and from there into the hands of people who use it to monitor everything that happens on a smartphone, allowing access to emails, messages, photos and location.
It is, without question, a dangerous world, this digital one, and cyber criminals are well funded – sometimes, allegedly, by Governments.
The upside is that it is a fast growing industry – on both sides – and will continue to flourish for the foreseeable future.
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