Top-notch technologies and the internet have changed not only people’s lives but the whole world. As the world is changing at a dizzying speed, and taking its steps ahead in the world of technology, the internet has connected the world, making national, social, and economic boundaries less consequential. It has opened gates of information for individuals and has given them the opportunity to learn, understand, and assimilate new horizons of knowledge. With time we have learned that the internet and technologies have led us to many reforms, the country is experiencing a digital revolution that is triggering transformative developments in areas like e-payments, digital literacy, financial inclusion, geographic mapping, rural development, and much more.
The recent pandemic led India to go under the biggest lockdown in March 2020 and Work from Home became our new office. During those months, people found a way to stay connected with their loved ones and even for professional purposes through video calls and various other apps and mediums available on the internet. Thanks to the tech developments and improved connectivity, however, one has to understand that these tech developments are like a double-edged sword and come with cyber risks. Employees working remotely need to keep in mind that personal devices and home devices are not as secure corporate networks.
Organizations must track user access, email accounts, software, and any other programs that were downloaded or used in their IT assets. During the Covid-19 situation, it became a fertile ground for cybercriminals and scammers as the rapid pace of technology assimilation with billions of connected people and machines is accelerating the spread of threats. Cyberattacks around the world are occurring at a greater frequency and intensity. Not only individuals but also businesses and governments are being increasingly targeted.
The profile and motivation of cyber attackers is fast changing. A new breed of cybercriminals has now emerged, whose main aim is not just financial gains, but also causing disruption and chaos to businesses in particular and the nation at large. Cybersecurity has noticeably become more complicated today than ever before and things are going to get more difficult for CISOs in the coming time.
CISO is one of the most important executives in an organization and is responsible for maintaining a company’s vision, strategy, and program for ensuring adequate protection of business information, technologies, and assets. Although the role of CISO was formally introduced in the mid-1990s but the organization demands more modern CISO today as the new innovations and advanced ideas are adding to the technology, the hacker’s community are getting even more advanced and have become more sophisticated, complicated, and complex than ever.
In a world where everything is on the internet, cybersecurity breaches are more gruesome now. Cybersecurity challenges come in many forms, and the most common attacks that most of the organisation face today are such as Ransomware attacks, IoT attacks, Cloud attacks, Phishing attacks, Blockchain and cryptocurrency attacks, Software vulnerabilities, Machine learning and AI attacks, BYOD policies, Insider attacks, Outdated hardware, and more.
To protect the devices and data against cyber threats, one should adopt simple measures such as using the latest hardware and software for the digital needs. One will also need to adopt advanced measures such as installing a firewall to add an extra security layer. In this era of digital transformation, the best CISOs are the ones who know the business and can work with the business to consider all the variables at play.
Today’s CISO must bring a hybrid set of skills to the role. They must be pragmatic, business aware, people-orientated and technically minded. They must balance the requirements of the business against the constantly shifting security landscape and across multiple channels. This can only be achieved by working with the business, understanding the organization’s strategy, engaging with people at all levels, employing appropriate technology and ultimately building a team that is dedicated to ensuring the company remains security resilient.
