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By Jack Danahy, Director for Advanced Security, IBM
There’s an evolution going on in the executive suite–emerging technologies like mobile, cloud and embedded devices are making the world more instrumented, and at the same time, producing huge amounts of data. Senior executives are paying close attention to these emerging technologies, not only because of the opportunity to learn more about behavior, but also because of the potential security risks they pose. With this, security is increasingly moving beyond simply a technology issue to a business issue. Continue Reading »
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by Tom Cross, Manager, IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence and Security
The nature of IT security in 2011 shows evolution at work. While some positive trends and improvements have emerged in thwarting security vulnerabilities, attacker’s methods continued to adapt.
Issued today, the 2011 IBM X-Force Report shows surprising improvements in several areas of security such as a reduction in application security vulnerabilities, exploit code and spam. As a result, the report suggests attackers today are being forced to rethink their tactics to targeting more niche IT loopholes and emerging technologies such as social networks and mobile devices. Continue Reading »
by Eric Z. Maass, Chief Technology Officer, Lighthouse Security Group
In the digital age, increasing amounts of data are being shared in new and often unanticipated ways. This proliferation of data, devices and connections brings a set of new security threats. And midsize companies, in particular, are feeling the heat.
While security budgets are often at risk for cuts, recovering from the damage a security breach can cause could cost a midsize much more in lost revenue and productivity. No matter how big or small a business may be, a security glitch is not an option. This is especially the case for midsize companies that operate with tight budgets and limited IT staff.
It has become more important, yet more difficult, to secure and protect critical information and related assets. Whether it’s evaluating the potential risk to the brand, understanding the financial implications of adverse events or assessing the impact of IT systems disruptions on ongoing operations, developing security intelligence – the ability to predict, identify and react to potential threats – is taking on new importance.
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Steve Hamm in
This is the latest in an occasional series of posts about A New Era of Computing. A monumental shift is coming. Computing will be ubiquitous and machines will learn from their interactions with data and humans–essentially programming themselves. This leap will be enabled by advances in artificial intelligence, data analytics, computing systems and nanotechnology. It will result in a smarter, better planet.
Quantum computing has been a Holy Grail for researchers ever since Nobel Prize physicist Richard Feynman in 1981 challenged the scientific community to build computers based on quantum mechanics. For decades, the pursuit remained firmly in the theoretical realm. But now scientists and entrepreneurs believe they’re on the cusp of building systems that will take computing to a whole new level. “The work we’re doing shows it’s no longer just a brute force physics experiment. It’s time to start creating systems based on this science,” says IBM scientist Matthias Steffen, part of a team at IBM Research that’s focused on developing quantum computing to a point where it can be applied to real-world problems.
Here’s Steffen explaining the latest breakthroughs:
by Brendan Hannigan, General Manager, IBM Security Systems
We have all read the news reports of company IT systems being attacked, hacked and compromised. With this comes potential loss of shareholder value, marketplace reputation and possible legal action. This is the stuff that keeps CIO’s and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) awake at night. Continue Reading »
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We have tallied your “Likes” and the results are in. The popular favorite among the IBM 5 in 5 predictions of technologies that will change the way we live and work over the next five years is Mind reading is no longer science fiction. There are some lively comments on that one, too.
It’s not too late to weigh in with your opinion, however. Watch the videos and “Like” away!
People power will come to life
Click here to view the video and vote for this as the coolest IBM 5 in 5 prediction by clicking the “Like” button below the video.
You will never need a password again
Click here to view the video and vote for this as the coolest IBM 5 in 5 prediction by clicking the “Like” button below the video.
Mind reading is no longer science fiction
Click here to view the video and vote for this as the coolest IBM 5 in 5 prediction by clicking the “Like” button below the video.
The digital divide will cease to exist
Click here to view the video and vote for this as the coolest IBM 5 in 5 prediction by clicking the “Like” button below the video.
Junk mail will become priority mail
Click here to view the video and vote for this as the coolest IBM 5 in 5 prediction by clicking the “Like” button below the video.
To vote for this as the coolest IBM 5 in 5 prediction, click the “Like” button below.
Read an in-depth blog post about the prediction by an IBM researcher.
Please participate in the Twitter conversation at #ibm5in5
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To paraphrase Margaret Mead, progress that matters is usually set in motion by a handful of committed people possessed by a great idea and the will to pursue it.
In that vein, this summer a small team of privacy professionals coalesced around a promising idea–providing non-profit organizations with free legal advice on responsible and pragmatic practices for protecting individual privacy and data security.
Our work led to this month’s pilot launch of the Pro Bono Privacy Initiative, under which over a dozen professionals are engaging with a handful of human services agencies, helping them to navigate mission-critical privacy and data protection considerations.
I’m hopeful that our pilot is the start of a meaningful movement that will unite lawyers and other experts in privacy and data protection in service to a cause bigger than any one of us or our organizations.
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In the next couple of years, there are expected to be 2 billion people connected to the Internet. At the same time, the instrumentation and interconnection of the world’s human-made and natural systems is exploding–which could mean that there soon will be more things connected to the Internet than there are people who are connected. This Internet of Things promises to give people a much better understanding of how complex systems work, so they can be tinkered with to make them work better. But it also opens up a whole new sphere of insecurity. Each of those sensors is, potentially, a point of vulnerability to people who write malicious code for fun, or profit, or to further their political goals.
Andreas Wespi
Harm could come in many forms, but some of the most hurtful scenarios for attacks on the Internet of Things include electrical power and communications blackouts, disruption of air traffic and roadway traffic lights, interruption of oil and gas exploration and contamination of water. So far, these concerns are mostly theoretical, but the spread of Stuxnet, the computer worm that targets control systems at nuclear power plants, shows just how dangerous such attacks can be. The worm knocked out about 1,000 centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant last year–and atomic energy experts warn that it has the capability of creating Chernobyl-like disasters. “We have to understand the new threats and understand how to protect our own infrastructure,” says Andreas Wespi, a cybersecurity expert at IBM Research’s Zurich laboratory.
Attacks will likely come in two ways: to the sensors and to the servers that gather, store, and analyze information from the sensors. Both kinds of vulnerability must be addressed.
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Ever since the term “cloud computing” was coined a few years back, the very thought of allowing a company’s data to sit out in some undisclosed location in cyberspace has left CIOs and CFOs quaking in their shoes. If they can’t control their data (or even know where it is) how can they protect it? Their worry is one of the main reasons why cloud computing is more talked about than actually adopted by businesses.
That’s why a claim by one of IBM’s security mavens, Harold Moss, chief technology officer of cloud computing strategy, seems so surprising. “There’s a misconception that cloud is less secure than traditional IT environments,” says Moss. “The cloud can actually be more secure.”
How is that possible? I’m sure some of you disagree with his conclusion, and I invite you to weigh in with comments…
