What’s In and Out in 2010
The past year has seen a variety of issues arise throughout the cyber security community. As we look into the New Year, here are our predictions surrounding what will be “in” and what will be “out” in 2010.
In
Social Networking on DoD Networks
In 2009, the DoD banned social networking technologies on its networks, for fear of security risks. The DoD undertook an extensive review of the use of social networking to determine what its policy would be in the future. 2010 will see the return of social networking to DoD networks, as military personnel and their families seek to leverage this technology to stay in touch during extensive deployments.
National Cyber Strategy
Just before Christmas, President Obama named Howard Schmidt to the position of Cyber Security Coordinator at the White House, a position which had been vacant for seven months. One of Schmidt’s challenges will be to develop a National Cyber Strategy, preferably before we suffer from a “cyber Pearl Harbor.”
Degree in Computer Science
In October 2009, the Department of Homeland Security was given the authority to hire an additional 1,000 cyber security professionals. DHS will host a virtual job fair early this month to seek to fill some of these positions. 2010 will be a good year for having a degree in computer science.
Einstein III
The government has already deployed Einstein I and II on its networks in previous years. Einstein III is currently undergoing testing and DHS wants to roll out the new program in 2010. If privacy advocates can be satiated, expect to see the government using this proactive program to stop cyber attacks on government networks.
Cloud Computing
The use of cloud computing received a significant amount of attention in 2009. Security experts, however, questioned the relative security issues relating to cloud computing. In 2010, we can expect to see more organizations move to the cloud model as cloud providers become more transparent about their security practices in an effort to attract clients.
Out
On site data storage
Storing data on site, in a secured network, was seen as the best method for storing information and ensuring its security. However, the cost-benefit ratio is too high for a significant number of companies, and managers are beginning to see the advantages of cloud computing models, namely in price. As the use of cloud computing grows, expect to see a corresponding decline in on-site data storage.
Mobile Device Security
For the most part, 2009 saw mobile devices as relatively safe from cyber exploitation, particularly from viruses. The only smart phones that were effectively infected had been altered by their users (known as jail breaking). In 2010 cyber criminals will seek to find and exploit security holes in mobile systems, particularly as more users access the Internet via mobile devices (in China, the majority of Internet users access the Internet only through mobile devices).
Multiple User Names and Passwords
One of the great quandaries of 2009 was how to reconcile the need to ensure the identity of someone accessing a system while keeping the system secure. In today’s climate, passwords and user names are used for practically every function online, from email to Amazon. This causes individuals to either keep the passwords and user names the same or write them down, neither of which is very secure. In 2010, organizations will move towards using the still nascent “identity management” technologies that are becoming available in the market.
That’s our take on what 2010 has in store. Is there anything you would add (or remove) from the list?
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