Our team returned this week from an inspiring and thought-provoking five days at the RSA 2019 Conference in albeit rainy San Francisco, California. The conference, held at the newly expanded Moscone Center, was full of cyber solutions and stimulating talks from thought leaders on many diverse subjects. The RSA Conference, quite possibly the most impactful global security event of all time, serves as the best place to learn the most up-to-date news in the information security industry.
We came together with peers, partners, and clients to experience a whirlwind of exciting information. As usual, we barely had time to sit down. While we exhibited at the conference, some of our team had time to take in the sessions and demonstrations taking place throughout the week. Here are some of the tidbits we’ve learned during our time at RSA 2019.
AI & Data Security
As new technologies hold the promise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the topic of objectively evaluating AI in regard to cyber security was part of the keynote sessions. What we learned is that while AI is creating a foundation for the industry and can be integral to processing data to in order to drive security, it can also be manipulated by bad data, whether intentional or not. At the same time, humans are much better at recognizing bad data and subsequently discarding it; however, they are more easily swayed by emotion and bias. To combat this, the speaker suggests that pair programing techniques (AI and human created code in the same solution) will lead to better overall digital security, more so than all AI or all human generated code. We’d like to think of it as a digital checks and balance.
Solving the Trust Crisis
In today’s hyper-connected world, information focused cyber-risk represents the greatest risk of loss and disruption to companies big and small. During the keynote sessions, panelists suggested that “Trust by reputation” will be the next area of focus for digital security. We have come to recognize that sources aren’t “all bad” or “all good”, but a combination of both. As we understand this better, people are determining that security isn’t just about eliminating risk, but understanding, evaluating, and prioritizing it. This is similar to individuals determining what is “fake news” by searching for news from multiple sources, of which some are more trusted than others.
The idea arose that a ‘trust score” could end up being the next key measurement for businesses and data. This will consistently combine good data with good security practices, leading to a better score. This trust score is not based on perfection, but more about doing the right things in the right way, making it similar to a credit score, but rather for trust worthiness. Following suit, sources that provide bad data and/or don’t respond well to breached data would be ranked lower. Every company or institution is still responsible for managing its own risk against the data being provided and calculating its score.
Sharing Information
As we move forward together in the new wave of trust and reputation building, information sharing remains a critical component. During our era of digital transformation, the world must learn the value of sharing information for the betterment of society. Hiding breaches leave the world less secure and makes others more vulnerable. Infosec professionals (private or government) who keep security vulnerabilities and attacker techniques secret likewise make everyone more vulnerable. Sharing information and quickly disclosing threats and breaches is the best policy and allows for a world of unshackled innovation.
As the RSA Conference 2019 came to a close, it became clear that organizations are committed to making cyber security better around the world, the perfect complement to this year’s theme BETTER. UNICOM Engineering enables leading organizations within the security, media, and entertainment industries, go-to-market strategies designed to give you a competitive edge. With deep partner relationships with leaders like Dell EMC and Intel, we can help you get started today. For more information on how UNICOM Engineering provides a BETTER experience, visit www.unicomengineering.com or contact us by telephone (800) 977-1010 or by email at info@unicomengineering.com.