What is Cyber Security?

by Nate Lord

 

A Definition of Cyber Security

Cyber security refers to the body of technologies, processes, and practices designed to protect networks, devices, programs, and data from attack, damage, or unauthorized access. Cyber security may also be referred to as information technology security.

The Importance of Cyber Security

Cyber security is important because government, military, corporate, financial, and medical organizations collect, process, and store unprecedented amounts of data on computers and other devices. A significant portion of that data can be sensitive information, whether that be intellectual property, financial data, personal information, or other types of data for which unauthorized access or exposure could have negative consequences. Organizations transmit sensitive data across networks and to other devices in the course of doing businesses, and cyber security describes the discipline dedicated to protecting that information and the systems used to process or store it. As the volume and sophistication of cyber attacks grow, companies and organizations, especially those that are tasked with safeguarding information relating to national security, health, or financial records, need to take steps to protect their sensitive business and personnel information. As early as March 2013, the nation’s top intelligence officials cautioned that cyber attacks and digital spying are the top threat to national security, eclipsing even terrorism.

Eric Schmidt on AI: ‘Trust me, these Chinese people are good’

The billionaire believes that the US government needs to do more to maintain its lead in artificial intelligence. China released an AI strategy in July, which revealed that it plans to become a world leader in the field by 2030.

Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google parent company Alphabet, has warned that China is poised to overtake the US in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) if the US government doesn’t act soon.

Speaking at the Artificial Intelligence and Global Security Summit on Wednesday, the former Google CEO said: “Trust me, these Chinese people are good.”

He added: “They are going to use this technology for both commercial as well as military objectives with all sorts of implications.”

China published its AI strategy in July and said that it wanted to be the world leader in AI by 2030.

New technologies, new content opportunities

Across the globe, news organizations are investing in new methods for producing and delivering content. What are the motivations behind these investments and what benefits do they bring?

 

Let's explore how publishers have been experimenting with new ways of storytelling...

Most Asia-Pacific regions are smartphone-first. Should you be?

Reuters Institute research, which looked at seven Asia-Pacific markets, confirms that Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Malaysia are all mobile-first markets.

In three of these markets mobile-use has reached or is approaching 60%. This widespread use of smartphones has been facilitated by higher penetration rates of smartphone making and mobile broadband in the region.

These figures are much higher than in some developed markets in North America and Western Europe, but indicate future rises in mobile use.  

Publishers are already adapting to this new revenue stream with investment and experimentation in mobile alerts and notifications to reach news audiences.

Worry about the spies, not thieves, who may have breached Equifax

The Equifax breach stole names, addresses, birth dates, and credit card numbers for over 200,000 consumers. One might immediately assume that cyber criminals made the attack in order to sell the information to identity thieves who will run up fraudulent charges, file fake tax returns, defraud mortgages and loans, purchase goods with stolen credit cards or steal a subscription to HBO in time for next season’s Game of Thrones.

But where most see thieves, I see spies.

The cyber intrusion also stole documents used in disputes for approximately 182,000 people. This includes personal identifiable information that sophisticated attackers could use to gain entry into medical records, bank accounts, employer email accounts and networks — virtually anywhere that a person has an online presence. Most consumers are still slow to adopt secondary protection schemes like two-factor authentication and continue to use challenge questions that relate directly to their personal lives. If a spy agency in China, North Korea or Russia (the three most likely culprits in the Equifax breach) has this information, they could use it to infiltrate other accounts of targeted individuals, particularly those persons of interest in government agencies.

Hong Kong govt's digital transformation commitment detailed

Apart from the unprecedented focus on technology and innovation development, the latest Policy Address announced last month also demonstrates Chief Executives Carrie Lam’s commitment to transform the government’s technology practice. Policies that include a new procurement arrangement and CE-led Steering Committee on Innovation and Technology are considered by industry veterans and former civil servants as a digital transformation within the Hong Kong SAR Government.

“The overall direction is positive and encouraging, but it also raises a lot of question marks, particularly around the implementation,” Raymond Wong, the former assistant director (information systems) of the Hong Kong Immigration Department said.

“With Carrie’s personal commitment in technology development and close collaboration between her executive council members, I am confident with the upcoming development in technology,” said Fanny Law, chairman of the board of directors at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP). “Of course, the results remain to be revealed upon the deployment of these policies.”