By Ashish Saraf
As India marches ahead to be a digital force to reckon with, the challenges of safeguarding sensitive information and protecting against cyber threats continue to grow simultaneously. The enormous growth in cyber-attacks post the pandemic has highlighted the pressing need for robust cybersecurity measures.
To ensure up-to-date protection against cyber threats, organisations and individuals need to be aware of specific trends in cybersecurity and the strategies organisations can adopt to stay ahead of evolving threats.
Ransomware Readiness
Ransomware attacks have become a growing concern, affecting organisations worldwide. Thales 2023 Data Threat Report reveals that less than half (48 percent) of IT professionals in India have implemented a formal ransomware plan, despite 52 percent reporting a significant increase in ransomware attacks. 82 percent of respondents in India who fell victim to ransomware attacks last year experienced data loss. Solutions like CipherTrust Transparent Encryption Ransomware Protection (CTE-RWP) can help address this critical issue. Such solutions can actively monitor the file system, identify and prevent unwanted encryption and data exfiltration, and provide organisations with enhanced protection against ransomware attacks.
Navigating Consolidation and Complexity
The cybersecurity landscape has been marked by abundant security tools, leading to increased complexity and challenges in managing cyber risks. Organisations recognize the need for consolidation to streamline operations and mitigate security vulnerabilities. Our recent study found that over 62 percent of large organisations globally employ more than five critical management systems. Alarmingly, only 65 percent of global enterprises possess a comprehensive understanding of their data’s location, while 20 percent struggle to classify their data consistently. Hence, there is a need to acknowledge these concerns and aim for a holistic approach to security by having various solutions under one roof rather than multiple disparate solutions.
Forging Stronger Developer Relationships
The dynamics between security and development teams have traditionally not been that easy. However, a paradigm shift is underway, driven by recognising developers’ critical role in the security buying process. Organisations should acknowledge the need for security tools that empower developers to work efficiently without compromising protection. Solutions like the CipherTrust Platform Community edition and CipherTrust Secrets Management can address developers’ needs by protecting and automating access to secrets across DevOps tools and cloud workloads, encompassing credentials, certificates, API keys, and tokens.
Navigating Data Sovereignty Concerns:
When it comes to cloud security, compliance is the topic of the moment. As countries around the globe are adopting more stringent regulations for data protection, organizations are more concerned about data sovereignty than ever. According to a recent survey by Thales, 82 percent of respondents in India expressed concerns that data sovereignty and privacy regulations would impact their cloud deployment plans. Cloud providers like Google and AWS are now offering ways to provide customers with more control to prove to regulators that information is held and safeguarded by local laws.
Preparing for the Quantum Computing Era
Quantum computing represents both excitement and apprehension in the realm of cybersecurity. Although the precise timing of its arrival and adoption remains uncertain, IT professionals understand the potential impact of this technology on existing security measures. And before it arrives, it will be crucial for the industry to make its operations and data security quantum ready. To reduce the risk of data Theft and decryption in the quantum computing era, companies must embrace a hybrid posture by implementing a quantum-resistant security layer on top of the existing one.
In conclusion, the increasing cyber-attacks have emphasized the critical importance of robust cybersecurity measures in our rapidly expanding digital world. Organisations and individuals need to stay updated on the trends in cybersecurity to protect against evolving threats effectively. By addressing areas like ransomware readiness and navigating consolidation, organisations can enhance their cybersecurity defenses and safeguard sensitive information in an ever-changing threat landscape.
The author is VP and Country Director-India, Thales.
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