Everyday both small and large companies are being attacked by hackers and it can be a huge setback for them, if the hacker is successful. In this article, Dr.James Stranger, a Chief Technology Evangelist explains the importance and connection with cyber breaches and how big data can help companies with these attacks. Before diving into the article the understanding of a Denial of Service (Dos) attack and a Distributed Denial of Service is crucial. A DoS attack is when the hacker intends to shut down the server of a company by sending more traffic than it can handle. Similarly, a DDoS attack has the same intent, except the attack is controlled. The hacker will infect enough devices and then order for all of the infected devices to attack the network, the hacker essentially builds an army. This brings up the question how could big data help companies in this aspect?
Big Data refers to all of the structured and unstructured data that is being collected. Therefore, when a company is under a DDoS attack it will collect information on the devices. However, in the previous security protocols are not as efficient because there is a memory and storage restriction. Big Data on the other hand will store and maintain everything which can become useful to the company. If companies use big data to their advantage the article says security teams could then find information out such: devices, IP address, and routing information. The importance that the article stresses is how the traditional ways of cybersecurity need to be replaced with big data. With big data there are stored records and logs that contain vital information that can be used to protect the company. Furthermore, there are analytical tools and machine learning devices that can model and predict an attack. I don't believe this article is expressing that this will make companies invincible to DDoS or Dos attacks but it will help prevent and combat it. It is not mentioned in this article but I did further research and found that some companies are programming an intentional attack once a month to test the network and protection. With all of this being said it seems that the time has come to put the traditional methods away and start analyzing big data to increase the security.
I personally agree with this article and the message behind it. It is explaining the importance of taking the data that is in front of us and analyze it in a way that can be beneficial. I would have liked to see the article provide more in depth information about how the tools and models work. In terms of the long-run DDoS and DOS attacks are only become more complex so these companies whether small or big need to have a better strategy to prevent them. There is evident reason to believe that big data is a step in the right direction when it comes to fighting this internet warfare.
Sources: https://insidebigdata.com/2021/04/03/how-big-data-helps-us-understand-denial-of-service-dos-attacks/
https://www.digitalistmag.com/cio-knowledge/2018/08/27/how-big-data-helps-avoid-cybersecurity-threats-06184059/
This is a very interesting topic. Usually when I think of big data in relation to cyber security it is in the context of cyber security measures being used to protect data, not data being used to help cyber security. Cyber security issues are increasing because it is becoming easier to be a cybercriminal. Many people have the resources to learn the methods needed to hack an organization’s or individual’s computer systems. I think it makes perfect sense that data would be a solution to solving these attacks just as data has helped every other aspect of a business. Because the techniques of the hackers are evolving, big data can help not only discover existing strategies, but predict future plans that hackers may have. Cyber security teams can make a forecast and see where they are most vulnerable and what time periods make the most sense for a potential data breach. The importance of cyber security cannot be understated because once you discover that there is a hacker in your system, it can mean that the hacker has had access for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear more about the cloud based solutions for becoming even with the hackers. From my understanding I thought one of the drawbacks of cloud storage of data was that it was not as secure. This obviously seems like the opposite of the objectives of companies looking to protect data. While I understand that big data can help provide insight into DDoS attacks and show specific steps that hackers have taken to carry out these attacks, I just do not understand how cloud based data storage is the solution. I also could be thinking of something else because the article says that big data applications are only on cloud based technology. In this case, I would say that because big data is very helpful to interpreting and discovering the strategies of hackers that I agree with the author.
With big data, cyber security teams should be able to keep up with the advancement of cyber-attacks. Companies invest a large amount of money into data and data management. The importance of data is only going to increase throughout time. The organizations that put enough emphasis on data and have the right people to interpret that data will find great success in cyber security.
We are in a changing business and social environment where everything is becoming digitalized. This makes everyone more vulnerable and in need of proper security. The consequences of not predicting and defending against an attack can have major effects on a business and the lives of their customers. For example, the recent Facebook hacking led to the personal information of millions of users to be leak amongst hacking networks. These customers need to change their phone numbers, passwords, emails, and possibly other information. Companies should explore any option they have to improve their cyber security measures and data is the best way to do that.