The Top Game Changing Data Trends for 2018

The Convergence of Data Management Technologies, Growth of Metadata Management and the Increased Focus on AI Make Up the Most Impactful Trends for 2018

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (PRWEB) November 14, 2017 -- Infogix today identified pivotal data trends that will impact businesses in 2018 and beyond.

“Metadata management and ensuring data privacy for regulations such as GDPR joins earlier trends like AI and IoT, but the unexpected trend of 2018 will be the convergence of data management technologies,” said Emily Washington, senior vice president of product management at Infogix. “Big data has been the next big technology phenomenon for a long time, but businesses are increasingly evaluating ways to streamline their overall technology stack if they want to successfully leverage big data and analytics to create a better customer experience, achieve business objectives, gain a competitive advantage and ultimately, become market leaders.” 

The top data trends for 2018 were assembled by business leaders at Infogix who have decades of experience in information technology. The major trends include:

2018: The Year of Converging Data Management Technologies

• Use cases have proven that leveraging data requires a multitude of separate tools for tasks like data quality, analytics, governance, data integration, metadata management and more.
• To extract meaningful insights and increase operational efficacy, businesses will increasingly demand flexible, integrated tools to enable users to quickly ingest, prepare, analyze, act on, and govern data—while easily communicating insights derived.

Increased Importance of Data Governance

• The deluge of data is growing, government regulations are increasing and teams have much greater access to data within an organization. Add to this the increasing need to leverage advanced analytics, and data governance has become more critical than ever.
• Data governance capabilities have evolved in a way that provides complete transparency into a business’s data landscape—allowing them to combat increasingly complex regulatory and compliance demands and the shifting tides of business policies and business alignment.

The Continued Rise of the Chief Data Officer (CDO)

• In today’s data-intensive environment, a CDO is more important than ever to navigate regulatory demands, successfully leverage data and manage enterprise-wide governance.
• A CDO helps businesses manage unstructured and unpredictable data, while successfully leveraging advanced analytics and maximizing the value of data assets across the business enterprise.

Ensuring Data Privacy for Regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

• When GDPR goes into effect in May 2018, it will strengthen and unify data protection rules for all organizations processing personal data for European Union (EU) residents.
• Through analytics-enabled data governance, a business can not only locate personal data enterprise-wide, but monitor compliance, usage, approvals, and accountability across the organization.

The Proliferation of Metadata Management

• Metadata is a growing trend for 2018. This “data about data” contains the information necessary to understand and effectively use data such as business definitions, valid values, lineage, and more.
• Using such ontologies, organizations can understand the relationship between data sets, as well as enhance discoverability in metadata. Metadata management is critical in enterprise data environments to support data governance, regulatory compliance and data management demands.

The Monetization of Data Assets

• Organizations recognize that data is either a liability or an asset. Metadata can be used to enable a deeper understanding of the most valuable information.
• We are seeing more organizations using a combination of logical, physical, and conceptual metadata to classify data sets based on their importance, and businesses can apply a numerical value to each data classification, effectively monetizing it.

The Future of Prediction: Predictive Analytics to Improve Data Quality

• With the continued concerns with data quality, and the volumes of data increasing, businesses are enhancing data quality anomaly detection with the use of machine-learning algorithms.
• By using historical patterns to predict future data quality outcomes, businesses can dynamically detect anomalies in data that might otherwise have gone unnoticed or only found much later through manual intervention.

IoT Becoming More Real

• Each passing year marks an increase in the number of connected devices generating data and there is a steep rise in focusing on extraction of insights from this data.
• We are starting to see more and more defined IoT use cases leveraging data—from newer connected devices like sensors, and drones for analytics initiatives. With this, there is a growing demand for streaming data ingestion and analysis.

“As more data is generated through technologies like IoT, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage and leverage. Integrated self-service tools deliver an all-inclusive view of a business’s data landscape to draw meaningful, timely conclusions,” said Washington. “Full transparency into a business’s data assets will be crucial for successful analytics initiatives, addressing data governance and privacy needs, monetizing data assets and more as we move into 2018.”

96 Percent of IT Security Professionals Expect an Increase in Cybersecurity Attacks on Industrial Internet of Things

Study reveals most organizations take additional precautions to secure IIoT

Portland, Ore. – March 13, 2017 – Tripwire, Inc. today announced the results of a study conducted in partnership with Dimensional Research. The study looked at the rise of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) deployment in organizations, and to what extent it is expected to cause security problems in 2017.  

IIoT are the connected devices in critical infrastructure segments such as energy, utilities, government, healthcare and finance. Tripwire’s study revealed that:

• Ninety-six percent of those surveyed expect to see an increase in security attacks on IIoT in 2017.

• Fifty-one percent said they do not feel prepared for security attacks that abuse, exploit or maliciously leverage insecure IIoT devices.

• Sixty-four percent said they already recognize the need to protect against IIoT attacks, as they continue to gain popularity among hackers.

“Industry professionals know that the Industrial Internet of Things security is a problem today. More than half of the respondents said they don’t feel prepared to detect and stop cyber attacks against IIoT,” said said David Meltzer, chief technology officer at Tripwire. “There are only two ways this scenario plays out: Either we change our level of preparation or we experience the realization of these risks. The reality is that cyber attacks in the industrial space can have significant consequences in terms of safety and the availability of critical operations.” 

“As Industrial companies pursue IIoT, it’s important to understand the new threats that can impact critical operations. Greater connectivity with operational technology (OT) exposes operational teams to the types of attacks that IT teams are used to seeing, but with even higher stakes,” said Robert Westervelt, security research manager at IDC.  “The concern for a cyber attack is no longer focused on loss of data, but safety and availability. Consider an energy utility as an example - cyber attacks could disrupt power supply for communities and potentially have impact to life and safety.”

The study’s respondents were also asked how they expect their organizations’ deployment of IIoT devices to change, and how it will affect their level of vulnerability. Tripwire found that: 

• Ninety percent expect IIoT deployment to increase.

• Ninety-four percent expect IIoT to increase risk and vulnerability in their organizations.

• When respondents were broken down by company size, both larger companies (96 percent) and smaller companies (93 percent) expect a significant increase in risk caused by the use of IIoT.

Meltzer continued, “The Industrial Internet of Things ultimately delivers value to organizations, and that’s why we’re seeing an increase in deployments. Security can’t be an industry of ‘no’ in the face of innovation, and businesses can’t be effective without addressing risks. The apparent contradiction of known risks and continued deployment demonstrates that security and operations need to coordinate on these issues. While IIoT may bring new challenges and risks, the fundamentals of security still apply. Organizations don’t need to find new security controls, rather they need to figure out how to apply security best practices in new environments.”

For more, see Security and Privacy in Internet of Things (IoTs): Models, Algorithms, and Implementations.

Mobile Dev + Test and IoT Dev + Test Conferences

The popular, collocated Mobile Dev + Test and IoT Dev + Test conferences are back at the beautiful Westin San Diego, April 24–28, 2017. Mobile Dev + Test offers the latest tips, tricks, tools, and in-depth learning opportunities for mobile software developers as well as testers. Meanwhile if you're new or experienced in the world of IoT (Internet of Things), IoT Dev + Test will offer the latest in IoT development, testing, design, emerging technologies, tools, and leadership principles from leaders who deliver inspiring keynote presentations, in-depth tutorials, and a wide range of conference sessions. Join TechWell for a week packed with hands-on learning, networking, and fun.

Explore all of this and more:

•   Pre-conference training classes

•   In-depth half- and full-day tutorials

•   Keynotes featuring industry thought-leaders

•   Concurrent sessions covering hot topics and solutions

•   The Expo, bringing you the latest in software solutions

•   Networking events: receptions, breakfasts, breaks, and lunches included

Topics include Mobile Testing, Android, iOS, Mobile and IoT Test Automation, IoT Testing, UX, and more!

Register for the Mobile Dev + Testconference and receive full access to the IoT Dev + Test conference. Use promo code MDCM and save up to $200 off, plus when register by March 24 you can save up to an additional $200 with Early Bird Pricing, that is a combined savings of up to $400!

IoT Botnet: 25,513 CCTV Cameras Used in Crushing DDoS Attacks

It's only a matter of time before these types of attacks proliferate.

June 28, 2016 -- Eskenzi PR -- Researchers from security firm Sucuri have encountered a denial-of-service botnet that's made up of more than 25,000 internet-connected closed circuit TV devices. The malicious network was discovered whilst Sucuri was defending a small brick-and-mortar jewellery shop against a distributed denial-of-service attack. After the DDoS continued for several days, Sucuri researchers soon discovered the individual devices carrying out the attack were CCTV boxes that were connected to more than 25,500 different IP addresses, located in no fewer than 105 countries around the world.

"For over a decade, security professionals have been evangelizing that anything with an IP address can become the victim of a cyber-attack, and anything with an IP address can be used in a cyber-attack," notes Stephen Gates, Chief Research Intelligence Analyst at NSFOCUS IB. "Here is another case in point whereby a vulnerability has been exploited, remote code execution has been successful, and a botnet has been constructed from devices that rarely, if ever get updated. This problem is going to continue to grow as more and more devices get connected.  IPv6 will serve to increase this problem even further.

"In the world of IPv4, network address translation (NAT) has helped hide devices from attackers on the Internet.  Devices sitting behind a firewall using NAT, are often not visible from the Internet itself.  Although NAT was designed to solve the fossil fuel effect of IPv4, it was never intended to be a security feature - but has helped.  However, in IPv6 the concept of NAT isn’t needed.  Every device can have a publicly visible IP address.  As a result, hacking will grow exponentially."

The Internet of Things (IoT) has attracted strong interest from both academia and industry. Unfortunately, it has also attracted the attention of hackers. Security and Privacy in Internet of Things (IoTs): Models, Algorithms, and Implementations brings together some of the top IoT security experts from around the world who contribute their knowledge regarding different IoT security aspects. It answers the question "How do we use efficient algorithms, models, and implementations to cover the four important aspects of IoT security, i.e., confidentiality, authentication, integrity, and availability?"

Energy Sector Sees Dramatic Rise in Successful Cyber Attacks

Portland, OR – April 7, 2016 – Tripwire, Inc. today announced the results of a study conducted for Tripwire by Dimensional Research. The study, which was carried out in November 2015, assessed cyber security challenges faced by organizations in the energy sector. Study respondents included over 150 IT professionals in the energy, utilities, and oil and gas industries.

When asked if their organization had experienced a rise in successful cyber attacks in the last 12 months, seventy-seven percent of the respondents in Tripwire’s study replied, “yes.” In addition, more than two-thirds of the respondents (sixty-eight percent) said the rate of successful cyber attacks had increased by over twenty percent in the last month.

“It’s tempting to believe that this increase in attacks is horizontal across industries, but the data shows that energy organizations are experiencing a disproportionately large increase when compared to other industries,” said Tim Erlin, director of IT security and risk strategy for Tripwire. “At the same time, energy organizations face unique challenges in protecting industrial control systems and SCADA assets.”

Additional findings from the study include:

• Energy executives were more than twice as likely to believe their organization detected every cyber attack (forty-three percent) than nonexecutives (seventeen percent).

• In the last 12 months, seventy-eight percent of the respondents said they experienced a cyber attack from an external source, and thirty percent have seen an attack from an inside employee.

• Forty-four percent of the respondents indicated they have not gathered enough information to identify the sources of cyber attacks on their organizations.

• Nearly one-fourth (twenty-two percent) of the respondents admitted their organizations do not have business processes to identify sensitive and confidential information.

“ Detecting attacks successfully is the midpoint of the overall process,” Erlin continued. “Energy organizations need to invest in greater prevention and forensic tools to decrease the rate of successful attacks and fully investigate those they can’t prevent.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the energy sector faces more cyber attacks than any other industry. Despite these escalating risks, the energy sector faces serious challenges responding to security threats effectively. For example, the results of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) GridEx III "cyberwar games" revealed significant challenges with the cyber threat intelligence practices of grid operators.

In addition to this study, Tripwire conducted a survey of 200 security professionals attending RSA Conference 2016. When asked if a cyber attack would cause physical damage to critical infrastructure in 2016, eighty-three percent of the respondents replied, “yes.” In addition, seventy-three percent of respondents to this second survey said critical infrastructure providers are more vulnerable to ransomware attacks than other organizations.

For more information about the survey please visit Tripwire.

Related Books

NEW! Cyber Security for Industrial Control Systems: From the Viewpoint of Close-Loop

Cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems: SCADA, DCS, PLC, HMI, and SIS

Security and Privacy in Smart Grids

Data Privacy for the Smart Grid

Security and Privacy in Internet of Things (IoTs): Models, Algorithms, and Implementations

Free IoT Security e-book

IoT Security has been identified by Gartner as one of the Top 10 technology areas that should be on every organization's radar in 2017 and 2018. Billions of devices are expected to generate more than 40 zeta bytes of data annually by the year 2020. While the Internet of Things promises many benefits to individuals and enterprises, the unprecedented growth in devices, data and connections leads to bigger security threats. Gemalto's IoT Security e-book discusses the impact of security breaches in a connected world. Learn about the key pillars that form the foundation of a secure IoT infrastructure: securing the device, securing the cloud and security lifecycle management.

When you're ready to learn more or doing something about it, see "Security and Privacy in Internet of Things (IoTs): Models, Algorithms, and Implementations."

GSMA Announces Security Guidelines to Support Growth of the Internet of Things

Backed by the Mobile Industry, New Guidelines Outline Common Approach to Security for IoT Services

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The GSMA today announced the availability of new guidelines designed to promote the secure development and deployment of services in the growing Internet of Things (IoT) market. The document, ‘The GSMA IoT Security Guidelines,' has been developed in consultation with the mobile industry and offers IoT service providers and the wider IoT ecosystem practical advice on tackling common cybersecurity threats, as well as data privacy issues associated with IoT services.

The project has received the backing and support of the mobile industry including mobile operators AT&T, China Telecom, Etisalat, KDDI, NTT DOCOMO, Orange, Telefónica, Telenor and Verizon and vendor and infrastructure partners 7Layers, Ericsson, Gemalto, Morpho, Telit and u-blox.

“As billions of devices become connected in the Internet of Things, offering innovative and interconnected new services, the possibility of potential vulnerabilities increases,” said Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA. “These can be overcome if the end-to-end security of an IoT service is carefully considered by the service provider when designing their service and an appropriate mitigating technology is deployed. A proven and robust approach to security will create trusted, reliable services that scale as the market grows.”

The GSMA’s IoT Security Guidelines have been designed for all players in the IoT ecosystem including IoT service providers, IoT device manufacturers and developers. They will help service providers build secure services by outlining technologies and methods to address potential threats, as well as how to implement them. They also establish the need for risk assessment of all components of an IoT service to ensure they are designed to securely collect, store and exchange data and successfully mitigate cybersecurity attacks. The Guidelines recently completed a thorough industry consultation with academics, analysts and other industry experts to ensure that they are as robust as possible.

“There is a significant amount of evidence to suggest that cyberattacks are already happening in the burgeoning IoT space. If not handled appropriately, these attacks are likely to inhibit the growth and stability of the Internet of Things,” commented Don A. Bailey, Founder and CEO, Lab Mouse Security. “It is imperative that the industry adopts a standard approach for dealing with security risks and mitigations, helping to ensure that the entire IoT ecosystem will not be subject to fraud, exposures of privacy, or attacks that affect human life."

The GSMA IoT Security Guidelines have been developed through the GSMA Connected Living program. The program is designed to help operators accelerate the delivery of new connected devices and services in the M2M market. It focuses on driving industry collaboration, promoting appropriate regulation and optimizing networks to support the growth of M2M in the immediate future and the IoT in the longer term.

The IoT Security Guidelines are available to download here.

For more on securing the IoT, get a copy of "Security and Privacy in Internet of Things (IoTs): Models, Algorithms, and Implementations." The book consists of five parts covering attacks and threats, privacy preservation, trust and authentication, IoT data security, and social awareness.