The internet has come a long way since its beginning. Today, people use the internet for thousands of different reasons, varying from e-commerce, to social media and business uses. The internet holds some of our most personal and private information such as bank account information, medical records, and classified information. Is our information safe? Alongside the evolution and growth of the internets capabilities, has come the evolution and growth of cyber criminals and hackers.
Some of you may or may not know that October is cyber security month. Ironically, an article on the politics page of CNN informs us that the Secret Service and FBI are currently investigating the hacking of personal email accounts of the CIA Director, John Brennan, along with the Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Jeh Johnson. And this isn't the first time or instance of a high-ranking official's email getting hacked, as many of you may know Hillary Clinton's emails were also recently hacked.
Email hacking is considered to be one of the easier hacks that often produces confidential information. CNN explains the process of "social engineering", which is a simple form of hacking where you find out personal information on the person you want to hack, and use it to invade their accounts. CNN writes that Brennan and Johnson's hacker simply tricked Verizon into giving him Brennan's information and then got AOL to reset his password. If hacking is really as easy as it sounds, the United States needs stronger cyber security practices.
So, who can we trust? According to a survey conducted by a cyber security company, vArmour, 52 percent of cyber security professionals do not share information about potential security breaches with their related companies. IBM has been working proactively to create awareness for current cyber security threats. IBM has recently created a new platform named IBM X-Force. This platform allows people from around the world to add, in real time, when and where a cyber threat or attack takes place.
The United States would benefit from stricter laws regarding cyber security. Currently, there have been several law firms that have opened specializing in data security. Gregory Parks, co-chairman of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius' cyber security law firm, explains to the Post-Gazette that cyber security wasn't necessarily an issue we had to worry about ten years ago, however now it's, "absolutely a constantly evolving thing. This is something that every company needs to work on constantly, all the time". The future of cyber security and hacking is so important because it jeopardizes the safety of our identities and country.
