White hat heroes protecting your digital frontiers

In today’s society, individuals have access to various digital technologies such as smartphones, email, voice assistants like Alexa, and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, being a user of any of these digital systems also means being susceptible to cyberattacks. With interconnected systems dominating our era and businesses and individuals relying heavily on digital platforms, the importance of strong defenses against cyber threats has become more crucial than ever.

In 2020, the country’s flagship airline Air India fell victim to a cyber attack that compromised the personal information of millions of its customers. The breach affected users registered between August 2011 and February 2021 and exposed sensitive information such as names, date of birth, contact information, passport information and credit card information.

This breach had serious consequences for both the individuals involved and the airline, and is an example of the vulnerability that the common consumer faces in a digitally connected country like India.

Nenad Zaric, CEO and co-founder of Trickest, a cybersecurity platform that employs ethical hackers, says: “India’s dynamic economy is booming, and with this growth comes rapid digital transformation. However, this transformation brings challenges, especially the rise of cyber threats. But India does not just view these threats passively; it is actively innovating cybersecurity across multiple security industries, not just the private sector.”

White Hat Heroes save the day

Unfortunately, gone are the days when a simple antivirus program was enough to protect against digital threats. Today’s cybersecurity challenges require sophisticated solutions that can adapt to the evolving tactics of malicious actors.

Enter the white hat heroes.

In this digital battlefield, white hat hackers, also called ethical hackers, have emerged as the unsung heroes of cyber security. Unlike their black hat counterparts who exploit vulnerabilities for malicious purposes, white hat hackers use their skills to identify and fix security flaws and work with organizations to strengthen their defenses.

One notable example of white hat heroism is the case of Tsutomu Shimomura, who became famous after helping the FBI capture high-profile and criminal hacker Kevin Mitnick.

Ethical hacker Ben Sadeghipour explains how a white hat hacker works with an organization: “Companies can work with the ethical hacking community in a number of ways. The most common and easiest is to establish a communication channel with hackers either through a bug bounty program or a vulnerability disclosure program (VPD).”

The bug bounty program allows companies to pay hackers for their discoveries. It has proven successful in attracting top-level talent to look at software and network vulnerabilities.

“It usually requires more leverage on the company’s head to establish its nature, fixing vulnerabilities, fixing them, processing payments and over-communicating with hackers,” he says.

On the other hand, VDP is more of a “see something, say something” approach.

“If someone comes across a vulnerability in your property while browsing the internet, researching or using your products, this model doesn’t pay the hackers, but recognizes their work and creates a channel to receive the vulnerabilities,” he adds.

Organizations can host both methods themselves or leverage a third-party platform tailored to cover these programs more efficiently.

The role of innovative technologies

Together with the efforts of ethical hackers, innovative security solutions based on advanced technologies play a crucial role in strengthening digital defenses. Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms analyze vast amounts of data to detect anomalies and patterns that point to potential threats. Behavioral analytics, in turn, can identify unusual user behavior to help prevent insider threats and sophisticated attacks.

“In order to effectively navigate the complex cyber security environment, it is essential that solutions are classified into offensive and defensive groups as their main abstraction. This classification helps to understand proactive and reactive actions in the security domain,” explains Zaric.

Zero Trust Architecture

Innovative technologies enable the implementation of Zero Trust Architecture, where trust is never assumed and authentication is required from everyone, regardless of location or network connection. This model minimizes the risk of unauthorized access and lateral movement in the network.

“While Zero Trust solutions were more focused on just monitoring capabilities, in recent years we’ve seen a rise in reactivity and the creation of sandbox environments to manage new threats,” says Zaric.

Biometric authentication

Traditional passwords are increasingly supplemented or replaced by biometric authentication methods, such as fingerprint scanning, facial recognition and voice authentication. These innovative technologies provide additional protection and reduce the risk of unauthorized use.

“This innovation is now integrated into everyday products as part of two- or multi-factor authentication for critical systems,” he explains.

Endpoint Security Solutions

As remote work becomes more common and mobile devices become more common, the security of endpoints becomes crucially important. Innovative technologies provide robust endpoint protection and protect devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets from various threats.

“Within companies, work is done on employees’ individual devices, called endpoints, so Endpoint Security Solutions innovates by creating a more comprehensive check of used and installed software. Since one of the top priorities of this software is not to affect employee performance, they started to have almost zero impact on the devices they were installed on,” he adds.

Network traffic analysis

Every software today has an Internet connection, so network traffic analysis is a way to monitor network traffic for suspicious activity. As a general term, network traffic analysis began to become an integral part of defensive surveillance, such as security operations centers, intrusion detection systems, and more.

User and Entity Behavior Analysis (UEBA)

UEBA tools analyze user behaviors to identify anomalies that may indicate security threats. By understanding normal user behavior, these tools can detect unauthorized access or suspicious activity, allowing organizations to react quickly.

“Along with the bot protection of most current products, the decisive role of this analytics system can be found in fintech solutions,” he explains.

Cloud security solutions

When entire countries and more and more traditional companies are moving towards cloud services, Cloud Security Solutions is tackling its challenges. CDR (Cloud Detection and Response), CIEM (Cloud Infrastructure Access Management), CNAPP (Cloud Application Security Platform) and CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management) emerged from this general term to cover specific customer needs.

“However, these measures only provide the defensive side of the story that you fear being exposed to,” he warns, quoting Sun Tzu. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles. .”

Threat intelligence sharing

Advanced information security solutions utilize threat intelligence feeds and gather information about known threats and vulnerabilities. This collaboration allows organizations to stay abreast of new threats and strengthen their defenses accordingly.

By doing both defensive and offensive work, companies can gain knowledge and understanding of the most advanced threats around them, says Zaric.

“Offensive security and threat intelligence are part of security that tries to understand adversaries. Typically, offensive actions consist of discovering corporate assets using Attack Surface Management solutions and then performing vulnerability scanning and management. At the same time, Red Team operations penetrate the enemy’s shoes the deepest, trying to participate in real-life attacks,” he says.

The future of cyber security

The future of cyber security will be characterized by increasingly specific and sophisticated cyber threats, requiring a shift from general security measures to tailored strategies focused on individual companies and infrastructures. This tailored approach is critical in a world where critical infrastructures are prime targets for malicious actors, says Sadeghipour.

“If we talk about new threats related to artificial intelligence and machine learning, they are double-edged swords; they offer advanced defensive capabilities and introduce new vulnerabilities. For next year, an attempt must be made to solve the growing shortage of information security skills, which is a result of the heavy workloads for current professionals. This situation highlights the importance of developing effective tools and strategies to manage these challenges and maintain global security,” he says.

In this era of interconnection, where data is the new currency, collaboration between organizations, ethical hackers and innovative security solutions is essential to secure the digital frontier. As technology develops, so does our commitment to secure the digital world in which we live. White hat heroes, armed with their skills and sense of ethical responsibility, stand as guardians in this ever-expanding cyberspace.