In 2013, security will move out of the specialist realm and become a mainstream IT must-have. Security breaches now span access, infrastructure and apps. And, they happen on fixed and mobile networks. They impact physical, intellectual and financial capital. And the scope is global, according to the "Verizon 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report."
"We expect identity security to be a much more prevalent issue in 2013," said David Small, chief platform officer said. "Two-factor authentication is already gaining adherents, but it won't be enough to counteract the increasing amount and intensity of criminal activity pursuing both intellectual property and financial gain."
"The race is on to protect every endpoint, every device and everything connected to the Internet. While the Internet affords us countless opportunity it also comes with a price. No longer is strong security an option; it's a mandatory requirement for all organizations to protect their intellectual and physical capital, customer identities and society at large," said David Small, Verizon chief platform officer.
"When we look at 2013, we see a very active threat landscape," said Small. According to our RISK team, the most likely threats this year involve authentication attacks and failures, continued espionage and "hactivism" attacks, Web application exploits and social engineering.
In addition, Verizon's security intelligence group -- the RISK team - made a list of vulnerabilities that they see as much less likely. For example, Verizon does not foresee the failure of an organization's cloud technology or its configuration as being the root cause of a breach. On the other hand, an organizations' service provider could inadvertently increase the likelihood of a breach by failing to take appropriate actions or taking inappropriate ones.
The RISK team believes that lost and stolen - and unencrypted - mobile devices will continue to far exceed hacks and malware. The RISK team projects that attacks on mobile devices by the criminal world will follow closely the push to mobile payments in the business and consumer areas.
More than ever, as you can see, it's critical for enterprises to secure all of their assets, beginning with their data. Yes, the race is on and yes, the finish line is a far ways off.
