OT Is The Next Target Of Cyber Crooks

As everything turns into a computer, computer security becomes everything security. The rise of a global Internet of Things network is ultimately creating a giant, internet-connected global robot which is so disparate and insecure that cyberattacks against it are going to cause major societal problems if it isn't regulated.

There is growing concern on how ICANN will comply with the GDPR. A key question on how the trademark owners is ‘how will ICANN comply with GDRP without unduly restricting global Internet users’ access to the public WHOIS database?’ For nearly the past 2 decades, Internet users, businesses, law enforcement and consumer protection agencies have relied on WHOIS as a necessary resource. However, if it restricts access to such data, the GDPR could seriously hamper the ability of brand owners to enforce their rights and protect consumers from infringement and online fraud.

With the growing IoT devices, where sensors to collect data, sensors which sense movement, smart televisions and digital personal assistants which are always watching and listening to potential commands and there are internet connected devices which perform manual tasks. IoT to connect billions of physical devices around the world that are now connected to the internet, collecting and sharing data. We can’t deny the fact ,for the companies to bring cheap products /processors and wireless networks, it's possible to turn anything, from a pill to an aeroplane, into part of the IoT.

Cyberattacks are increasing at every second and probably they are well connected and like organised crime. The record says, Equifax (Credit monitoring firm), said information on about 146.6 million names, 146.6 million dates of birth, 145.5 million U.S. social security numbers, 99 million addresses and 209,000 payment card numbers and expiration dates, were stolen in a cyber attack. In a recent hacking, Bank of Montreal (Canada's fourth biggest lender ) and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce said , cyber attackers may have stolen the data of nearly 90,000 customers in what appeared to be the first significant assault on financial institutions in the country, claimed in possession of the personal and financial information of a limited number of the bank's customers.

It is the high time to Securing OT Networks Against Rising Attacks:

Operational Technology (OT) networks, OT systems are often tasked with monitoring and managing the highly sensitive processes associated with critical infrastructure, plays a critical role in manufacturing, defense, emergency services, food and agriculture, financial systems, and critical infrastructure, just to name a few. OT networks and devices include supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and industrial control systems (ICS). As Ot generally separate from IT networks, means they sometimes run on aging operating systems and obsolete hardware using home grown applications. Since the goal for an OT system is to run exactly as designed, even patches are only applied if they do not hinder the process of the OT system.

The impact of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure. In information hacking, most often the crooks are looking to make a quick buck. When it comes to critical infrastructure, the goals of hackers are different, and the risk for oil and gas, utilities, transportation and even healthcare have much higher and dire consequences on human life, assets and the environment than a data breach. Fact of the life is, attacks on operational technology (OT) such as ICS and SCADA systems are real and growing. It is time for the CXO’s to safeguard critical infrastructure and industrial plant control systems are coming under scrutiny from both attackers and defenders.

Poor cybersecurity in IoT devices , poses potential risks to both the wellbeing of patients as well as to the infrastructure that keeps hospitals running, as one move very fast towards adoption of digital technologies, Machine learning and the message is that more work needs to be done to improve the security of connected systems. Specially, with the connected and implanted medical devices to the last mile in the hospital network so that doctors can monitor remotely, including cardiac pacemakers, drug administration devices, and monitoring devices, as well as infusion pumps, defibrillators, glucometers, and blood pressure measurement devices -- can help patient care, the report says, the connectivity inherent in these devices also bring risks. Cyber-attacks on connected devices could result in severe consequences on patient safety, which could even result in injury or worse. Also, took some hospital IT systems down of weeks.

In a recently held event, Infotech Forum it says, receiving email,message over the whatapp is also can be challenged over the court of law, when the whatapp says,it is end to end encryption,it means whatapp keeps all our database,then the question comes on how someone can decrypt the message before we receive. It comes to a big question. It means whatapp message can’t be trustable. A Chrome plug –in titled “PassProtect”by OKTA can warn you in prior if your password has been stolen by hackers. Password can hacked with the advent of advanced technologies. Now, on entering your password with”passProtect” the plug-in instantly warns you with a window pop-up,showing haw easily the particular password could be hacked.

In order to improve the cybersecurity of IoT devices, UK government has released an interim report, it aims to reduce this risk and provides a basis to improve the security of IoT devices. It calls on the security community to adopt a code of practice to reduce the harm to consumers and organisations by shifting responsibility of security away from the user and to ensure devices are secure over their entire life cycle. The report contains a number of guiding principles and proposed guidelines.