In my part 1 review of the Data Connectors Conference in Denver, CO, I gave you an overview of the event and a brief summary of key points by three speakers. In part two, I’ll focus on key takeaways from other speakers to give you the core information you need to know about data security from experts in the field.
Arbor Networks Advanced Threats Consulting Engineer Daniel Scarberry discussed distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. He stated that DDoS attacks might not be the focal point of an attack by a cybercriminal, but rather a smokescreen to hide the theft of data. The DDoS diverts attention away from the real attack, prompting the defending company to focus in efforts on the wrong target.
VCLM / Barracuda Public Cloud Business Development Manager Jim McDonald said email spam had dropped 50 percent in the last few years as spammers switched to other ways of collecting web data. One of those ways is by siphoning information from social media platforms. Be careful what you post on the Internet. Thieves are always watching, and they’ll collect your valuable data to use it for nefarious purposes.
RedSeal Networks International Channel Sales Director Colm Foley stated that $75 billion would be spent this year by corporations to protect their networks. While that might seem like a large amount, he said it would increase to $100 billion next year. Some people might assume that it takes a clever hacker to breach a company’s data security. In reality, at least 97 percent of security breaches were due to human error such as employees clicking on spam email. Another interesting point he made was the lack of cybersecurity specialists in the field. If you’re looking for an interesting career that helps stop criminal activity, this would be an excellent career path with abundant potential.
Check Point Software Threat Prevention Sales Manager Robert Cooke said that malware isn’t magic. There were more than 350,000 malware variants per day last year and that malware is designed to evade protection software. Malware is also becoming more targeted and persistent, with most malware being used only once. In 2016, ransomware is quickly becoming the go-to source for cybercriminals to siphon money away from people, corporations, and local government entities. If you think protection software will keep the bad guys at bay, think again. The top three software platforms only detect 50 percent of ransomware and 30 other platforms have no ransomware detection capabilities at all. That’s startling news, and another reason to watch what you click. It only takes one high-quality fake email to fool someone into clicking it, allowing a criminal to invade a system.
In conclusion, the Data Connectors Denver Tech-Security Conference review was a valuable, informative use of my time. There are many Data Connectors conferences held throughout the United States, so if you have an interest in protecting your data, and everyone should, then check out the company’s website to find the next event near you.
For more information on Data Connectors, go to http://dataconnectors.com