Hackers push the enterprise envelope

Ten years ago, hacking was a frontier. Ten years from now, hacking will be embedded in everything we do.

This is according to international speaker, Richard Thieme, founder of Thiemeworks. This is the first time Thieme will speak at the Security Summit, which kicks off tomorrow at the Sandton Convention Centre.

He will discuss the future of hacking and how real hackers will push the frontiers of information networks.

“The ability to attack a nation state is now in the hands of a small group of people, but to do [an attack] right, an attacker may believe the same as some jihadists, that a cyber attack is worth more than any counter attack,” says Thieme.

According to Thieme, the sophistication of IT systems and hacking exploits means a determined hacker now has the power to attack and shut down vital systems such as financial and critical infrastructure, including water systems and electricity power stations.

“If the water is not running, and ATMs aren't running, and the electricity is off, it would not be many days before there is degradation to life in our society. This is a threat that keeps people awake at night because when you don't know who the adversary is, it becomes a very serious threat.”

Thieme believes countries and organisations can prepare for a cyber attack via a disaster recovery plan.

Another challenge Thieme points to is how securing a myriad of Internet-connected devices has become increasingly complex.

He says security practitioners are becoming overwhelmed because they cannot respond fast enough to the multiplicity of threats across multiple electronic devices.

Thieme indicates that the security industry has been playing catch-up with cyber criminals. He says while the Internet today is more secure, new security threats will always emerge. He doesn't believe IPV6 will be the answer to stopping cyber crime.

“The Internet was developed 50 years ago among academics and military who wanted to reach each other quickly. It was designed for ease of use, and security was not a priority.

“People could cross boundaries, because that's what the protocols were designed for. They didn't realise that it would merge as the platform, a world without worlds and without boundaries to create an integrated global society.”

Thieme adds: “Hackers have known for a long time that they could have brought down the Internet, but they didn't want to because the Internet is their playground. You can only siphon off extortion or theft to such an extent to let the society continue functioning. If that ends, then it's no fun for cyber criminals.”