It feels like lately all the tech news is negative. We’re
hearing a lot about the dangers of technology – I think perhaps the bubble is
starting to burst and everyone is starting to realize just how seriously
technology is changing our lives. We’re starting to reach a point where we can’t
go back. Or maybe we reached that point a long time ago.
The headlines for the past couple of months have often been
filled with stories of large corporations being hacked. To name a few: Target,
Home Depot, Google Mail, Yahoo! Mail, Michaels, eBay, Evernote, Apple iCloud, JP
Morgan Chase, and of course, Sony. Usernames, credit card information,
addresses, and more have all been stolen. The director of the FBI said “There are two kinds of big
companies in the United States. There are those who’ve been hacked…and those
who don’t know they’ve been hacked.” Considering many of us essentially
have our entire lives online, that’s a pretty scary thought. The most recent
hack(s) was done on around 100 banks, in various countries, with an
estimated $1 billion stolen. It was only discovered because money started
coming out of an ATM in Ukraine with no one there to claim it. Imagine if they
hadn’t messed up, how long this would have continued for?
In
the debate about governments spying on their people for ‘national security’, I’ve
put myself firmly on the side of privacy. I believe that a citizen’s right to
privacy over rides any security issues, especially when it’s been determined
that the mass collection of data has not helped to stop any terrorist attacks. The
irony is that it has been shown that the NSA’s surveillance has actually
weakened most internet systems because they opened backdoors, especially into
the tech companies involved in PRISM (Google, Facebook, Apple, Skype, Yahoo!).
While the government spying on its own people is a disturbing thought, even
more disturbing is the idea of other governments or organizations spying on
people and stealing their information and money. 
For
the average person, like myself, I find it hard to get nervous about this
sometimes. Why would anyone want to hack me? What’s the worst that happens?
They use one of my credit cards – well hey, my limit isn’t that high. They
email all my contacts something terrible – unfortunate, but easily explained. They
steal my identity - okay, well that could prove problematic but still
resolvable. Invade my privacy in various ways (log your keystrokes, see what
you’re watching, watch you through your webcam, etc) – all awkward and unfortunate
but hey, I don’t do anything I wouldn’t do if other people were around. I think
the problem comes when the hacking is done by a group with a truly malicious
intent, on a large scale. Now we know these systems are vulnerable, what
happens if someone hacks in and steals top secret data from the government?
What if they shut down the power to a large area? What if they render all hacked
computers useless? The problem stems from our immense dependence on technology.
How many businesses would struggle to function without their technology? How
many companies would cease to exist without technology? You want one idea of
what could happen - go watch Live Free or Die Hard.
Now
they’re saying that almost all cars with wireless technologies are able to
be hacked. For now that means someone can hack your GPS and find out all the
places you’ve been. They can potentially hack your mobile communications,
meaning who you’re calling/texting. What happens when we transition to smart
cars? Imagine someone hacks into your car and controls it. Not good. It looks
like the ‘military-industrial complex’ bubble might be soon ending, and a new ‘cyber-industrial
complex’ may be dawning. The companies that will benefit the most will be those
focused on cyber-security, which means companies like Symantec, Intel, Cisco
Systems, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, etc.
The
U.S. government recently announced plans to set up a national Cyber Threat
Intelligence Integration Center. Its goal will be to integrate data from all government
agencies AND the private sector, and to distribute it appropriately. I find
this particularly interesting because they are relying on the help of the
private sector, which I believe will be very reluctant indeed. After the whole
PRISM revelation, it was easy to see that the public does not appreciate
companies sharing their information with the government, without their
awareness. Companies do not help their image by working with the government.
Adding another layer to this is the report that the NSA knew in advance about
the attack on Sony but didn’t do anything because its job is to protect
national security, not the private sector. What incentive do these companies
have to help? It will take a huge incentive (i.e. throwing tax payer dollars
their way) or legislation forcing their cooperation.
What
can the average person do? I think the biggest thing we can do is push the
companies we like and trust to spend their money on protecting our information.
Realistically, consumers speak with their wallets. Going one step further, I
would say be wary of being completely dependent on technology. Make sure you
still know how to function without your smartphone. Have a face to face
conversation with a real person – just to make sure you still know how. We will
have to wait and see what happens.
