Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 17 | Page 24

COMMENT
TODAY ’ S MALWARE CAN DISGUISE ITSELF , HIDE INSIDE ENCRYPTION , MUTATE , DISABLE DEFENCE AND MONITORING MECHANISMS , AND BOMBARD SYSTEMS WITH SUCH VOLUME AND FEROCITY THAT THEY FAIL

During winter the “ common cold ” runs amok through our offices , schools and gyms . Even though we can send human beings to live in outer space for months at a time , and have shrunk incredibly powerful computers to fit in our pockets , we ’ ve still not conquered the all too common cold .

That ’ s because not only are there hundreds of different cold viruses attacking our bodies , but they also are constantly mutating into different ones , so our immune system doesn ’ t have the antibodies to recognise and defend against whatever new viral strain is making its rounds this winter . Does that sound familiar ?
Unfortunately , this “ virus ” metaphor for cyber security threats continues to demonstrate that it ’ s exactly the right comparison , particularly as evolving and increasingly sophisticated threats take inspiration from nature to bypass today ’ s most advanced cyber security technologies .
Like real viruses , today ’ s malware can disguise itself , hide inside encryption , mutate , disable defence and monitoring mechanisms , and bombard systems with such volume and ferocity that they fail .
But there is a solution .
If malicious hackers are inspired by nature , then perhaps our cyber security solutions should be as well . And if viruses are our enemy , then the human immune system should give us a powerful model to address today ’ s cyber threat environment .
But we don ’ t want to wait for our networks and systems to fall sick before we find a solution . There is too much at stake – both in terms of budget and reputation – to lag behind the threats we face . After all , threats today have long ago blown past any notion that we can be safe by building walls or moats around our assets and infrastructure .
We must be one step ahead . We must deploy robust , agile and evolving immune systems to keep our networks
STEPHEN BRENNAN , SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CYBER NETWORK DEFENCE
and other assets safe , by employing cyber security products and services such as advanced managed security services that include threat information feeds , both off-the-shelf and bespoke network and endpoint security solutions , and other specialised cyber security services that can recognise potential threats before and while they are happening .
But we must do even more . Our immune system is constantly and proactively scanning the body for anything foreign that doesn ’ t belong and so could pose a threat . Then it takes immediate action to eliminate that threat . That , fundamentally , is what “ threat hunting ” does in cyber security .
The immune system monitors the gateways – think skin , mouth , nose and eyes – but also the internal systems and organs . Generally , it understands what ’ s foreign to the body and what ’ s not . It also keeps a registry of every harmful virus and bacteria that it has previously encountered and looks out for these .
This “ registry ” is comprised of antibodies previously developed in response to a specific virus or bacterial threat . If that virus enters the body again , the immune system recognises it as foreign and harmful and immediately attacks it before it can replicate and make us ill . Where this breaks down is when
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