Will breach-proof internet eliminate need for data security training?
Although there is a great deal of excitement over the concept of a breach-proof internet, for now Data security training is the only foolproof protection businesses have against the Syrian Electronic Army, Chinese hackers and a host of other internet-based attackers.
Such attackers know that employees tend to be the first line of defense against hackers targeting businesses and they’ve been succesfully breaching sensitive data—financial records, trade secrets and personal information — in more and more high profile cases.
But what if the internet was “hacker-proof”?
Researchers at Los Alamos National Labs in New Mexico believe they have found a way to use quantum physics to cloak internet communications. Businessweek explains that this method, which researchers call “network-centric quantum communications,” uses “digital keys, generated by a truly random set of numbers, theoretically [leaving] hackers with no way to figure out the key’s internal coding.”
As you might imagine, it’s a complicated process, and one that is not without its flaws:
- Cost: The going rate for a quantum-secured, impenetrable defense plan for just one business is “tens of thousands of euros” per year. That’s considerably higher than your average corporate VPN or intranet service.
- Scope: Quantum messages can only be sent between two parties. That means no “reply all” option or sharing folders of information with multiple recipients.
- Distance: Has your email service provider ever stopped you from sending a message to a recipient more than 100 miles away? Quantum messages may be hack-proof, but they can only be sent about that distance before parts of the transmission fade away.
These aren’t just minor hang-ups. We’re accustomed to our online interactions being free (or at least limited to the cost of Wi-Fi), with no real limitations on the size or locations of the audiences with which we interact.
The internet is like the modern U.S. highway system. It’s (relatively) free to use and you can go wherever the open road takes you. Using the quantum-powered internet is the equivalent of riding a streetcar or trolley everyday after driving your whole life. There’s less risk of getting into an accident than when you get behind the wheel of your own car, but the tracks limit where you’re able to go and how fast you can get there.
Until a truly hack-proof, efficient internet exists, data security training is a drivers’ education course for those who need a refresher course on how to keep their personal and corporate information safe.
John Sileo is a data security training provider and in-demand speaker on digital reputation, identity theft and online privacy. His clients include the Department of Defense, Pfizer, Visa, and Homeland Security. See his recent media appearances on 60 Minutes, Anderson Cooper and Fox Business.
