Future's Technological-Driven Society

[Muscintosh]

MOSCOW, 18 DECEMBER 2012

News Flash

Magnus Kalkuhl, director of Kaspersky Lab’s European Global Research and Analysis Team, predicts the future of IT will dramatically shift by 2030 as cloud computing, augmented reality, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology evolve into the next generation of information technology.

In Kalkuhl’s article “IT Security in 2030” a bright future of a technology-driven utopia, fueled by innovation and opportunity, is depicted that is completely separate from today’s device and computer-centric digital world. However, as the evolutionary development of future technologies accelerates, Kalkuhl also offers the alternative view of a technology-dependent dystopia, where issues regarding citizens’ privacy, individuality and overall security will be called into question future utopia fueled by innovation and opportunity.

“IT Security in 2030” offers a view into the technologies that are most likely to become a tomorrow’s “day-to-day reality” while analyzing the potential benefits and dangers for each one.


Overview
· Technology already plays an important role in our lives
o Prediction of the IT Security landscape is not possible without evaluating changes in technology and even society in general.

· New technologies will radically change the digital universe, making most of today’s current devices and their industries obsolete
o TVs, computers, smartphones and tablets will be replaced by augmented reality glasses
o Software, movies, music will become cloud-based products in their entirety
o Dedicated gaming devices will be replaced with massive virtual play worlds available everywhere
o Fully automated transport systems will redefine the way people commute

· As a result of artificial intelligence development, people’s lives and well-being will become heavily dependent on technology as opposed to common sense.
· Sophisticated computer systems in command will become the greatest benefit or the greatest threat, depending on people’s attitude toward artificial intelligence and how well these systems are implemented.


Quote

Magnus Kalkuhl, Director of Europe Global Research & Analysis Team
Kaspersky Lab

"There is now doubt that our dependence on computer technology will continue to grow. The bright side is that new, revolutionary inventions will make our life better. Unfortunately, modern cyber threats will evolve as well, starting from Trojans to cyber weapons. Every new technology will present even more security challenges. It is part of my job now to overcome them and make the world a little bit better. And, despite the ever-growing threat landscape, in my predictions I tend to stay on the positive side of things."

 

[Muscintosh]

To Protect The Most Sensitive Data: Businesses Embracing Encryption

Almost half of companies worldwide have started using encryption technology to protect critical data. At the same time, companies are facing difficulties in implementing encryption systems and require comprehensive security solutions that are both effective and simple to use.


Key Numbers
· Survey conducted by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab in July 2012 polled 3300 senior IT professionals from 22 countries
· 44% of companies have implemented encryption technology to protect critical corporate data
· 36% of IT specialists use full disk encryption (FDE)
· 32% of IT specialists use data encryption on external devices


Survey Results

Encryption is the fifth most widespread protection technique – a sharp rise from the results of a similar survey in 2011 where it barely crept into the top 10. In effect, encryption is the final defensive barrier: even after a criminal has successfully forced his way into the company’s IT infrastructure, this last hurdle makes it extremely difficult to get access to important information.

However, most companies have still not fully introduced encryption. According to the B2B International survey, only one-third of specialists (36%) use full disk encryption (also known as encryption of information arrays) and less than half of those specialists (44%) actually protect critical information. Data encryption on external devices, e.g. USB drives, is used by 32%.

Encryption of highly critical data ranks second among the security measures which companies want to develop, with only protection against malware scoring higher. At the same time, companies are facing difficulties in implementing encryption systems, which are notably absent from the top five protection measures used. These results show that companies require modern systems of information protection, which are both effective and simple to implement.



Quote


Nikolay Grebennikov, Chief Technology Officer , Kaspersky Lab

"Encryption is among the most promising technologies for reducing the risk of critical data leakage, but it’s at its most effective when incorporated into a comprehensive security system for corporate IT infrastructure. Our business solutions can provide this comprehensive protection for all corporate network endpoints."