Page 38 - FCW, August 2019

The Next Wave of Cybersecurity Learn more at Carah.io/Cyber-Akamai
Why identity is
the key to security
New tools and strategies can help agencies protect systems while delivering a better user experience
Randy Wood
Vice President of Public-Sector Sales, Akamai
AS CYBERTHREATS CONTINUE to evolve, so do efforts to thwart them. Three new developments in particular have implications for government agencies: bot management, threat protection and zero trust.
The use of bots in cyberattacks is growing. For example, bad actors are gathering massive amounts of username/password combinations and using bots to “stuff credentials” and find a way into networks. Furthermore, it can be tough to discern between human traffic and bots, and even between good and bad bots.
In response, a strategy called bot management uses machine learning, advanced algorithms and other technology to differentiate between good bots, bad bots and humans.
Threat protection, or Domain Name System hardening, is another key development. The statistics speak for themselves: Of the 5 million new core domains that Akamai identifies daily, 1 million of them are malicious. In addition, more than 90 percent of malware attacks use DNS to move within an enterprise. DNS hardening is critical to being able to identify, block and mitigate targeted threats such as malware, ransomware and phishing.
Zero trust and least privilege
In addition, the zero trust approach involves removing location as an attribute of security. It can go so far as assuming that even a user who is physically inside an agency is a bad actor. Under zero trust, agencies authorize users, continually confirm their identities and grant access only to the resources deemed necessary for their jobs.
Zero trust can help agencies move away from legacy virtual private networks, which increase an organization’s threat and attack surface. Instead of using VPNs to connect partners, customers and remote users to applications, agencies can adopt an architectural approach that enables application access on a user-by-user basis where identity is the key.
Ultimately, the goal is to provide an outstanding user experience and security — not one without the other.
Fast, intelligent and secure
Agencies can realize a number of benefits by moving to secure cloud-based architectures, including saving money and avoiding
the need to have in-house security professionals. The cloud frees agencies to focus on their core activities and make rapid innovations
in those areas rather than worrying about maintaining, securing and paying for on-premises technology assets.
The result of all these advances is better protection against targeted threats, whether the user is on or off the network, and a dramatic improvement in that user’s experience. A system that relies on identity and authentication is not only more secure, it’s also fast and intelligent, and it helps everyone be more productive.
Randy Wood is vice president of public-sector sales at Akamai.
SECURITY THREATS MAY CHANGE,
BUT AKAMAI’S ABILITY TO STOP THEM DOES NOT.
Cyber security in a hyper-connected world requires enterprise protection at the Network, Application and Data Center.
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