This October marks Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and as with all cultural change and awareness of this magnitude, change really needs to start from the top.
U.S. President Joe Biden recently hosted a meeting with many of the world’s leading tech, academia, finance and education companies, including Microsoft, Google and Amazon, to discuss the future of cybersecurity and understand how these companies are combating the ever-evolving threat that is cybercrime.
So, how did we get here, and why is President Biden choosing now to prioritise cybersecurity as a national emergency? In January 2021, multiple government institutions were hacked in the SolarWinds scandal. For this cyber attack, hackers secretly broke into the Texas company’s system and input malicious code into their software system. When customers installed this malicious update, the hackers accessed the customer’s IT system, which in turn allowed them to install even more malware on the network.
As a result of this, along with a number of other identified hacks, President Biden signed an executive order in May, which focuses efforts on improving national cybersecurity. These are some great, positive first steps from one of the world’s biggest superpowers, but what does the future of cybersecurity look like? Let’s take a look at what some of the biggest tech companies have pledged to do in the upcoming years, in a bid to curb the growing threat of cybercrime.
Microsoft
This August, Microsoft has pledged to spend $20 billion on cybersecurity, as first reported by Reuters. The tech giant have released a number of white papers on their cybersecurity awareness policy, including a focus on how cities can be more ‘cyber resilient’, with leaders worldwide accepting that with now 54% of the world’s population living in urban areas, these places may never be completely secure again.
Microsoft have also announced that it will make $150 million available immediately in technical services for local governments, by partnering with organisations such as community colleges and non-profits to provide adequate cybersecurity training.
Apple
Following on from that talk with President Biden, Apple have announced a new cybersecurity program for support across their product chains. To create the best program possible, Apple will work with a multitude of suppliers – no less than 9,000 in the U.S. alone – to drive and adopt multi-factor authentication, training, event logging and crisis response.
Alongside this, Apple will also be releasing a number of new privacy features throughout the rest of 2021, including the much anticipated iCloud Private Relay, which will allow you to browse Safari with a bit more security, by encrypting your connections and keeping your ISP from seeing your web browsing requests.
Amazon
Amazon have kicked off two cybersecurity strategies. Firstly, they have taken the route of sharing their employee cybersecurity awareness training to the general public, in the hopes that their leading training will protect more people and customers safe from cyberattack. Their curriculum is touted as ‘digestible and succinct’ for those who don’t otherwise have the time to take these hours-long training courses.
Secondly, Amazon have announced the implementation of stronger tools to protect customer data, namely multi-factor authentication. Starting from as early as October, qualified AWS account holders can receive a multi-factor authentication device at no additional cost. This device adds an extra layer of security to protect customers’ accounts against known cyber threats.
IBM
Tech giant IBM has agreed to train 150,000 people in cybersecurity skills over the next three years. The company will also establish a number of ‘Cybersecurity Leadership Centres’ in more than 20 historically diverse universities across the U.S., in the hopes of contributing towards a more inclusive industry for all.
Girls Who Code
A lesser known but no less important organisation is Girls Who Code, who represented a slightly more boutique presence at the meeting, in comparison to these tech giants.The CEO Tarika Bennett was invited to the meeting by President Biden.
Girls Who Code is a nonprofit whose mission statement is to close the gender pay gap in technology and computer science, and inspire a new generation of young girls to feel welcome and included in the industry.
Girls Who Code have announced a new “micro credentialing” program that will further seek to foster career opportunities for under-represented groups. Although the specifics have yet to be released, we imagine that this will take the form of scholarships and credential programs for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Future of Cybersecurity in the UK
In 2016, the UK launched its five-year National Cyber Security Strategy, following a number of high-level, international cyber attacks. Although the UK hadn’t experienced a cyber attack of this magnitude, it was unanimously received as a smart move to prepare for a potential attack, whilst positioning the country as a leader in cybersecurity awareness.
This year, the government released its Integrated Review which, amongst other policies regarding Defence and Foreign Policy, reinforced the view that the future of cybersecurity is now seen as a core issue, rather than just a security measure. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab spoke at the UK’s Cyber UK 2021 conference, and has outlined an incoming ‘cyber-physical infrastructure’ review, that will consult and promote the interoperability of tech tools and platforms.
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