Hmmm, is keeping the battle going the real point of the matter?
I promise that this is not going to be another anti-technology rant or a diatribe about why things keep changing so quickly or whether we really need the latest version of cloud technology. No matter what I say the technology machine is going to keep on stampeding forward.
Okay, stampeding could be interpreted to be a rant so let me change that to charging forward. Still too judgmental? Then I will go with keep humming along on its own relentless momentum.
What bewilders me these days is what it takes to maintain the security of our online systems. There is a constant virtual war being waged in which hackers and creators of viruses, malware, ransomware and phishing schemes pit their nefarious creations against the industry’s best efforts to block them.
There was a time when passwords were sufficient. Oh, the good old days when it was that simple! Along came security questions to verify that you are who you say you are. What was the make of your first car? What was the name of the street you grew up on? What was your first pet’s name? What is your favourite movie? Who was the first person you had sex with?
Alright, I made them last one up. If it does get added, remember you heard it here first.
There was a brief period where we had to scrutinize an image broken into nine squares and identify how many of the squares contained purple monkeys with leprosy. Evidently that was not very effective as it quickly faded away.
The latest tactic is to have a security code sent by text to your mobile device which you have to enter when you log into the system. What happens if your mobile device is not working? You are royally screwed, my friend.
So what is next? Thumb print ID? Retinal scans? Nose swabs? (Oops, sorry, COVID has already taken ownership of that one.) Pluck a hair from your head and drop it into the slot for a DNA test? Plop your unmentionable on the scanner for a thermal and MRI scan? Oh, the indignity of it!
The reality is we have created a virtual monster that we cannot effectively control. We have in some measure decommissioned our brains and transferred much of what they used to safeguard into virtual intelligence machines. Yes, they can store massive amounts of data. But they seem to be the equivalent of a sieve in terms of the ability to control access.
Cyber Wars is the catch-all metaphor for the ongoing battle to thwart attacks aimed at online systems. Perhaps that term is more appropriate then we have yet imagined.
In modern warfare, nobody ever really wins. It is a lose-lose scenario that drags on interminably until one side declares victory but both sides suffer irreparably. The same seems to apply to cyber wars. The battle is never decisively won or lost.
Cyber security is a myth. The battle is self-perpetuating. A tremendous amount of effort must be invested just to keep the battle going which, when all is said and done, may well be the real point of the matter.
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~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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Tags: cyber security · cyber war · hacker · metaphor. Michael Robert Dyet · Michael Robert Dyet · password · security codeNo Comments