The Cyber Year in Stories: Summer 2024

Telefónica: What Does its Quantum Security Solution Cover?

Global telecom giant Telefónica is taking a forward thinking approach that could ripple through the cyber sphere by announcing the development of a new quantum security architecture solution. 

Working with tech integrators Warpcom and Quantum Xchange, and cybersecurity firm Fortinet, the development aims to demonstrate its effectiveness in protecting organisations against sophisticated cyber attacks that use quantum computing.

“Telefónica wanted to be ahead of the curve and come up with an answer that would allow organisations to prepare for quantum-safe communications today,” said Patricia Díez Muñoz, Global Security Director for Networks and Systems at Telefónica.

“We know that, in the near future, companies that don’t protect themselves could be at risk of cyber attacks that could compromise their data and systems.“

Although not currently a huge issue faced in the field of cybersecurity, the growing accessibility of quantum computers means companies are in a race against the clock to make sure solutions are developed before adversaries get their hands on it.

Quantum’s ability to change cyber

Quantum computers perform certain calculations exponentially faster than classical computers. This means attackers using such computers can implement much more code cracking attempts.

Equally, if it comes up against encryption that has been created by standard computers’ algorithms, it could easier crack them. 

“Using quantum computing to break many of the traditional encryption methods we use today poses a huge risk,” explains Bruno Gonçalves, Manager of Warpcom Cybersecurity Business Unit.

“Organisations that implement a quantum security solution today are demonstrating a vision for the future, as they are building robust protection against increasingly complex cyberattacks”

Over the last six months, a team of 20 plus cybersecurity experts of the companies involved have worked closely together to develop this proof of concept architecture. 

Cloudflare Unveil Tool to Halt AI-Augmented Data Scraping

In a significant move to protect online data and user privacy in an age of AI, Cloudflare has announced the launch of a tool to block data scraping.

The content delivery company, which is used by more than 20% of the internet for its web security services, has made the new feature available to all its customers at no additional cost, representing a major step forward in the ongoing battle against unauthorised data collection.

The announcement comes amid concerns of AI’s ability to augment issues that companies were already facing.  

Data scraping dynamics

Data scraping is the process of automatically extracting information from websites, databases, or other digital sources using software tools or scripts. It involves collecting structured or unstructured data and converting it into a format that can be easily analysed or manipulated.

AI has significantly enhanced data scraping capabilities, making the process more efficient, accurate, and sophisticated. AI-powered scraping tools can now interpret complex web layouts, bypass anti-scraping measures, and even extract data from images and videos.

Cloudflare, recognising the urgency of the issue, posted on their blog: "Customers don't want AI bots visiting their websites, and especially those that do so dishonestly." 

The content delivery network (CDN) therefore is offering a one-click tool that enables website hosts to block all AI bots effortlessly. This user-friendly approach democratises access to advanced protection, allowing even small-scale website owners to safeguard their content against sophisticated AI scraping techniques.

Three more summer highlights

IBM & Microsoft Grow Cyber Partnership for Cloud Protection

Kim Basil: A Look at the New CIO of IT Service Giant Kyndryl

Zscaler and NVIDIA Join to Upskill Zero Trust with Gen AI

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