Letter from the Editor
It’s a mad, mad world out there and it seems with each passing day it’s becoming even more of a battlefield. Our daily lives have become consumed with a barrage of communications, many of which have been specifically and meticulously designed to trick us into inadvertently handing over our money, identity, or the very keys to our kingdom. Every minute of every day is chocked full of phishing and ransomware emails, robocalls, fake social engagements, data breaches, web threats – and that’s not to mention the parade of headlines regarding the ground wars in Europe and the Middle East, or the constant stream of saber rattling threatening global nuclear war. It’s not good and it seems to be getting worse.
And I know a thing or two, because I’ve seen a thing or two. I’ve now been circling the sun for over half a century, and for the last two decades at Pipeline, I’ve watched the world evolve and industry transform. As we celebrate the first issue of our 20th volume, it’s not lost on me that encompasses nearly 300 issues, over 3,000 articles, and countless news stories. That provides me with a little perspective.
Growing up in a time before cell phones, the internet, and 9/11 provides me with a little perspective too. The world was once better, and safer – when you had little more to worry about than being home before the streetlights turned on or not taking candy from a stranger in a van. I’ve watched – and admittedly participated – as the technology era exploded upon the world. But it has come at a cost, and it hasn’t been cheap.
There have been tradeoffs along the way. The advent of the internet, smartphones, and social media provided tremendous opportunities for global connectivity and commerce. However, it also exposed our data and identity to malfeasants worldwide, and the war on terrorism post 9/11 provided governments with access to a treasure trove of our data under legislation such as the Patriot Act in the US. The Patriot Act also provided carte blanche to named companies to collect such data, giving rise to industry juggernauts like Google, Meta (formerly Facebook), Microsoft, and others. It also gave rise the NSA PRISM project, later exposed by Eric Snowden. Commercially, this then spawned the Big-Data Gold Rush, as customer data became a commodity. While recent legislation has attempted to reign this in, the proverbial cat has left the bag as it were.
At the same time, the rise in state-sponsored cyber warfare has created waves of attacks spanning everything from stealing intellectual property, espionage, funding criminal and terrorist activities, to taking down critical infrastructure. All at a time when we have become dependent upon technology for virtually every aspect of our lives. This has made the constantly evolving digital landscape a perpetual game of cat and mouse, and the kitty came to play. Which is why this edition of Pipeline is so important.
In this issue of Pipeline, we cover an array of security and assurance trends and technologies. Enea provides us with critical cyber warfare lessons learned from the Ukrainian War battlefield. Aliro prepares us for Q-day, the day on which quantum technologies will be capable of cracking current encryption algorithms. Blackpoint Cyber warns of the inherent risks of single sign-on (SSO) and delves into the MGM breach. ZPE provides key considerations to cut the ransomware kill chain, including looking at some recent, high-profile attacks. Mobileum demonstrates how network slicing can protect against the top 5G security threats. Orange busts common SASE myths and provides key considerations to contemplate prior to adoption. In a follow-up article, CerebrumX dives into the data goldmine for connected cars, and how to contend with data-security and privacy considerations. Sysdig shows us how CNAPP can be used to bolster cloud security, and Genetec illustrates how a unified physical and cybersecurity approach can close security gaps and streamline security operations. Qualys explores the importance of an organizational risk management and security strategy, and ways to get your Board on board. All this, plus the latest enterprise and telecom technology news, and more.
We hope you enjoy this and every issue of Pipeline.
Scott St. John
Managing Editor
Pipeline
