New Horizons Blog and Resources

Movies and television have convinced the average person that a hacker is a malicious individual whose nefarious motivation can generally be boiled down to personal financial profit. While these kinds of cybercriminals certainly exist, they aren't the only ones out there. In fact, there is an entire section of the hacking population who want nothing more than to make sure these malicious individuals don't get what they're after. 

Hacker's aren't just a fringe threat a small portion of the population has to deal with anymore. They're a very real problem that both countries and companies must defend themselves against. In order to fight back against them, it's vital to recognize why they're often so successful, so let's dive into the reasons why hackers currently have the upper hand. 

As internet-connected devices became cheaper and more versatile, their use rapidly spread to the consumer market. Computers, which were once monstrosities that only large companies and research institutions could house and care for, are now just a basic part of life. In fact, computing power has become so compact that people have a wide variety of gadgets that they can now choose from. 

Recognizing the importance of cybersecurity awareness, the U.S. federal government has designated October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). NCSAM is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its public and private partners to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and individual cyber hygiene.

A new app from IBM may be leading the charge into ensuring that insider cybersecurity threats are stamped out. When most administrators think of data breaches, they often jump to actions like closing current vulnerabilities in company software or installing firewalls. While these are obviously necessary measures, what a lot of people forget about is what kind of information employees and outside contractors have access to.