Designing from the Inside Out

Everyone is talking about digital transformation and the new normal of working from home, which has inarguably brought cybersecurity threats to a new level. With the boundaries of the network parameter all but disappearing, the risks of an attack are greater than ever. While remote workforces require considerable attention, it is equally important to remember that cyberattacks happen everywhere. In early January 2021, for example, one of the country’s largest wireless carriers was hacked when employees in its physical retail locations were scammed by individuals who brazenly downloaded software onto a store computer. After using employee credentials to gain access to the company’s customer relationship management system, a wide range of customer information was lifted, from PIN codes to credit card numbers.

Similar stories are becoming more commonplace, though hacking has been a major threat to enterprises and government agencies for decades. Few veterans of information technology will forget the notorious Mafiaboy hacks in 2000. With a series of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, which bombard a site or application with so many requests that the server is unable to keep up, 15-year-old Michael Calce was able to shut down the websites of E*Trade, Dell, Amazon, CNN, and Yahoo. With everything heading toward digital, it’s not surprising to see this activity escalating, particularly as companies rush to accelerate time-to-value for customers and make their services more scalable and accessible. At the same time, the enterprise threat landscape has become increasingly dynamic, expansive, and fluid—making it harder for traditional security models and controls to defend against exploits.

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