The term “big data” refers to an extremely large data set that is mined and analyzed for patterns and behavioral trends. Characterized by a high density of variety, velocity, and volume, big data has opened up new horizons in terms of analytics and security solutions for protecting data and preventing future cyber assaults from the perspective of cyber security. That said, big data has also provided cybercriminals with new ways to access large amounts of sensitive and personal data via advanced technology.
Threats and Opportunities
There are three basic issues that firms face when it comes to big data:
- Safeguarding sensitive and personal data
- Data ownership and rights
- Inability to interpret data due to a lack of talent (e.g., data scientists)
While tackling the main issue of information security may appear straightforward, the volume of data that must be processed and analyzed to prevent cyber assaults makes the task seem more difficult. According to Computer World, about 5GB of data must be processed every second to detect cyber-attacks, possible dangers, and malware ascribed to malicious hackers.
Big data analytics, on the other hand, allows cyber security professionals to examine data from a variety of sources and data kinds in real-time. Big data analytics can not only collect data from a huge universe, but it can also connect the dots between data, revealing correlations and linkages that might otherwise go unnoticed. When it comes to repelling cyber attacks, this boosts efficiency for cybercrime professionals and casts a wider, more dependable net.
The opportunities presented by big data are enormous if firms can find out how to employ modern technologies to protect personal and sensitive data. The following are the two most significant advantages that big data provides to businesses today:
- Access to huge data/customer analytics provides business intelligence that may be used to improve and optimize sales and marketing efforts.
- Fraud detection and the replacement of SIEM systems
Increasing the Security of Big Data
Cyber thieves’ incentive to target massive data sets is often well worth the work required to breach security levels, which is why big data presents such a fantastic opportunity for both organizations and cybercriminals. When they go after such a massive data set, they have more to gain. As a result, businesses stand to lose a lot more if they are hit by a cyber assault and do not have adequate security measures in place.
Your company may want to examine the following to improve big data security:
- Collaborate with colleagues in the sector to develop industry standards, avoid government requirements, and share best practices
- Use attribute-based encryption to safeguard sensitive information communicated with other parties
- Secure open-source software
- Maintain and track audit logs for all aspects of the company
Big data, in general, provides significant opportunities for enterprises that go far beyond improved business intelligence. Big data has the potential to improve cyber security. However, to take advantage of the numerous advantages that big data offers, businesses must take on the duty and risk of data security.