With about 469,000 unique malware being released in the wilderness of the Internet every single day, protection from this ?tsunami of threats? is getting more difficult and should now be dealt with a new tack.
This is according to Vincent Weafer, senior vice president for engineering for McAfee Labs at Intel Security, who said that due to the enormous number of malware, the ?time to compromise is now way behind the time to discover? a solution for the breach or infection.
Weafer is part of the Intel Security delegation who participated in the recent GovernmentWare 2015, an annual regional IT security that is now being handled by the newly organized Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA).
Weafer, who is based in Silicon Valley in the US, said there are now three forces shaping the IT security landscape: the expanding attack surface, the industrialization of hacking, and the complexity of malware.
The executive said this could only mean one thing: protection is now harder to implement while an attack is easier to carry out. A case in point, he noted, is the nasty ransomware racket which has become the preferred way to extract money from clueless victims.
In an attempt to become more pro-active and stay one-step ahead of attackers, Weafer said Intel Security has adopted a three-pronged strategy composed of the following: protect (prevent attacks), detect (hunt malware), and correct (restore the system).
It is important to note, Weafer stressed, that anti-virus protection won?t just cut it nowadays and that ?end-point? security should be the minimum standard requirement among businesses.
To dig deeper, the executive said Intel Security leverages on its heritage and link to Intel Corp., the chipmaker, to mine complex threats and to go under the OS (operating system) kernel.
?As an Intel company, we can probe deep down while at the same time create solutions that optimizes battery power and other hardware components,? Weafer said.
Weafer pointed out that while the PC environment is different from the mobile space where malware and other threats are now beginning to proliferate, Intel Security works closely with the mothership to take advantage of its vast resources and knowledge of the industry.
Meanwhile, Intel Security chief technology and strategy officer for APAC Michael Sentonas said the rise of ?hacktivism? and Internet of Things (IoT) should lead more Internet users to realize the significance of security.
?Security by design should be the norm and not just an afterthought,? said Sentonas. ?Security must be built-in so we can pursue innovation safely.?
But he cautioned: ?While mitigation strategies are good, no security strategy is absolute, you need to also have a strong data analytics and incident response plan.?
