{"id":2516,"date":"2020-07-13T12:25:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T04:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/?p=2516"},"modified":"2023-10-05T11:33:35","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T03:33:35","slug":"cybersecurity-in-the-age-of-the-millennials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/cybersecurity-in-the-age-of-the-millennials\/","title":{"rendered":"Cybersecurity in the Age of the Millennials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Millennials are often\nblamed for killing off traditional industries ranging from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2017\/05\/20\/millennial-couples-arent-buying-diamonds.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">diamonds and luxury goods<\/a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/millennials-are-killing-list-2017-8#napkins-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chain restaurants and napkins<\/a>. Technology plays a\nlarger role in the daily lives of millennials than any other generation. They\nare often&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2018\/05\/02\/millennials-stand-out-for-their-technology-use-but-older-generations-also-embrace-digital-life\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">early adopters of new technologies<\/a>&nbsp;and\nprocesses, leading the pack in smartphone, tablet, and social media use and\nownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of your\noutlook on these trends, it cannot be ignored that millennials\u2014the generation\nborn from 1981-1996\u2014have an increasing influence on the world around them. They\nare expected to make up&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/research\/how-millennials-could-upend-wall-street-and-corporate-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one-third of the workforce by 2020<\/a>,\nand they are challenging traditional processes and leaning into new\ntechnologies along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Millennials\nare expected to make up one-third of the workforce by 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same bodes true for\nhow millennials are transforming the workforce, particularly in how organisations\nimplement digital transformation (DX) and practice cybersecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-driving-digital-transformation\"><strong>Driving Digital Transformation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Millennials\u2019 immersion\nin the latest technologies is the force behind global DX of economic and social\nrelationships. DX-driven businesses such as Amazon, Netflix, PayPal, and Uber\nhave not just been successful, they have rendered many non-digital legacy\ncompetitors obsolete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the workplace, mobile\ncomputing, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) models, and big data analytics have\nbeen long established as DX drivers. Newer technologies such as artificial\nintelligence (AI), Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and augmented reality (AR)\nor virtual reality (VR) are not only on the upswing, they are now essential to\nworking millennials. This generation is often dissatisfied with old\ntechnologies in the office. And they are more likely to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/andrewarnold\/2018\/02\/26\/the-one-reason-why-many-millennials-would-use-virtual-reality-products-at-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prefer high-tech offices equipped with AR\/VR<\/a>&nbsp;than\ntraditional perks such as free snacks or a game room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-understanding-the-millennial-cybersecurity-gap\"><strong>Understanding the Millennial Cybersecurity Gap<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The proliferation of\ndevices added to corporate networks are rapidly stretching the attack surface\nand creating unforeseen vulnerabilities. &nbsp;While 45% of millennials say\nthey do not trust companies to keep their personal data safe and do not share\nit, they tend to be careless about device and application security.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bizjournals.com\/washington\/news\/2017\/10\/24\/millennials-are-more-aware-of-cyber-risks-yet-are.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A recent survey<\/a>&nbsp;of 3,359 people\nbetween the ages 18 and 26 in nine countries found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>63% click on potentially\ndangerous links<\/li><li>42% share passwords with non-family\nmembers<\/li><li>74% in the U.S. use unsecured\npublic Wi-Fi despite well-documented security risks<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Millennials eager to\nreap the benefits of new technologies must be mindful of keeping valuable data\nwithin their devices secure. Understanding why protecting devices and accounts\nis essential to growing an organisation and critical to driving cybersecurity\nefforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rapid\ntechnology change<\/strong>. Technology product and service\nlifecycles are getting shorter, and the pace of change is even faster for\nconsumer devices. Cybersecurity teams must be more agile than ever to quickly\nunderstand how to defend a technology or business process before they evolve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Threat\nlandscape dynamics.<\/strong>&nbsp;New technologies expand\nthe threat landscape in unexpected ways. Photos or videos shared on social\nmedia can contain hidden malicious code that breaches the corporate network,\nand unsecured IoT devices on the network can become access points for threats.\nAdditionally, newer AR, VR, and AI devices are just as vulnerable to breaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Seamless\nsecurity<\/strong>. Clunky, elaborate passwords and one-time security codes often\nnegatively interfere with user experience and delay time to accessing the\nproduct. Biometric fingerprint sensors and single sign-on access are examples\nof more user-friendly security that doesn\u2019t inhibit the device interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Increasing\noversight<\/strong>. Some governments and business are increasing regulation and\noversight of digital processes as a means to safeguard data. The European\nUnion\u2019s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was recently launched to\nprotect user data and privacy. And in response to a proliferation of malicious\ncontent, Facebook, Google YouTube, and Twitter have cracked down on provocators\nof it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-five-things-for-security-leaders-to-remember-in-the-age-of-millennials\"><strong>Five Things for Security Leaders to Remember in the\nAge of Millennials <\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The rise of the\nmillennial generation and DX go hand in hand. Measures to build security into\nproducts and services need to be taken with user dynamics of millennials and\nfuture generations into account. Following are some best practices security\nleaders can take to align cybersecurity with DX:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Recognise the reality of DX.<\/strong>&nbsp;The\ntruth is DX generates tremendous opportunities for business owners and cyber\ncriminals alike. The best way to stay ahead of malicious threats is a proactive\napproach to security. Force them to react to your moves rather than the other\nway around. This requires transparency and unified controls across the entire\nattack surface and the different security elements that comprise the security\ninfrastructure. It also involves streamlining and automating security workflows\nand threat intelligence, helping overburdened security teams to keep up the\nadvanced threat landscape and shrinking the windows for time to detection to\nprevention and time to intrusion to response\/remediation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Build security into new\ninitiatives.<\/strong>&nbsp;Every business spending\nplan should include a section covering cybersecurity risks, countermeasures,\ninvestments, and operational processes to safeguard the initiative. Unexpected\nevents or breaches can uproot even the most well-conceived plan that overlooks\nsecurity.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Speed threat detection,\nassessment, and remediation.<\/strong>&nbsp;Focus new\ncybersecurity investments on improving real-time threat intelligence, threat\nanalytics, and response capabilities. Due to the emphasis of DX on mobile and\nwidely distributed IoT devices, endpoint protection and network access control\nshould also be emphasised, although it will take a more integrated approach to\ntraditional desktop and laptop-focused endpoint protection.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Understand government regulations.<\/strong>&nbsp;It is important to know the regulatory, compliance, and legal implications of both ongoing and new digital business initiatives. Even geographically defined standards such as GDPR can&nbsp;greatly influence legislation beyond their immediate impact areas. They can also set user expectations for global fair practices.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Hire more millennials on your security team.<\/strong>&nbsp;Millennials can bring an organisation up to speed with insights on new technologies and how to secure them. No one knows better about how their generation perceives and reacts to cybersecurity measures. Unfortunately,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.protectwise.com\/post\/survey-suggests-younger-generations-including-females-may-fill-the-cybersecurity-talent-gap\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"rank-math-link\">only 9% of millennials<\/a>&nbsp;indicate they are interested in pursuing a cybersecurity career, according to a recent report, so this may be easier said than done.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>DX and millennials have\nset the bar as the new normal for both the global economy and cybersecurity. As\nthis generation continues to enter the workforce, be prepared for the\ndevelopment of more innovative, industry-bending products and services\nincorporating the latest technologies. Security leaders must keep cybersecurity\nat the forefront of best practice initiatives to ensure future innovations\nremain both life changing and safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Millennials are often blamed for killing off traditional industries ranging from&nbsp;diamonds and luxury goods&nbsp;to&nbsp;chain restaurants and napkins. Technology plays a larger role in the daily lives of millennials than any other generation. They are often&nbsp;early adopters of new technologies&nbsp;and processes, leading the pack in smartphone, tablet, and social media use and ownership. Regardless of your outlook on these trends, it cannot be ignored that millennials\u2014the generation born from 1981-1996\u2014have an increasing influence on the world around them. They are expected to make up&nbsp;one-third of the workforce by 2020, and they are challenging traditional processes and leaning into new technologies along [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":2521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/290"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2516"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4444,"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516\/revisions\/4444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mdis.edu.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}