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Updated October 9, 2023My first mobile phone, in 2000, was a Nokia 3310. Nostalgically referred to as the “brick,” my Nokia was there mostly for emergencies. Now we have mobile phones that function as mini computers and have infinite possibilities.
The first computer I used was in the computer lab in my elementary school. Instead of using that primitive Apple iMac once a week on Tuesday during our “lab time,” I now use my laptop for hours every day.
The fast pace of technology is seen not just in the devices we use, but also in the jobs we do. It would be rare to find a job today that doesn’t involve using a computer or mobile device most of the day.
storyI originally studied as an accountant. During my undergraduate studies, I remember talking with my professor about a radical idea of automated bookkeeping using artificial intelligence. Less than ten years later, I was working as a security engineer for a New Zealand growth organization that provided an accounting Software-as-a-Service product that did just that.
Why does the rate of technology matter to security? Two reasons: technology is never flawless, and finding those flaws has become automated.
The people making technology race against a clock; they need to release their product or service quickly to gain a competitive advantage, or address customer needs, or, frankly, to start making money. Security can feel like a sunk cost when an organization is focused on making their business viable.
With each new piece of technology comes new and complex software and hardware. Even the most talented engineers and designers cannot predict the future or build things perfectly on a budget. Inevitably, there will be weaknesses—and these can be used to make the technology do something it wasn’t intended to do.