James Emerson is the COO and Managing Director at iThreat Cyber Group and has been with the company since 1997. At the time, they were dubbed the ‘Internet Crimes Group,’ and specialized in investigations looking into crimes such as counterfeiting, piracy and Internet fraud. With the advent of the Internet over time, the firm’s services have also scaled security solutions along with their signature forensics & investigative endeavors.
When LIFARS spoke to Mr. Emerson , he remarked about the transition he observed in the automation of investigative processes, and shared thoughts about the future of cybersecurity and digital forensics as industries. In stating the obvious, today’s plugged-in world that frequents the information superhighway leaves no digital data safe from prying eyes or those motivated and skilled enough to seek it.
There are endless realms of metadata and data in the digital world, almost all of which are vulnerable to a data breach. Everyday headlines are made of these data breaches and the fallout affects millions of users the world over. Despite the inherent danger they all face, targeted and affected companies often sweep the issue under a rug as an initial reaction during the immediate aftermath of a breach.
So where is the cybersecurity industry headed? There is a growing trend in the security industry that sees the fallacies of such a trigger-based reaction. Mr. Emerson’s projections cite that information will become open and shared. Such methodologies of transparency with information will the norm in the near future. This shift has a significant upside, as companies are motivated to be proactive and responsive to issues in a shortened turnaround time when their reputation is at stake.
Related article: How to Recover Files by Removing the CryptoLocker Ransomware
Furthermore, automation has helped with communication in such a way that data and words can instantaneously be communicated across the world. What took months of physical exertion and labor is now being done in fraction of the time. Communication and investigative processes will only become even quicker as the world embraces automation more than it already has. Now, how does this impact those who are employed at labor-intensive jobs? The world will adapt, much like the switch from coal to electricity where a willingness to adapt and learn the automation process will take precedence.
Despite the promise and potential of it all, there is still a need to understand how these automated processes fundamentally could figure into our daily lives and it may initially require a guiding hand watch over. In summing up, the industry is still in its youth and will continue to grow and develop over time.
Contact James Emerson by visiting the iThreat Cyber Group Website
