Ep 143: The Future of Privacy and Security

Dr. Alissa Johnson, aka Dr. Jay, is the Chief Information Security Officer for Xerox Corporation. She is also the former Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Executive Office of the President. Dr. Jay is an IT strategist and visionary with experience in government and private industry.

As the world goes to a paper-less society, Xerox Corporation is focusing on companies' document workflow. They work to ensure that all of these assets are protected, crossing many boundaries. Dr. Jay's department looks at both the offensive and defensive aspects of cyber security in order to anticipate all of the things that 'might happen tomorrow and five years from now'. She describes how organizations get billions of attempts of hacking a month.

Due to the constant onslaught of potential hacking, it has required companies to collaborate and share information to work to offset the threats. The hackers are automated so this has required companies to think along the same lines. Her advice is to 'protect the crown jewels' – the critical information in an organization, for example intellectual property and passwords.

Security Tips for Individuals:

1. Change your password
2. Have multiple bank accounts – put an amount in each account – that way if it is stolen you will have some money in other accounts. It is important to diversify - don't have all your eggs ($$) in one basket!
3. Don't be afraid of technology, but be smart. You can't go all in with everything – for example, mixing work friends with high school friends on Facebook or LinkedIn.
4. Be mindful of everything that is connected. You have to know what is connected

Security Tips for Organizations:

1. Set where you want to be in your 'risk appetite'. Consider that the threshold is something that can be reevaluated each year but maintain during that time period.
2. CISOs can't hinder innovation – perhaps the answer is … 'Yes, and …'
3. Remember the basics – password updating, etc.

What you will learn in this episode:

• What the future of privacy and security will look like
• The difference between privacy and security
• The risks of automation
• New possible hacking techniques
• Suggested book to read: The Cuckoo's Egg. The introduction of cyber security.
• The future of virtual reality in education
• The trade-off - use of smart homes and loss of privacy
• What technology Dr. Jay is paying attention to…and what is 'overrated'