THEAGEWELIVE
in isdefinedby the
near-instantflowof
informationacross the
globe.Historianscall
it the“Information
Revolution,”tech-industrytypescall itthe
“InternetofThings”andmy16-year-old
niece justcalls itnormal life.Everyone
agrees that theworldhasbeenmade
smaller thaneverby theInternet, satellites,
fiber-opticcablesandpersonalelectronics.
Butasweallenjoy the fruithanging
from this technology tree, it’s impossible
to ignore theworms.Hackers, thieves,
crooksandspiesare lurking.Thereare
dailymediareportsfilledwithscarynew
catchphrases:
informationbreaches
,
phish-
ingattacks
,
perniciousmalware
,
keystroke
readers
,
cyberwardoctrines
,
datamining
,
hackerarmies
,
identity theft
.
It’senoughtomakemewanttounplug
everythingIown, formingwhatnerdscall
an“airgap”betweenmy lifeandtheserisks.
ButbeforeIyankedthepowercord from
thewallandboughtthatcabin inMontana,
Idecidedtoreachouttosome leadingsecu-
rityexpertstofindouthowthey feelabout
the future. Itturnsouttherisksarereal,
butthesituation is far fromasbleakasyou
mightthinkbasedontheheadlines.
“Theattentionof themedia isveryhigh,
and this isgoodbecause itraisesaware-
ness,”saysDr.StefanoZanero,directorof
InformationSystemsSecurityAssociation
International. “On theotherhand,we
shouldnotbescared.”
Expertsseehopeby takinga longview.
Everynew technologycomeswith faces
ofJekyllandHyde.Forexample,modern
highwayshaveobviousbenefits to travelers
andeconomies,but theyalsoaidsmugglers
LongLiveTechnology
Technology isdestroyingourprivacyanderodingoursecurity…or is it?Experts
offersomegoodnews thatwill rekindleyourhope for theInformationRevolution.
TECHNOLOGY
ByJoePappalardo
ILLUSTRATION
ALBERTO ANTONIAZZI
AMERICANWAY
SEPTEMBER2015
89
“Theattentionof themedia isveryhigh, and this isgoodbecause it raises
awareness. On theotherhand,weshouldnotbescared.”
