Page 14 - Cyber Defense eMagazine April 2023

Hardware-based security is also set apart by the fact that it is an extremely niche and specialised area,
far more than software development. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that there are around 4.3
million software engineers in the US, compared to only 73,600 hardware engineers. This means that it
takes a lot more than a casual hacker to launch an attack against your hardware.

While this is an important step in reducing your attack surface and defending against less sophisticated
hackers, it unfortunately does not mean that you are safe yet – as the multiple incidents of data breaches
in the past year alone have shown. Without an intelligent and fast-acting perimeter defense for hardware
storage, hackers will still walk freely into your data vault, wreak havoc, and profit off your misfortune.

Control and sentry your perimeter

So how can organisations create an impenetrable perimeter that keeps would-be intruders out?

To protect data stored at the hardware level, you must create a controlled enclave environment, with
limited access points, and continuous monitoring of actions made directly to the device. This is what we
set out to do with the X-PHY Cybersecure SSD.

Through the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), the X-PHY steps in to
detect potential intrusions intuitively and continuously. Unlike the multitude of behavioural access
patterns that AI-embedded software-based defenses must deal with, at the hardware level this can be
simplified to just the read and write patterns.
This translates to far greater accuracy, response times, and success rates in detecting threats. Trimming
the threat identification algorithms down to read and write patterns will also greatly eliminate the possibility
of false positives, thereby removing the need for human intervention.

Joining forces to thwart cybercriminals.

The end-goal is to be able to continue benefiting from the countless digital applications that have elevated
modern business operations, while protecting ourselves better from cybercrime.

Embracing the idea of a necessary alliance between the private and public sectors, and hardware and
software-based defenses is vital and represents the next generation of cybersecurity defenses. To make
that transition, a mindset shift across the industry is the first step. We cannot let the sheer volume of
cyber incidents become a mere statistic for us as business leaders, it must serve as a wake-up call that
jolts us into action.

Encouraging steps have been taken globally, from the multi-national taskforce set up by the White
House’s Counter Ransomware Initiative that encourages open discourse and smoother collaboration
between the public and private sectors, to traditional B2B and B2C operators embracing the need for
physical layer protection. As with introducing any new technological concept, a period of education and
sandboxing is to be expected. We are heartened to have met with many like-minded corporations that
are aware of the current state of cybersecurity and are looking beyond existing frameworks to strengthen

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