Decentralized Identifiers and its impact on privacy and security

Part 2 of: The Decentralized Cybersecurity Paradigm: Rethinking Traditional Models

The Decentralized Cybersecurity Paradigm: Rethinking Traditional Models - Decentralized Identifiers and its impact on privacy and security

In Part 1 we considered decentralized technology for securing data. Now, the time has also come for the decentralized identity revolution. Traditional, centralized identity management systems generally rely on single entities to store and verify user information. However, these solutions face increasing limitations in the face of evolving cybersecurity threats (https://redcanary.com/threat-detection-report/trends/identity-attacks/). Specifically, these systems present inherent risk areas such as single points of failure and attractive targets for malicious actors. Data breaches targeting centralized repositories are growing in frequency and severity. Consequently, this highlights the urgent need for resilient, user-centric digital identity. Therefore, it is time to consider decentralized identifiers and its impact on privacy and security.

In response to these challenges, Decentralized Identifier (DID) (https://www.w3.org/TR/did-1.0/) technology has emerged as a transformative paradigm shift in cybersecurity. DID offers the promise of enhanced privacy and security by distributing control over digital identities. Ultimately, this aims to empower individuals and organizations to manage their own credentials without dependence on central authorities. We will explore DID, delving into its core principles, potential impact on privacy and security, and its promising future within the broader landscape of decentralized cybersecurity.

Demystifying DID: Core Concepts and Principles

DID represents a novel approach to the management of digital identity. It shifts control from centralized entities to individual entities (e.g. users, organizations). At its core, DID empowers individuals to store their identity-related data securely on their own devices (e.g. digital wallet). In doing so DID enables the use of cryptographic key pairs to share only the information necessary for specific transactions. This approach aims to bolster security by diminishing the reliance on central authorities. After all, these traditional mechanisms have historically served as prime targets for cyberattacks. Central data stores actually make an attacker’s mission easier, one breach and access to all centrally stored data is possible.

DIDs are the cornerstone of making identity breaches more challenging for nefarious actors. DIDs act as globally unique, user-controlled identifiers. Importantly, these can be verified without the need for a central authority, akin to a digital address on a blockchain. This innovative methodology facilitates secure control over digital identities. It offers a robust framework for authentication and authorization that moves away from traditional, less secure, centralized models.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has formally defined DIDs as a new class of identifiers that enable verifiable, decentralized digital identity. Specifically, they are designed to operate independently of centralized registries and identity providers.  Through the use of cryptographic techniques, DIDs ensure the security and authenticity of these digital identities. As a result, they provide a tamper-proof and verifiable method for managing identity data across various disparate platforms. Ultimately, Decentralized Digital Identity (DDI) seeks to eliminate the necessity for third parties in managing digital identities. Furthermore, it aims to mitigate the risks associated with centralized control. In turn, this empowers users to create and manage their own digital tokens as identification on a blockchain (https://www.1kosmos.com/blockchain/distributed-digital-identity-a-transformative-guide-for-organizations/).

The efficacy of DID rests upon several fundamental principles that distinguish it from traditional identity management frameworks:

  • Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)
  • User-Centric Control
  • Independence from Central Authorities

Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)

This principle grants individuals complete ownership and control over their digital identities and personal data. The goal being liberation from dependencies on third-party entities. SSI empowers users to choose what information they share. Importantly, it also lets them decide who they share it with. This enhances trust between parties. It mitigates privacy concerns by avoiding third-party data storage. This approach places individuals at the helm of their digital personas.  It enables individuals to store their data on their own devices. They can engage with others in a peer-to-peer manner. There are no centralized data repositories involved. No intermediaries track their interactions. SSI makes individuals the custodians of their digital identities. It gives them the power to control access to their data. Subsequently, this model also introduces the user controlled ability to revoke access at any given time.

This paradigm stands in stark contrast to the conventional model. Users often navigate fragmented web experiences. They rely on large identity providers who control their personal information. SSI changes this by using digital credentials and secure, private connections. These connections are facilitated through digital wallets. SSI offers a transformative path forward. It empowers individuals to assert sovereignty over their digital existence. This user-centric model often leverages blockchain technology to ensure the security and privacy of sensitive identification information.

This foundational principle of SSI is what truly sets DIDs apart. It shifts the focus from decentralized infrastructure to decentralizing control. With DIDs, control moves directly to the individual. Traditional systems inherently give data ownership to corporate entities or service providers. SSI fundamentally reverses this dynamic. It gives users the autonomy to govern their data. Users can also dictate who gets access and under what conditions. This realignment resonates with the increasing demand from users for greater privacy and control over their digital footprint.

User-Centric Control

Building upon the foundation of SSI, DID empowers users with comprehensive control over their identity data. This means they can actively manage, selectively share, and impose restrictions on who can access their personal information. This user-centric model places individuals at the forefront of their digital interactions, granting them the authority to decide what information is shared and with whom. This approach inherently minimizes the risk of data breaches and the potential for misuse of personal information. The design and development of DID systems are guided by the needs, preferences, and overall experiences of users. User control, a core tenet of user experience design, ensures that individuals have autonomy and independence when interacting with digital interfaces.

Principles of user-centric data control further emphasize transparency, informed consent, data minimization, purpose limitation, and robust security measures.These are all aimed at empowering users in the management of their own data. Ultimately, the user-centric data model operates on the principle that individuals should possess absolute ownership and control over their personal data, granting them the power to decide how their information is utilized and what value they derive from it. DID wallets and decentralized identifiers serve as pivotal tools in realizing this control, enabling users to selectively disclose specific aspects of their identity and manage access permissions according to their preferences.

Independence from Central Authorities

Traditional Identity and Access Management (IAM) folks may perceive this as sacrilege. But, the time for change is upon the industry. A defining characteristic of DID is its operational independence from traditional identity providers, centralized registries, and certificate authorities. DIDs are meticulously designed to function without the need for permission or oversight from any central entity. This autonomy means that the lifecycle of a DID, from creation to potential deactivation, rests solely with the owner, free from the dictates of any IAM ecosystems.

Historically, the pursuit of independence from central authorities has been a significant theme across various domains. Even in the realm of monetary policy, the concept of central bank independence underscores the importance of autonomy in critical functions. This principle of independence in DID is paramount for fostering resilience and mitigating the inherent risks associated with single points of failure, a notable vulnerability in traditional, centralized systems. By distributing trust and control across a decentralized network, DID ensures a more robust and secure ecosystem, less susceptible to the failures or compromises that can plague centrally managed identity frameworks.

How DID Differs from Traditional Identity Management

The advent of DID heralds in a new era of identity management. Digital identities are undergoing a significant shift. This is particularly so when contrasted with traditional identity management systems concerning user privacy. Unlike traditional systems, where organizations collect and control user data, DID puts individuals at the center. This model grants individuals greater autonomy over their personal information. The principle of data minimization drives this paradigm shift. Data minimization empowers users to share only the precise information required for a specific interaction, thereby limiting the exposure of their personal details.

Furthermore, DID fosters a reduced reliance on intermediaries and integrations. This reduction on reliance has profound implications for curtailing the pervasive tracking and surveillance often allowed with traditional models. Traditional models empower organizations. As such, DID represents a fundamental alteration from the prevailing model. Organizations and service providers have traditionally treated user data as a valuable asset, but DID shifts the framework, empowering individuals to become the ultimate custodians of their own digital identity.

Deviation from traditional IAM

Traditional identity management often requires users to divulge an extensive array of personal information, and various organizations then store and manage that data. This places inherent trust on the folks designing and managing those systems. In stark contrast, DID champions the concept of data minimization, enabling users to selectively disclose only the essential details required for a given transaction or service. This approach not only enhances user privacy but also significantly curtails the risk of extensive data breaches, as less personal information is centrally stored. Moreover, DID inherently promotes a reduced dependence on intermediaries, which traditionally act as central points for identity verification and data management.

In contrast to traditional systems, DID circumvents these central entities and reduces opportunities for widespread data tracking and surveillance, since user interactions no longer pass through a limited number of organizations that aggregate and monitor user activities. Consequently, individual control over personal data is markedly amplified within a DID ecosystem. Users are empowered to manage their own identity credentials, granting or revoking access as they see fit, and maintaining a clear understanding of who holds what information about them. This user-centric approach to privacy stands in stark contrast to the often opaque and less controllable nature of traditional identity management systems.

The following table summarizes some of the points just covered:

FeatureTraditional Identity ManagementDecentralized Identity Management (DID)
ControlPrimarily held by organizationsPrimarily held by users
PrivacyUsers often share excessive data; risk of broad data collectionData minimization; users share only necessary information
SecurityCentralized data storage creates single points of failureDistributed control reduces attack surface; enhanced cryptographic security
Reliance on IntermediariesHigh; relies on identity providers for verificationReduced; enables peer-to-peer interactions
Single Points of FailureYes; central databases are vulnerableNo; distributed nature enhances resilience

The Impact of DID on Vulnerabilities and Authentication

DID presents a clear paradigm shift in digital security by addressing many of the inherent vulnerabilities associated with traditional, centralized identity providers. By distributing control over identity data, DID inherently mitigates the risk of large-scale data breaches that are often the hallmark of attacks on centralized systems. Furthermore, DID significantly enhances user authentication processes through the deployment of robust cryptographic methods, effectively eliminating the reliance on less secure password-based systems.

Centralized identity providers, by their very nature, constitute single points of failure. Consequently, they become prime targets for cyberattacks seeking to compromise vast amounts of user data. DID, with its foundational principle of decentralization, inherently diminishes this risk by distributing the control and storage of identity data across a network, rather than concentrating it within a single entity. This distributed architecture makes it exponentially more challenging for malicious actors to orchestrate widespread data breaches. 

Expanding that impact, traditional authentication mechanisms are increasingly susceptible to a myriad of security threats. These include phishing, brute-force attacks, and credential stuffing based on the use of passwords. DID leverages the power of cryptographic key pairs and digital signatures to establish more robust and secure authentication frameworks. This shift towards cryptographic authentication effectively removes some vulnerabilities associated with password-based systems, offering a more resilient and secure pathway for verifying user identities.

DID Technology: Specifications, Infrastructure, and Cryptography

The foundation of the DID ecosystem rests upon a robust technological framework. This is spearheaded by the W3C DID specification and underpinned by Decentralized Public Key Infrastructure (DPKI). The W3C DID specification serves as a cornerstone, defining a new type of identifier for verifiable, decentralized digital identity. This specification outlines the core architecture, data model, and representations for DIDs, aiming to ensure interoperability across different systems and platforms. It provides a common set of requirements, algorithms, and architectural options for resolving DIDs and dereferencing DID URLs (https://www.w3.org/TR/did-resolution/). The W3C also maintains a registry of various DID methods, each detailing a specific implementation of the DID scheme (https://decentralized-id.com/web-standards/w3c/decentralized-identifier/did-methods/).

Recognizing the evolving needs of the digital landscape, the W3C provides mechanisms for extending the core DID specification through DID Extensions, allowing for the addition of new parameters, properties, or values to accommodate diverse use cases (https://www.w3.org/TR/did-extensions/). The DID 1.0 specification achieved the status of a W3C Recommendation in July 2022, signifying its maturity and readiness for widespread adoption. Ongoing developments within the W3C include the exploration of DID Resolution specifications to further standardize the process of resolving DIDs to their corresponding DID documents. The broader vision of the W3C is to foster an open, accessible, and interoperable web, with standards like the DID specification playing a crucial role in realizing this vision.

DPKI

Complementing the W3C DID specification is the concept of DPKI, which is pivotal for managing cryptographic keys in a decentralized manner (https://www.1kosmos.com/article/decentralized-public-key-infrastructure-dpki/). DPKI empowers individuals and organizations to create and anchor their cryptographic keys on a blockchain in a tamper-proof and chronologically ordered fashion. This infrastructure distributes the responsibility of managing cryptographic keys across a decentralized network, leveraging blockchain technology to align with the core principles of decentralization, transparency, and user empowerment. DPKI aims to return control of online identities to their rightful owners, addressing the usability and security challenges inherent in traditional Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) systems.

Blockchain-enabled DPKIs can establish a fully decentralized ledger for managing digital certificates. This can ensure data replication with strong consistency and distributed trust management properties built upon peer-to-peer trust models. By utilizing blockchain as a decentralized key-value storage, DPKI enhances security and minimizes the influence of centralized third parties in the management of cryptographic keys.

At the heart of DID security and verifiable interactions lie various cryptographic techniques, most notably digital signatures and public-private key pairs. DIDs often incorporate cryptographic key pairs, comprising a public key for sharing and a private key for secure control.

Blockchain technology itself employs one-way hashing to ensure data integrity and digital signatures to provide authentication and privacy. DIDs leverage cryptographic proofs, such as digital signatures, to enable entities to verifiably assert control over their identifiers. Digital signatures play a crucial role in providing authenticity, non-repudiation, and ensuring the integrity of data. Public-private key pairs are instrumental in enabling encryption, decryption, and the creation of digital signatures, forming the bedrock of secure communication and verification within DID ecosystems. Verifiable Credentials (VC), which are integral to DID, also rely on cryptographic techniques such as digital signatures to ensure the authenticity and integrity of the claims they contain (https://www.identity.com/what-are-verifiable-credentials/).

Verifiable Credentials (VC)

VCs serve as the fundamental building blocks for establishing trust and ensuring privacy within DID ecosystems. These are tamper-evident, cryptographically secured digital statements issued by trusted authorities. They represent claims about individuals or entities, such as identity documents, academic qualifications, or professional licenses. VCs are meticulously designed to be easily verifiable, portable, and to preserve the privacy of the credential holder. A crucial aspect of VCs is that they are cryptographically signed by the issuer, allowing for independent verification of their authenticity without the need to directly contact any issuing authority.

Furthermore, VCs often have a strong relationship with DIDs, with DIDs serving as verifiable identities for both the issuers and the holders of the credentials. Essentially, this provides a robust foundation for trust and verification within the digital realm. The W3C VC Data Model provides a standardized framework for the issuance, holding, and verification of these digital credentials, promoting interoperability and trust across diverse applications and services.

VC Role

VCs are instrumental in enabling the secure and privacy-preserving sharing of digital credentials by leveraging the power of digital signatures and the principle of selective disclosure. Digital signatures play a pivotal role here by guaranteeing that a credential originates from a trusted issuer, thus establishing the authenticity and integrity of the data. Enhancing the trustworthiness factor, VCs eliminate reliance on physical documents, which are inherently susceptible to forgery and tampering. In turn, this significantly reduces the risk of identity fraud and theft.

Aligning with the principles of SSI, VCs empower individuals with complete control over their digital identities. A key feature that enhances privacy is selective disclosure. This allows credential holders to share only the necessary information required for a specific verification, without revealing extraneous personal details. The use of digital signatures authenticates an issuer but it also protects the integrity of the data within the credential. Any alteration to the data would invalidate the signature, immediately indicating tampering.

The VCs ecosystem is comprised of three primary roles that interact to facilitate the secure and privacy-preserving exchange of digital credentials:

  • Issuers
  • Holders
  • Verifiers

Issuers

Issuers are the trusted entities that create and digitally sign VCs. They attest to specific claims about individuals, organizations, or things. Issuers could be employers verifying employment status, government agencies issuing identification documents, or universities issuing degrees.

Holders

Holders are the individuals or entities who possess these VCs and have the ability to store them securely in digital wallets. These are the entities being verified. Holders have control over their credentials and can choose when and with whom to share them. 

Verifiers

Verifiers are the third parties who need to validate the claims made in a VC. They validate claims made by issuers about holders. Using an issuer’s public key, verifiers can cryptographically verify the authenticity and integrity of a VC without needing to contact the issuer directly. This ecosystem ensures a decentralized method for verifying digital credentials, enhancing both security and privacy for all participants.

Real-World Use Cases Across Diverse Sectors

DID is rapidly transitioning from a theoretical concept to a practical solution with tangible applications across a multitude of sectors. Its potential to address real-world challenges in IAM, data security, and privacy is becoming increasingly evident through various innovative use cases.

Digital Identity Wallets

One prominent application lies in digital identity wallets. They can serve as secure repositories for storing and managing an individual’s digital credentials. These wallets enable users to conveniently access and share their verified information, such as payment authorizations, travel documents, and age verification, without the need for physical documents. Platforms like Dock Wallet exemplify this by allowing users to manage their DIDs and VCs efficiently. Basically, digital identity wallets enhance user convenience and security by providing a centralized, encrypted space for personal identity assets.

Secure Data Sharing

DID is also impacting secure data sharing across various industries. In supply chain management, DID and VCs can be used to track product origins and verify supplier credentials. This can ensure transparency and authenticity. The technology facilitates secure data exchange for critical applications. Some examples are intelligence sharing and monitoring human trafficking, where insights need to be shared between different organizations securely. Furthermore, DID enables the secure sharing of encrypted data for collaborative analysis without the need for decryption. This opens up new possibilities for deeper secure data collaboration.

Another significant area of application is access control for both physical and digital resources. DIDs allow individuals to prove control over their private keys for authentication purposes, granting secure access to various services and resources. This can range from providing secure entry to physical spaces to granting access to sensitive digital information. DID-based systems can also facilitate fine-grained access control based on specific attributes, ensuring that users only gain access to the resources necessary for their roles.

Other Examples

Beyond these examples, DID is finding applications in Decentralized Finance (DeFi). The use case here is the enablement of users to access financial services without relying on traditional intermediaries. It also holds promise for enhancing digital governance and voting systems, aiming to create more secure and transparent electoral processes. In the healthcare sector, DID empowers patients to control their health data and share it securely with healthcare providers, improving both patient care and data privacy. The education sector can benefit from DID by simplifying the verification of academic credentials and issuing fraud-proof certificates. Similarly, DID can streamline human resource services, allowing for efficient and secure verification of things like employee work history. These diverse use cases underscore the versatility and broad applicability of DID in addressing real-world challenges related to identity, security, and privacy across various industries.

Challenges to Mainstream Adoption of DID

While DID presents a compelling vision for the future of digital identity, its widespread adoption and implementation are accompanied by several challenges.

User Adoption

One significant hurdle lies in user adoption, the very people DID intends to benefit. For DID to achieve mainstream success, it requires ease of use, user-friendly interfaces, and comprehensive educational resources. Individuals need to learn how to seamlessly manage their DIDs and VCs effectively. Overcoming user resistance to change and ensuring that the technology is intuitive and provides clear benefits are crucial steps in this process.

Another critical aspect is the development of robust recovery mechanisms for lost or compromised private keys. Losing control of the private key associated with a DID can lead to a permanent loss of digital identity. Therefore, the creation of secure and user-friendly key recovery solutions is essential to prevent such scenarios.

Standardization

Standardization and interoperability across different DID methods and platforms also pose considerable challenges. The lack of complete uniformity and the potential for fragmentation among various DID implementations can hinder seamless cross-platform usage and limit the overall utility of the technology. Efforts towards establishing common standards and ensuring interoperability are vital for the widespread adoption of DID.

Compounding these challenges, the regulatory landscape surrounding DID is still in its infancy. This leads to uncertainties regarding compliance and legal recognition. Clear and consistent regulatory frameworks will be necessary to provide a stable foundation for the adoption of DID across various jurisdictions and industries.

The following table summarizes some of the points just covered:

ChallengeDescriptionPotential Mitigation Strategies
User AdoptionResistance to change, complexity of new technologyUser-friendly interfaces, comprehensive educational resources, clear value proposition
Key RecoveryRisk of permanent identity loss due to lost private keysDevelopment of secure and user-friendly key recovery mechanisms
StandardizationLack of uniformity across different DID methods and platformsCollaborative efforts to establish common standards and ensure interoperability
InteroperabilityDifficulty in using DIDs across different systemsDevelopment of universal resolvers and bridging technologies
Regulatory ComplianceUncertainty around legal recognition and adherence to data privacy lawsEngagement with regulatory bodies, development of privacy-preserving DID methods and frameworks

DID and Blockchain: A Symbiotic Relationship for Secure Decentralized Identity

DID and blockchain technology share a strong and mutually beneficial relationship that underpins the foundation of secure decentralized identity ecosystems. Blockchain technology provides decentralization, immutability, and transparency. These qualities become a robust foundation for anchoring DIDs and establishing a secure and immutable infrastructure for decentralized identity as a whole.

Blockchain’s distributed ledger technology provides an immutable and transparent record for DIDs, ensuring their integrity and verifiability. Its decentralized nature eliminates single points of failure and reduces the risk of data tampering. Various blockchain platforms are utilized for DID, including Bitcoin (ION), Ethereum (Ethr-DID), and Hyperledger Indy, each offering unique characteristics. Decentralized Web Nodes (DWN) and the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) further extend the capabilities of DIDs by providing decentralized storage solutions for DID-related data.

The Future of Identity in a Decentralized World

Ultimately, DID offers significant benefits for enhancing privacy and security in the digital realm. By empowering individuals with control over their identity data and reducing reliance on centralized authorities, DID presents a compelling alternative to traditional identity management systems. Its potential to reshape the digital identity landscape and the broader decentralized cybersecurity paradigm is immense.

Looking ahead, several key trends are expected to drive the future adoption and evolution of DID. These include the increasing adoption of verification through digital credentials, the continued momentum of decentralized identity adoption across various sectors, the growing importance of trust in digital interactions, and the convergence of AI and verifiable credentials to reshape certain digital experiences. While DID holds great promise, its widespread realization depends on addressing existing challenges related to user experience, security of private keys, standardization, and regulatory clarity.This exploration dove into decentralized identifiers and its impact on privacy and security.

In Part 3 this decentralized journey continues into exploring the role of Zero-Knowledge Proofs in enhancing data security.

Unlock Superior Threat Protection: The Power of Identity Risk Intelligence in CTEM

Unlock Superior Threat Protection: The Power of Identity Risk Intelligence in CTEM

Modern cyber defenses increasingly need to be identity-centric. Many industry thought leaders have honed in on this giving rise to the often heard “identity is the new perimeter”. Consequently, attackers do indeed now find it easier to log in rather than break in (https://www.tenable.com/webinars/embracing-identity-security-as-part-of-continuous-threat-exposure-management-ctem). In fact, some research shows that up to 80% of breaches involve compromised or stolen identities, typically due to poor identity hygiene​ (https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/resources/infographics/identity-security-risk-review/). As such, let’s aim to unlock superior threat protection: the power of identity risk intelligence in CTEM.

Recognizing this shift in reality, security leaders are embracing Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) as a proactive program. The goal here is to continuously uncover and mitigate all forms of risk exposure, including identity-related risks​ (https://www.oneidentity.com/learn/what-is-ctem.aspx). CTEM aims to move security from the reactive to a continuous, iterative cycle focused on what most threatens a given business​.

Identity as the New Perimeter in CTEM

At this point it is clear that traditional security perimeters have dissolved with the rise of cloud services, mobile workforces, and remote access. As the new de-facto perimeter, verifying who is accessing assets is now foundational for trust. Attackers capitalize on identity systems like Active Directory (AD) and Azure AD to gain illicit access, monetize stolen data, and maintain persistence. A recent industry threat report found that 79% of detected attacks were “malware-free”, indicating adversaries are using valid credentials and living off the land instead of deploying malware​ (https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/blog/how-three-industry-leaders-are-stopping-identity-based-attacks-with-crowdstrike/).

In cloud ecosystem breaches, valid account abuse has become the top initial access method in over a third of incidents​. These trends underscore that protecting identity systems (authentication, credentials, and privileges) is now mission-critical. Compounding matters, identity-driven attacks now readily bypass traditional network defenses. For example, in the Microsoft Midnight Blizzard breach, a nation-state actor gained access by password-spraying a test account that lacked multi-factor authentication (MFA). In another case, attackers used stolen Okta credentials to impersonate user sessions (bypassing MFA) and compromise multiple Okta customers’ data​ (https://www.savvy.security/blog/top-10-identity-security-breaches-of-2024-so-far/). Each of these illustrates how inadequate identity controls (e.g. weak passwords, absent MFA, or misconfigurations) can undermine an organization’s defenses. A CTEM program must treat identity as a primary attack surface and continuously scope, monitor, and harden it.

Attack Surface Expansion via Identity Sprawl

The challenge for defenders is magnified by identity sprawl. This is the proliferation of user and service accounts across external, on-premises, multi-cloud environments. Enterprises today use hundreds of SaaS applications with the average large organization using over 200 (https://www.idsalliance.org/blog/best-practices-to-ensure-successful-real-time-iga-2). This sprawl results in thousands of identity accounts and credentials that security teams must try to keep track of. Employee data is only one factor, there are also contractors, partners, customers, and a booming number of Non-Human Identities (NHI) (https://entro.security/blog/use-case-secure-non-human-identities/). Some research suggests that NHIs now outnumber human users by as much as 50 to 1 in many organizations​. Each of these identities is a potential path of ingress to an organization. If these accounts and their access rights aren’t centrally visible and controlled, they become part of an expanding, fragmented attack surface.

Properly managing this sprawl is very difficult. Users often accumulate multiple accounts (e.g. separate logins for different cloud platforms or dev/test systems). Dormant or orphaned accounts frequently persist after employees leave or vendors finish contracts​. Over time, over-permissioning creeps in – users and service principals gain far more access than necessary, violating least privilege principles. Hybrid and multi-cloud architectures contribute to this complexity leading to inconsistent security controls. As the Identity Defined Security Alliance warns, “identity sprawl and over-permissioning… is accelerating,” (https://www.idsalliance.org/blog/best-practices-to-ensure-successful-real-time-iga-2). Each unmanaged identity or excessive privilege expands an attack surface and needs to be accounted for in a CTEM strategy.

The CTEM Framework and the Identity Component

CTEM, as introduced by Gartner, is structured as an iterative five-stage cycle aimed at continuously reducing an organization’s exposure to threats (https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/how-to-manage-cybersecurity-threats-not-episodes). Rather than a one-time effort, CTEM is an ongoing program that repeats these stages to adapt to evolving threats. The five CTEM stages are:

  • Scoping: define the full attack surface of the organization, all systems, applications, data, and identities that could be targeted. This includes not only servers and devices but also things like corporate social media accounts, code repositories, and third-party services​. Crucially, scoping must cover identity stores (e.g. AD/Azure AD, IAM systems) and credentials at play. It is important to note that credentials can be at play nefariously, this is part of a given scope.
  • Discovery: perform in-depth discovery of assets and exposures. This goes beyond traditional Operating System (OS) vulnerability scanning and penetration testing. It must factor in software vulnerabilities and resource misconfigurations. It must also include IAM issues such as weak configurations, excessive privileges, or unknown accounts​. As One Identity notes, discovery “must also include IAM assets like identities and access rights” to build a complete matrix of assets, vulnerabilities, threats, and business impact​ (https://www.oneidentity.com/learn/what-is-ctem.aspx). In practice, this means identifying all user/service accounts and evaluating their overall risk profiles (e.g. are infostealers present, etc).
  • Prioritization: analyze and rank identified exposures based on urgency and impact. For example, take a critical vulnerability on a low-value system. It might rank below an “identity exposure” like an admin account with no MFA or an exposed credential. The CTEM framework calls for a risk-based list, considering threat likelihood, business impact, and the effectiveness of controls in place. Identity context is essential here. Security teams should prioritize exposures involving highly privileged or widely used identities (e.g., domain admins or SSO accounts) due to their potential impact if compromised.
  • Validation: rigorously test and validate the true exploitability of the prioritized exposures. Moreover, validate the relevant protective mechanisms that are in place. This may involve penetration testing or red-team exercises that simulate identity-based attacks (for instance, attempting lateral movement with a captured credential to see if detection tools trigger). Validation ensures that assumed risks are real, and that proposed mitigations (like stricter access controls) actually add protective value.
  • Mobilization: mobilize the organization to remediate and reduce exposure. This stage is about taking action. Action could take the form of patching vulnerabilities, addressing identity and access misconfigurations, closing policy gaps, or improving processes​. It requires engaging stakeholders (IT, DevOps, business units) and implementing changes. Mobilization transitions CTEM findings into real risk reduction, after which the cycle repeats.

Gartner predicts that organizations who proactively adopt continuous exposure management will be 3× less likely to suffer a breach by 2026​ (https://www.oneidentity.com/learn/what-is-ctem.aspx). Achieving that requires treating identity exposures on par with software vulnerabilities. CTEM provides the framework to do so, but it demands directed strategies, new practices, and intelligence focused on identities. This is where identity risk intelligence comes into play.

From Identity and Access Management to Identity Risk Intelligence: Big Difference

It’s important to distinguish Identity and Access Management (IAM) tools from identity risk intelligence capabilities. IAM (including identity governance and privileged access management) is primarily about enabling and restricting access:

  • Authentication: ensuring users are who they claim
  • Authorization: granting the right level of access to resources
  • Provisioning and Deprovisioning: managing the lifecycle of identity accounts and permissions

IAM solutions strengthen account hygiene and enforce policies upfront. For example this means requiring MFA, rotating passwords, or limiting who can access a sensitive database. These are critical preventive controls, but by themselves they don’t provide full visibility into active threats targeting identities.

Identity risk intelligence, by contrast, focuses on the threats and risk indicators associated with identities on an ongoing basis. Gartner has coined the term Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) for the emerging security discipline that fills this gap. Identity risk intelligence is a key component of ITDR. Unlike traditional IAM, which might flag a policy violation or require periodic access reviews, identity risk intelligence is more proactive and context-driven. For example, IAM might ensure a user has a strong password; identity risk intelligence will alert if that password later appears in a public breach database or if the user suddenly logs in from an unusual location at some odd hour. In essence, IAM asks “Who should have access, and are they authenticated?” whereas identity risk intelligence asks “What is this identity doing, and does that behavior or configuration pose a risk?”.

Several areas may fall under identity risk intelligence:

  • Exposure of Credentials and Secrets: tracking if user passwords, API keys, or session objects have been leaked or are weak. For instance, monitoring dark web and breach data for any of an organization’s accounts can reveal stolen credentials before attackers use them. This goes beyond standard IAM by ingesting external threat intelligence relevant to identity compromise.
  • User Behavior Analytics (UBA): establishing baselines of normal user and service account behavior and detecting anomalies. Sudden privilege escalations, a typically dormant admin account becoming active, or active sessions from new geolocations could indicate account takeover. Identity-focused UBA aims to provide this continuous risk scoring of identities’ behavior​.
  • Identity Threat Detection: real-time detection of attacks targeting identity infrastructure, such as brute-force/MFA fatigue attacks.

In summary, identity risk intelligence is about having unified visibility and analytics across all types of identities (software, human, and machine) and feeding that into some risk management program. It complements IAM by focusing on continuous monitoring, threat detection, and risk-based decision-making around identities. This unified approach lowers the risk of dangerous identity conditions slipping through gaps between siloed IAM, PAM, and governance tools. In a CTEM context, identity risk intelligence supplies the data needed to uncover and prioritize identity exposures. It also helps validate that identity-focused attacks are being detected, and ideally, stopped.

Real-World Breaches Underscoring Identity Risk

CTEM program designers should study real-world breaches to understand how identity weaknesses translate into business risk. Here are a few illustrative cases:

  • Lack of MFA: the Change Healthcare breach (2023) saw ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware actors exfiltrate 4 terabytes of health data after finding a VPN account that had no MFA​ (https://www.savvy.security/blog/top-10-identity-security-breaches-of-2024-so-far/). Absence of MFA made it trivial to exploit a stolen password. The incident disrupted healthcare operations nationwide and cost over $1B in recovery, all traced back to a single identity exposure. Similarly, the Midnight Blizzard attack on Microsoft’s environment (2023) exploited a non-production account without MFA. This showed that even test or service accounts can cause catastrophic breaches if not secured. These cases underscore the need to enforce MFA universally. Security teams must also audit for accounts left outside strong SSO or MFA coverage. This step is non-negotiable for reducing the attack surface.
  • Supply Chain Effect: in the 2024 Okta support system breach, attackers obtained an Okta support engineer’s credentials. With that access, attackers grabbed session cookies from the support portal. These cookies enabled them to impersonate Okta customers. The attackers bypassed MFA and escalated into those customers’ systems. This case highlights the risk that arises when attackers compromise an identity platform—such breaches can cascade across many organizations. A CTEM strategy must account for third-party identity risk and include vendors like Okta and Microsoft in regular risk assessments.
  • Privileged Account Compromise: an analysis (2024) by BeyondTrust noted that compromised privileged identities accounted for 33% of security incidents, up from 28% the year before​ (https://www.beyondtrust.com/blog/entry/the-state-of-identity-security-identity-based-threats-breaches-security-best-practices). One breach example is the Uber 2022 incident, where an attacker obtained an IT admin’s VPN password (likely via social engineering) and then spammed the user with MFA push requests (MFA fatigue) until the user approved one. This granted the attacker VPN access, leading to a major internal compromise. Such breaches show why defenders must secure administrative identities with extra safeguards. These include phishing-resistant MFA, risk-based authentication, and admin action monitoring. Just-in-time privilege adds another layer of protection. It limits risk by ensuring attackers can’t misuse stolen admin credentials outside a narrow time window.
  • Cloud Identity Misconfigurations: many cloud breaches stem from identity and access misconfigurations in multi-cloud environments. For instance, a leaky AWS access key or an overly permissive cloud IAM role can open the door to an attacker. CTEM must treat cloud entitlements (managed by Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) tools) as part of identity risk intelligence. A well-known example is the Capital One breach in 2019: a misconfigured AWS identity (EC2 role) allowed an attacker to perform actions and access data they shouldn’t have. While on the older side, this case set a precedent for cloud IAM review being vital. Modern CTEM programs use CIEM tools to continuously check for things like unused high-privilege roles, tokens without rotation, or cross-account trusts that could be abused.

In each of these scenarios, a failure in identity controls either enabled the breach or worsened its impact. They illustrate why identity exposures need to be surfaced and prioritized within an exposure management strategy. Either way, the message is clear: if you’re not actively looking for identity-related risks, your adversaries certainly are.

Identity-Centric CTEM Success Stories

Not all is gloom and doom, some organizations have embraced an identity-focused approach to CTEM and are reaping the benefits. By integrating identity risk intelligence into their security operations, they are catching attacks earlier and addressing gaps proactively. Here are two examples of companies that leveraged identity risk intelligence to strengthen their security posture:

  • Dark web credential monitoring – Texas Mutual, a large insurance provider, recognized that many of their user accounts (including those of infrequent users like board members or policyholders) could be targeted by attackers if their credentials were exposed​. As part of their CTEM efforts, they deployed a commercial identity threat protection platform. One component continuously monitors dark web and criminal forums for any mention of Texas Mutual user credentials. When a leaked username/password is found, the security team is alerted immediately. They can then take action before any nefarious activity takes place. This approach transforms credential theft from a hidden danger into a manageable risk.
  • Risk-Based identity protection – Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG), Canada’s largest law firm, adopted an identity-centric security strategy to protect sensitive client data. Partnering with a managed service provider, they implemented 24/7 identity threat monitoring and real-time, risk-based conditional access. Each login attempt is evaluated using signals like device hygiene, user role, and location. High-risk events, such as privileged logins from unusual geographies, are blocked or escalated. An AI-driven engine continuously scores identity risk, flags exposed credentials, and enforces immediate password changes. It also detects dormant accounts and triggers their removal. BLG’s operationalized identity risk intelligence enables rapid detection and response to identity anomalies, directly supporting CTEM’s goal of continuous exposure reduction.

These case studies illustrate tangible benefits:

  • Early detection of credential compromise
  • Automated blocking of suspicious logins
  • Elimination of unnecessary privileges

They also show that technology and managed services are available to help achieve these outcomes. The key is integrating these tools and practices into a broader CTEM strategy – treating identity risks as first-class citizens alongside software vulnerabilities, OS, and network threats.

Recommendations for Leveraging Identity Risk Intelligence in CTEM

To build a CTEM program with strong identity-centric coverage, organizations should consider the following strategic and tactical recommendations:

  • Adopt an “Identity-First” security strategy – make identity security a leadership and board-level priority alongside application, data, API, endpoint and network security.
  • Embrace Zero Trust (ZT) principles – assume any identity could be compromised and require continuous verification of users and devices. Treat your identity providers (AD, Azure AD, IAM systems) as critical infrastructure and resource them accordingly. This strategic shift ensures that investments in identity risk intelligence are supported from the top down.
  • Enforce strong authentication everywhere – the “everywhere” part is essential here. This point deserves emphasis – enable MFA for all users and critical accounts, including service accounts where possible. Doing so eliminates easy credential stuffing attacks. Many known breaches, including Change Healthcare and Microsoft, could have been prevented with stricter authentication requirements. Wherever possible, push towards phishing-resistant methods (FIDO2 tokens, certificate-based auth, or app-based OTP) for high-privilege accounts to thwart phishing and MFA fatigue techniques.
  • Gain visibility into all identities and privilege levels – continuously inventory every identity in your environment. This includes human, software, service, application, across on-prem and multi-cloud. This type of inventory (https://www.plerion.com/cloud-knowledge-base/identity-inventory) is now becoming more important than the traditional notion of asset inventory. Map out what systems a given identity can access and what privileges they have. This intelligence is foundational for CTEM​. Leverage tools to enumerate accounts in AD, Azure AD, SaaS apps, AWS IAM, etc., and centralize this data. Pay special attention to dormant accounts, shared accounts, default accounts, and third-party identities. Eliminate or disable what is not actually needed (especially legacy accounts) and tighten privileges for what remains. Reducing identity clutter will shrink the attack surface significantly.
  • Continuously monitor identity activity and risk – this cannot be overstated. The days of point in time snapshots are behind us. Things in this industry just move too fast and change too frequently. This requires an integration of identity telemetry into your security operations center (SOC) monitoring. Data signals must include breach data, cybercrime forum data, infostealer data, login logs, privilege use logs, IAM changes, and alerts from identity protection tools. Establish baselines and let automated systems flag outliers, or anomalies (e.g. an admin logging in from an unusual IP, or a service account suddenly accessing new resources). 
  • Implement an ITDR solution – aim to get real-time detection of identity-based threats that IAM alone won’t catch​. The goal is real-time response (e.g., if user credentials are detected on the dark web, immediately disable or step up stronger authentication for that account​).
  • Integrate identity risk intelligence into risk assessments and incident response – when prioritizing risks (the CTEM Prioritization stage), include identity signals. Develop scoring or a posture rating that raises risk for identity assets that have been part of data leaks and/or have high-privilege access. Additionally, update incident response plans to account for identity compromise scenarios (have playbooks for rapid credential resets, terminating all sessions for a user, or evicting attackers from cloud accounts). Practicing these in drills (e.g. simulate a leaked password scenario) will improve resilience.
  • Apply the principle of least privilege – make it a continuous effort to adjust privileges. Privileges should no longer be a set and forget mechanism. Also, use identity analytics or governance tools to detect over-privileged accounts and roles, and then remediate them (via access reviews or automated role mining). When done properly, least privilege drastically limits what an identity compromise can achieve.
  • Apply Just-in-Time (JIT) access – consider JIT access as a replacement for static access rules. This way privileges are activated only when needed and expire automatically. In this model, even if an attacker compromises an account with elevated privileges, they cannot do damage unless they also compromise the privilege elevation process.
  • Address identity misconfigurations and hygiene issues proactively – treat misconfigurations in identity systems as seriously as OS or software vulnerabilities. Regularly audit configurations in identity stores and cloud IAM settings. Known attack paths often rely on poor configurations, security teams must find and fix them before attackers do. For example, avoid setting service account passwords to never expire. Also, remove any redundant admin accounts to reduce unnecessary risk. These hygiene improvements reduce the number of “easy wins” an attacker might find if they penetrate your ecosystem​.
  • Leverage automation for identity risk analysis – the scale of identity data (thousands of accounts, millions of logins) demands automation. Invest in solutions that use machine learning to assess risk continuously (focusing on the patterns humans might miss or sheer volume alone make unrealistic). As an example, risk-based authentication systems automatically adjust requirements when they detect elevated risk. Add intelligence to some of these solutions and a model can surface a user whose behavior subtly changes following a phishing campaign, or flag a rarely used service account that suddenly starts querying a database.
  • Unify identity risk intelligence with CTEM programs – ensure that all the identity risk insights feed into your overall CTEM data sets. When you communicate exposure levels to executives, include identity metrics (number of known exposed accounts, high-risk accounts, SSO coverage gaps, etc.) alongside vulnerabilities and patch status. As part of your program metrics develop KPIs like:
  • Number of detected data breaches showing identities from this organization
    • Average time to reset compromised credentials
    • Number of identities from this organization with known infostealer infections
    • Number of attempts to log in to our systems via exposed session objects
    • MFA coverage percentage
    • Number of stale identities from this organization removed this quarter

This reinforces that identity risk management is an integral part of exposure management. 

CTEM should break down silos. For example, use CTEM’s Mobilization phase to bring together the IAM team (to implement policy changes) and the SOC team (to tune detections) when an identity risk needs mitigation. Over time, organizations build a culture of continuous improvement by addressing identity-related findings as routinely as OS and software patches.

By following these recommendations, organizations can significantly strengthen their security posture against identity-centric threats. The goal is to be proactive, don’t wait for an identity breach to force action. Instead, continuously hunt for identity weaknesses and address them on your own terms. This will reduce your overall attack surface and threat exposure while complementing all the other security efforts under your CTEM program.

In today’s threat landscape, protecting identities is as vital as patching servers or monitoring networks. Identities are the keys to the kingdom, the pathway into your ecosystems, and attackers know it. Their tactics prove this. CTEM provides a powerful framework to systematically reduce risk, but it only achieves its full promise when identity risk intelligence is brought into the fold. Identity risk intelligence is the missing piece that turns CTEM into a truly comprehensive defense strategy. Organizations can close the gaps attackers most eagerly exploit by continuously analyzing who has access to what, how they use that access, and where identity-driven weaknesses exist.

The convergence of IAM, ITDR, and CTEM practices represents a shift toward identity-first security. For security leaders and professionals, the message is clear: make identity a cornerstone of your continuous risk management. Those who do so will greatly enhance their resilience and stay ahead of adversaries who are relentlessly probing for that one weak login or forgotten account to open the door. By leveraging identity risk intelligence within CTEM, organizations can dramatically lower their odds of identity related breaches. Moreover, they can build a modern cyber defense that truly leaves attackers with no easy way in due to identity risk intelligence: the missing piece in continuous threat exposure management.

Blockchain: The Future Of Secure Data?

Part 1 of: The Decentralized Cybersecurity Paradigm: Rethinking Traditional Models

The Decentralized Cybersecurity Paradigm: Rethinking Traditional Models - Blockchain: The Future Of Secure Data

Traditional cybersecurity models, often relying on centralized architectures, face increasing challenges in safeguarding sensitive information against sophisticated and evolving cyber threats. The concentration of data and control in single entities creates inherent vulnerabilities. Worse off, this makes for an attractive set of targets for malicious actors. They represent single points of failure that can lead to widespread data breaches. Maintaining data integrity and ensuring proper access control within these centralized systems also present significant hurdles. And so we explore blockchain: the future of secure data.

Blockchain technology offers a paradigm shift with its inherent security features rooted in decentralization, immutability, and robust cryptography. The fundamental design principles of blockchain directly address key shortcomings of conventional cybersecurity approaches (https://freemanlaw.com/blockchain-technology-explained-what-is-blockchain-and-how-does-it-work-2/). By distributing data and control across a network, blockchain eliminates single points of failure, ensuring availability. Immutability prevents tampering with recorded data, thus guaranteeing data integrity. Cryptographic techniques provide confidentiality and authentication, bolstering overall security. In this blog, we explore blockchain technology’s potential for secure data storage and sharing.

Core Principles of Blockchain Technology

Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)

Blockchain is a specific type of DLT characterized by its structure as a chain of linked blocks. Structurally this is very similar to a traditional linked list. A key feature of a blockchain is that all authorized participants on a network have access to a shared, immutable record of all transactions. This distributed nature of DLT ensures that transactions are recorded only once. This eliminates the overhead of duplication typical in traditional systems. More importantly it establishes a single, consistent source of truth for all network participants.

The distribution of the ledger across multiple network nodes makes it highly resilient to single points of failure and significantly harder for malicious actors to compromise the data. Even if one node in the network fails or is attacked, other nodes continue to hold a clean copy of the data, ensuring the continuity of service and the integrity of the data. It is important to note that while blockchain is a form of DLT, not all DLTs utilize a blockchain structure (https://www.entsoe.eu/technopedia/techsheets/distributed-ledger-technology-blockchain/). Blockchain’s specific architecture, involving chained blocks and consensus mechanisms, distinguishes it from other types of DLTs.

Cryptography

Cryptography is fundamental to the security of blockchain technology. It is what ensures data integrity and confidentiality through hashing and digital signatures.

Hashing

Cryptographic one-way hash functions play a crucial role in ensuring data integrity within a blockchain. These functions generate unique, fixed-size digital fingerprints, or hashes, for any given input data. Even the slightest alteration to the original data will result in a completely different hash value. Hashing’s change sensitivity makes it good for tamper detection. If a block’s hash changes, its data was altered. The network can then find and reject the bogus information. Furthermore, hashes are used to link blocks together in the blockchain. Each block contains the hash of the previous block, creating a chronological and tamper-evident chain. This chaining of blocks through hashing is fundamental to blockchain’s immutability. If a block is altered, its hash changes. This breaks the chain, revealing the tampering to others. Specific hashing algorithms like SHA-256 see common use in blockchain technology.

Digital Signatures

Digital signatures utilize asymmetric cryptography. This means they employ public and private key pairs. They do so to authenticate transactions and verify the sender’s identity within a blockchain network. This mechanism provides non-repudiation, ensuring that the sender cannot deny having initiated a given transaction. The process involves the sender using their private key to create a unique digital signature for a specific transaction. Any entity with the sender’s corresponding public key can then verify the authenticity of a signature without needing access to the respective private key. This allows for public verification of a transaction’s origin. Beyond this, digital signatures also ensure the integrity of the transaction data. If the transaction data is altered after being signed, the verification process using the public key will fail, indicating that the data has been compromised during transmission.

Consensus Mechanisms

Consensus mechanisms are fundamental protocols that enable blockchain networks to achieve agreement among all participating nodes on the validity of transactions and the overall state of the distributed ledger. This agreement is crucial for maintaining the decentralized nature of the blockchain and preventing fraudulent activities such as double-spending, where the same digital asset is spent more than once (https://www.rapidinnovation.io/post/consensus-mechanisms-in-blockchain-proof-of-work-vs-proof-of-stake-and-beyond). Various types of consensus mechanisms exist, each with its own approach to achieving agreement:

  • Proof of Work (PoW): used by Bitcoin, requires participants (miners) to solve complex computational challenges to validate transactions and add new blocks to the chain.
  • Proof of Stake (PoS): employed by many newer blockchains, selects validators based on the number of cryptocurrency coins they hold and are willing to “stake”.

Other consensus mechanisms include Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), Proof of Authority (PoA), and Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT). Each of these offers different trade-offs in terms of security, scalability, energy consumption, and decentralization. The primary role of consensus is to secure the blockchain. It makes it very hard for a single actor to control the network. Tampering with the ledger becomes extremely difficult. Consensus often needs a majority of network participants. They must validate a transaction so that the system accepts it. This makes blockchain manipulation computationally infeasible. It’s also economically infeasible for an attacker to do so.

Building an Immutable Vault

Data Immutability

A key characteristic of blockchain technology that makes it ideal for secure data storage is data immutability. The combination of one-way hashing and the chained structure of blocks ensures that once the network records data on the blockchain, it becomes virtually impossible to alter or delete without the consensus of the entire network. Any attempt to modify the data within a block would result in an identifiable change to the original cryptographic hash. Since each subsequent block contains the hash of the previous one, this alteration would break the chain. This makes data tampering immediately evident to all other nodes on the network.

The inherent immutability made possible by blockchain technology provides a high level of data integrity and trust, making blockchain an ideal solution for applications requiring tamper-proof records. The inability to alter past records ensures an accurate and reliable historical log of data and transactions. This feature can make a blockchain admissible in court as there is a guarantee of data fidelity. Moreover, it can significantly streamline processes such as conflict resolution and regulatory compliance by providing irrefutable evidence of past events.

Data Encryption on the Blockchain

While transactions on a public blockchain are generally transparent, developers can encrypt the data within them to ensure confidentiality. Both symmetric and asymmetric encryption techniques can protect sensitive information stored on a blockchain (https://witscad.com/course/blockchain-fundamentals/chapter/cryptography-basics). When someone encrypts data before recording it on the blockchain, the actual content remains inaccessible to unauthorized parties who do not possess the necessary cryptographic material for decryption, even if the transactions are visible. Blockchain-based storage solutions can also implement end-to-end encryption, protecting data from sender to recipient without any intermediary access. 

As with many things encryption related, there is the challenge of key management. Securely generating, storing, and managing cryptographic keys is paramount to the security of any encryption ecosystem. Loss or compromise of these keys can lead to data inaccessibility or unauthorized breaches. Therefore, careful consideration of key management strategies is essential when considering the use of blockchain technology for secure data storage.

Decentralized Data Ownership

The fundamental principle of decentralization in blockchain technology leads to a shift in data ownership away from central authorities and towards individual network participants. In contrast to traditional centralized systems, blockchain-based systems can empower individuals by granting them greater authority over their data. Private keys play a crucial role in this decentralized ownership model. They act as digital ownership certificates that control access to and management of data stored on the blockchain. Possession of a private key grants that user the exclusive ability to access and manage data associated with a corresponding public key on the blockchain. This decentralized ownership offers several benefits, including increased privacy, enhanced security, and a reduced reliance on intermediaries. By distributing data across a network and giving users control over their access keys, blockchain technologies reduce the risk of a single point of failure or attack, making users less vulnerable to data breaches.

Blockchain for Data Sharing

Permissions and Access Control

Some blockchain networks offer the capability to implement granular access control mechanisms. This feature is generally available on private and consortium blockchains. It enables the precise management of who can view, modify, or share data stored on the ledger. Unlike public blockchains where participation and data visibility are generally open, permissioned blockchains require participants to be authorized, allowing for the enforcement of specific access rights.

Various approaches can be used to manage these types of permissions, including: 

  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): assigns permissions based on a user’s role within the network.
  • Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE): allows access based on specific attributes possessed by a user. 

These mechanisms ensure that authorized parties alone share sensitive data, maintaining confidentiality and data integrity throughout the sharing process. Such controlled access is particularly crucial for regulated industries and scenarios where data privacy is paramount, allowing organizations to comply with regulations like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Smart Contracts for Automated Governance

Smart contracts are self-executing agreements with the terms directly encoded into the blockchain. They offer a powerful mechanism for automating and governing data sharing processes. After deploying these contracts on the blockchain, the system automatically executes them when predefined conditions are met, ensuring that all parties involved adhere to the agreed-upon terms of data sharing. They negate the need for intermediaries. Smart contracts can effectively manage data access permissions, automate data sharing workflows, and ensure data integrity throughout the sharing process.

This automation reduces the risk of human error and significantly increases the efficiency and transparency of data sharing operations. For instance, smart contracts can automate payments for accessing shared data or enforce specific privacy policies, creating new business models for data sharing while maintaining security and trust among participants.

Cryptographic Techniques for Secure Sharing

Advanced cryptographic techniques can further enhance secure data sharing on blockchain networks. Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) and homomorphic encryption are two such techniques that offer significant potential. ZKPs enable one party to prove the truth of a statement to another party without revealing any information beyond the validity of the statement itself. Homomorphic encryption allows computations to be performed on encrypted data without the need to decrypt it first (https://www.cm-alliance.com/cybersecurity-blog/cryptographic-algorithms-that-strengthen-blockchain-security). 

These encryption techniques offer particular value in scenarios where one needs to maintain data privacy while ensuring the trustworthiness of the shared information. For example, systems could use ZKPs to verify that a user meets certain criteria for accessing data without revealing their exact identity or sensitive details. Secure Multi-Party Computation (SMPC) is another promising technique that allows multiple parties to collaboratively analyze data without revealing their individual datasets to each other. This could be highly beneficial in collaborative research or business intelligence scenarios where data privacy is paramount.

Existing Blockchain-Based Data Storage and Sharing Platforms

A growing number of platforms are leveraging blockchain technology to offer decentralized and secure solutions for data storage and sharing (https://ena.vc/decentralized-cloud-computing-how-blockchain-reinvents-data-storage/). Notable decentralized storage platforms include InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), Filecoin, Storj, Arweave, and Sia. These platforms employ various architectures to achieve decentralization and resilience. IPFS, for instance, utilizes a peer-to-peer network and Content Addressable Storage (CAS) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content-addressable_storage) to efficiently distribute and access files. Filecoin, Storj, and Sia operate as incentivized marketplaces, allowing users to rent out their unused storage space and earn cryptocurrency tokens in return. Arweave stands out with its focus on permanent data storage, offering a one-time payment model for ensuring data accessibility in perpetuity.

These platforms exhibit varying technical specifications in terms of storage capacity, cost models, and integration capabilities. Their security features typically include data encryption, file sharding (fragmentation of files into smaller parts), and distribution across multiple nodes in the network. This distributed and encrypted nature enhances the security and resilience of the stored data, making it significantly harder for malicious actors to compromise it. Organizations across sectors like finance, healthcare, and supply chain management are actively exploring blockchain technology for various data sharing projects beyond dedicated storage platforms. These initiatives aim to leverage blockchain’s inherent security, transparency, and auditability to facilitate secure and efficient data exchange among authorized participants.

The following table provides a high level summary of some of these offerings:

FeatureIPFSFilecoinStorjArweaveSia
ArchitectureP2P, Content-AddressedP2P, Blockchain-BasedP2P, Blockchain-BasedBlockchain-Like (Blockweave)P2P, Blockchain-Based
Storage ModelFree (Relies on pinning for persistence)Incentivized MarketplaceIncentivized MarketplacePermanent Storage (One-time fee)Incentivized Marketplace
Native TokenNoneFILSTORJARSC
Security FeaturesContent HashingEncryption, Sharding, DistributionEncryption, Sharding, DistributionEncryptionEncryption, Sharding, Distribution
Cost ModelFree (Pinning costs may apply)Market-DrivenMarket-DrivenOne-time feeMarket-Driven
Use CasesWeb3 applications, content distributionLong-term storage, data archivalCloud storage alternativePermanent data storage, censorship resistanceCloud storage alternative

Technical Challenges and Limitations

Scalability Issues

One of the primary technical challenges associated with blockchain technology is scalability (https://www.debutinfotech.com/blog/what-is-blockchain-scalability). This is particularly so with public blockchains. The decentralized consensus process, while crucial for security, can lead to slower transaction speeds and limitations on the number of transactions that a network can process per second. For instance, major networks like Bitcoin and Ethereum have significantly lower transaction throughput compared to traditional payment processors like Mastercard or Visa. As the number of nodes and transactions on a blockchain network grows, the time required to reach consensus on new blocks increases, potentially leading to network congestion and delays.

Researchers and developers are actively exploring various scalability solutions to address these limitations. These include techniques like:

  • Sharding: divides the blockchain into smaller, parallel chains to process transactions concurrently.
  • Layer-2 solutions: rollups and state channels, which move transaction processing off the main blockchain to improve speed and efficiency.

Researchers and developers are actively investigating alternative consensus mechanisms that offer higher transaction throughput. However, optimizing for scalability often involves trade-offs with other desirable properties of blockchain, such as security and decentralization, a concept known as the “blockchain trilemma” (https://www.coinbase.com/learn/crypto-glossary/what-is-the-blockchain-trilemma).

Transaction Costs

The cost associated with executing transactions on blockchain networks can be another significant challenge. Again, this is more pronounced with public blockchains. These costs are often referred to as gas fees. They can fluctuate significantly based on the level of network congestion. During periods of high demand, users may need to pay higher fees to incentivize miners or validators to prioritize their transactions. These costs can be unpredictable and sometimes high. The transaction costs can in turn impact the feasibility of using blockchain for frequent data storage and sharing operations, especially for small or frequently accessed data. For chatty applications involving a large number of small data operations, the cumulative transaction costs could become prohibitively expensive. Similar to scalability solutions, efforts are underway to reduce transaction costs on blockchain networks.

Data Size Restrictions

Individual blocks on a blockchain typically have size limits. These limitations restrict how much data organizations can store directly on the chain. For example, Bitcoin has a block size limit of around 1 MB, while Ethereum’s block size is determined by the gas limit (https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/gas/). These limitations can make storing large files or datasets directly on the blockchain impractical. A common workaround for this issue is to store metadata or cryptographic hashes of the data on the blockchain, while the actual data itself is stored off-chain using more scalable solutions such as the IPFS. The hash stored on the blockchain provides a secure and verifiable link to the off-chain data, ensuring its integrity. It is also important to consider the cost implications of data storage. Storing large amounts of data directly on-chain can be significantly more expensive due to transaction and storage fees compared to utilizing off-chain storage solutions.

Regulatory Considerations

The regulatory landscape surrounding blockchain technology is still evolving and presents several considerations. Compliance with data privacy regulations, such as the GDPR in Europe, is a critical aspect. This is especially relevant to personal data. A significant challenge stems from the conflict between GDPR’s “right to be forgotten” and the immutable nature of blockchain records. This “right” warrants the erasure of personal data and the permanent nature of blockchain makes full removal of data difficult, if not impossible.

Determining jurisdiction in decentralized blockchain networks, where participants and nodes can be located across various countries, also poses a complex regulatory challenge. The global and distributed nature of blockchain makes it difficult to apply traditional jurisdictional boundaries (https://widgets.weforum.org/blockchain-toolkit/legal-and-regulatory-compliance/index.html). Therefore, careful consideration of legal and governance frameworks is essential when deploying blockchain-based data storage and sharing solutions to ensure compliance and manage potential risks.

Suitability of Different Blockchain Types

Blockchain networks can be broadly categorized into public, private, and consortium blockchains. Each one has distinct characteristics that influence their potential suitability for secure data storage and sharing applications.

Public Blockchains

Public blockchains are open and accessible to everyone, allowing anyone to join the network, participate in transaction validation, and view the ledger. Advantages of public blockchains for secure data storage and sharing include high transparency, strong security due to their decentralized nature and broad participation, and censorship resistance. However, these systems often struggle with scalability, raise potential privacy concerns due to visible transactions (even though data can be encrypted), incur higher transaction costs, and limit users’ control over the network. Public blockchains might be suitable for applications requiring high transparency and censorship resistance, but less so for scenarios demanding strict privacy or high transaction volumes.

Private Blockchains

A single organization often controls private blockchains—permissioned networks that restrict participation to a select group of authorized entities. These blockchains enhance privacy and confidentiality by tightly controlling access to both the network and the ledger. Private blockchains generally exhibit higher efficiency and scalability compared to public blockchains and often have lower transaction costs. However, they offer lower transparency compared to public blockchains and rely on the controlling entity for trust. Enterprises often prefer private blockchains for applications where privacy, control, and performance are critical.

Consortium Blockchains

Consortium blockchains represent a hybrid approach. A group or consortium of organizations, rather than a single entity, governs these permissioned blockchains. They offer a balance between the transparency of public blockchains and the privacy and control of private blockchains. Consortium blockchains typically provide improved efficiency compared to public blockchains while maintaining a degree of decentralization and trust among the participating organizations. However, their governance structure can be more complex, politics can become a factor, and there is a potential for collusion among the consortium members. Consortium blockchains can be a suitable choice for industry-specific collaborations and data sharing initiatives among multiple organizations that require a degree of trust and controlled access.

The following table provides a summary of these points:

FeaturePublic BlockchainPrivate BlockchainConsortium Blockchain
AccessibilityOpen to everyonePermissioned, restricted to participantsPermissioned, governed by a group
ControlDecentralized, no single authorityCentralized, controlled by an organizationDecentralized, controlled by a consortium
TransparencyHigh, all transactions are generally visibleRestricted to authorized participantsRestricted to authorized participants
SecurityHigh, relies on broad participationDepends on the controlling organizationDepends on the consortium members
ScalabilityGenerally lowerGenerally higherModerate to high
Transaction CostsCan be higher, fluctuates with network loadGenerally lowerGenerally lower
Trust ModelTrustless, based on code and consensusRequires trust in the controlling entityRequires trust among consortium members
Use CasesCryptocurrencies, decentralized applicationsEnterprise solutions, supply chain managementIndustry-specific collaborations, data sharing

Integrating Blockchain with Existing Cybersecurity Models

Blockchain technology can serve as a powerful augmentation to traditional cybersecurity approaches. When leveraged for its strengths it can enhance data integrity, provide immutable audit trails, and improve overall transparency. While traditional security measures often focus on preventing unauthorized access, blockchain can add layers of immutability and transparency to existing systems. This makes it easier to detect and respond to security breaches by providing an auditable and tamper-proof record of data and activities.

There are several potential integration points between blockchain and existing cybersecurity technologies. For instance, blockchain can be utilized for secure identity management, providing a more resilient and user-controlled way to verify digital identities. It can also enhance access control mechanisms by providing an immutable record of permissions and actions. Furthermore, blockchain’s ability to create a transparent and tamper-proof audit trail makes it ideal for tracking data provenance and ensuring the integrity of critical information throughout its lifecycle. This technology can even be the future of application and API logging. Today’s logs are easily tampered with.

In certain use cases, blockchain offers a fundamentally different and potentially more secure approach compared to traditional centralized solutions. Decentralized data storage and sharing systems built on blockchain eliminate single points of failure and empower users with greater control over their data. However, integrating new blockchain solutions with existing IT infrastructure and legacy systems can present challenges and requires careful planning to leverage strengths, ensure interoperability, and achieve seamless data flow.

Realizing the Potential of Blockchain in Decentralized Cybersecurity

Blockchain technology presents a compelling paradigm for rethinking traditional cybersecurity models. Particularly, there are great possibilities in the realm of secure data storage and sharing. Its core principles of decentralization, immutability, transparency, and cryptographic security offer significant benefits, including enhanced protection against data breaches, guaranteed data integrity, improved auditability, and greater user control.

Despite its promise, the adoption of blockchain for secure data storage and sharing is not without its challenges. Technical limitations such as integration challenges, scalability issues, transaction costs, and data size restrictions need to be carefully considered and addressed. Furthermore, navigating the evolving regulatory landscape, particularly concerning data privacy and cross-jurisdictional issues, is crucial for ensuring compliance.

Looking ahead, the future of blockchain technology in cybersecurity appears promising. The decentralization capabilities alone have serious potential. Ongoing advancements in scalability solutions, more efficient consensus mechanisms, and the development of privacy-enhancing cryptographic techniques will likely address many of the current limitations. Blockchain’s ability to complement and, in some cases, replace traditional cybersecurity approaches positions it as a key technology in creating more resilient and user-centric security models. Ultimately, the suitability of blockchain technology for secure data storage and sharing depends on a careful evaluation of the specific needs and requirements of each application, considering the trade-offs between security, performance, privacy, and regulatory compliance.

We explore blockchain: the future of secure data. In Part 2 of this series we explore Decentralized Identifiers (DID).

The Unique Data Quality Challenges in the Cybersecurity Domain

Part 8 in the Series: Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential – The Power Of Pristine Data

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into cybersecurity has ushered in a new era of sophisticated threat detection, proactive vulnerability assessments, and automated incident response. As organizations increasingly rely on AI to bolster their defenses, the fundamental principle remains that the quality of the data on which they train these advanced systems directly links to their effectiveness. The old saying “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) holds true here; navigating the unique data quality challenges in the cybersecurity domain.

Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential - The Power Of Pristine Data - The Unique Data Quality Challenges in the Cybersecurity Domain

In Part 7 we covered some relevant examples where data is used successfully. While the principles of data hygiene and fidelity are universally applicable, the cybersecurity domain presents unique challenges that require specific considerations when preparing data for AI training.

Attacks

One significant challenge is addressing adversarial attacks targeting training data (https://akitra.com/cybersecurity-implications-of-data-poisoning-in-ai-models/). Cybersecurity AI operates in environments where attackers actively try to manipulate training data. This sets it apart from many other AI applications. Some of the forms this can take are:

  • Data poisoning: where attackers inject carefully crafted malicious data into training data sets to skew what a given model learns.
  • Adversarial attacks: where subtle modifications are made to input data at inference time to fool a model.

Countering these threats requires the implementation of robust data validation and anomaly detection techniques specifically designed to identify and filter out poisoned data (https://www.exabeam.com/explainers/ai-cyber-security/ai-cyber-security-securing-ai-systems-against-cyber-threats/). Practitioners can improve model resilience by using techniques like adversarial training, explicitly training models on examples of adversarial attacks.

Dynamic Data Maintenance

Another unique challenge in cybersecurity is the continuous battle against evolving cyber threats and the need for dynamic data maintenance. The threat landscape is constantly changing, with new attack vectors, malware strains, and social engineering tactics emerging on a regular basis. This necessitates a continuous process of monitoring and retraining AI models with the latest threat intelligence data to ensure they remain effective against these new threats. Training a model with current state data and thinking that is enough is the equivalent of generating hashes for known malware. The practice outlives its usefulness. As such, the “continuous” part of retraining is one to embrace.

Data hygiene and fidelity processes in the cybersecurity domain must also be agile and adaptable to keep pace with these rapid changes. For example, in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, it is crucial to address “authorization drift” by continuously updating the vector databases with the most current document permissions to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information. Maintaining high data fidelity in cybersecurity requires not only preventing errors and biases. It also requires actively defending against malicious manipulation, and continuously updating data to accurately reflect ever-evolving threat landscapes.

Series Conclusion: Data Quality – The Unsung Hero of Robust AI-Powered Cybersecurity

In conclusion, high-quality data drives the success of AI applications in cybersecurity. Data hygiene, ensuring that data is clean, accurate, and consistent, and data fidelity, guaranteeing that data accurately represents its source and retains its essential characteristics, are not merely technical considerations. They are fundamental pillars upon which effective AI-powered cybersecurity defenses are built. The perils of poor data quality, including missed threats, false positives, biased models, and vulnerabilities to adversarial attacks, underscore the critical need for meticulous data preparation. Conversely, success stories in threat detection, vulnerability assessment, and phishing prevention show how high-quality data enables effective AI models.

Cybersecurity faces evolving challenges, including adversaries manipulating data and new threats emerging constantly. Maintaining strong data quality remains absolutely essential. Organizations must invest in strong data hygiene and fidelity processes to support trustworthy AI-powered cybersecurity. In today’s complex threat landscape, this is a strategic imperative—not just a technical need. Cybersecurity professionals must therefore prioritize navigating the unique data quality challenges in the cybersecurity domain. Data quality above all else will positively impact AI initiatives, it is the unsung hero that underpins the promise of a more secure future cyber landscape.

Data-Powered AI: Proven Cybersecurity Examples You Need to See

Part 7 in the Series: Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential – The Power Of Pristine Data

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into cybersecurity has ushered in a new era of sophisticated threat detection, proactive vulnerability assessments, and automated incident response. As organizations increasingly rely on AI to bolster their defenses, the fundamental principle remains that the quality of the data on which they train these advanced systems directly links to their effectiveness. The old saying “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) holds true here; sometimes it is done correctly, data-powered AI: proven cybersecurity examples you need to see.

Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential - The Power Of Pristine Data - Data-Powered AI: Proven Cybersecurity Examples You Need to See

In Part 6 we covered some data hygiene secrets, or best practices. These can prove to be fundamental to the quality of data used for training models. The importance of high-quality data in AI-powered cybersecurity is underscored by numerous real-world examples of systems that have demonstrated remarkable effectiveness.

Some Examples 

Darktrace stands out as a pioneer in using AI for threat detection. To begin with, its system operates by learning the normal behavior patterns of users, devices, and networks within an organization. Once established, it identifies outliers—deviations that may indicate a cyber threat. Moreover, Darktrace analyzes network and user data in real time, helping prevent cyberattacks across multiple industries. For example, it detected and responded to a ransomware attack at a healthcare organization before the attacker could encrypt critical data. Ultimately, this success hinges on its ability to learn a highly accurate baseline of normal behavior. To achieve this, it requires a continuous stream of clean and representative data.

Constella Intelligence has also demonstrated the power of high-quality data in AI-driven cybersecurity. At the core of their approach, Constella’s solutions focus on identity risk management and threat intelligence, leveraging a vast data lake of curated and verified compromised identity assets. In a notable example, a top global bank used Constella to identify a threat actor and uncover a broader group selling stolen credentials. As a result, Constella’s AI helped stop fraud, saving the bank over $100 million by preventing massive credit card abuse. In addition, Constella’s “Hunter” platform—built on this rich data foundation—has been successfully used by cybercrime investigative journalist Brian Krebs to track and identify key figures in the cybercriminal underworld. Collectively, these examples highlight how Constella’s commitment to data quality empowers their AI-powered solutions to deliver significant cybersecurity impact.

Google’s Gmail has achieved significant success in the realm of phishing detection by leveraging machine learning to scan billions of emails daily. This software identifies and blocks phishing attempts with a high degree of precision. The system learns from each detected phishing attempt, continuously enhancing its ability to recognize new and evolving phishing techniques. This massive scale of operation and the high accuracy rates demonstrate the power of AI when trained on large volumes of well-labeled, clean, diverse email data.

CrowdStrike and SentinelOne show how AI-enhanced EDR can improve threat detection and response on endpoint devices. (https://www.sentinelone.com/cybersecurity-101/data-and-ai/ai-threat-detection/). AI monitors devices for anomalies and responds in real time to detect, contain, or neutralize potential threats. The effectiveness of these platforms relies on their ability to analyze vast amounts of endpoint data to establish baselines of normal activity and to quickly identify and react to deviations that signify anomalous activity.

Getting Predictive

AI algorithms now play a growing role in analyzing extensive repositories of historical security incident data. These repositories typically include records of past breaches, detailed indicators of compromise (IOCs), and intelligence on known threat actors. By mining this historical information, AI can uncover hidden trends and recurring patterns that manual analysis might easily miss. Provided the data is high quality, machine learning models can then use these patterns to predict the likelihood of specific cyberattacks occurring in the future (https://www.datamation.com/security/ai-in-cybersecurity/). As a result, predictive analytics empowers organizations to adopt a more proactive security posture—strategically reinforcing defenses and allocating resources toward the most probable targets. In essence, predictive analytics stands as a cornerstone capability of AI in cybersecurity, enabling threat anticipation and smarter security prioritization.

Consider an organization that utilizes AI to analyze its comprehensive historical security incident data. AI detects recurring phishing attacks targeting finance and HR before fiscal year-end, revealing a seasonal pattern of threats. The organization uses AI predictions to launch tailored security training for finance and HR ahead of high-risk periods. Training helps employees recognize known phishing tactics and avoid similar attacks during future high-risk periods. AI tracks how attacker techniques evolve over time, going beyond just predicting attack type and timing. Organizations can adapt defenses in advance, using AI insights to counter evolving attacker techniques and future threats. Mastercard, for instance, uses AI for predictive analytics to analyze real-time transactions and block fraudulent activities. IBM’s Watson for Cyber Security analyzes historical data to predict future threats.

Detecting Insider Threats and Account Compromises

Organizations increasingly employ AI-powered User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) tools to analyze vast amounts of user activity data. These include login attempts, file access patterns, network traffic generated by specific users, and their usage of various applications (https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/user-behavior-analytics). The primary goal of this analysis is to establish robust baselines of what constitutes “normal” behavior. This applies to both individual users within the organization and for defined peer groups based on their roles and responsibilities. ML algorithms are then applied to continuously monitor ongoing user activity. The goal is to detect any significant deviations from those established baselines. SThe system flags such deviations as potential signs of compromised accounts, malicious insiders, or other suspicious behavior.

Anomalies may appear when users log in at unusual times or unexpected locations, access sensitive systems outside their usual scope, transfer unusually large volumes of data, or suddenly shift their typical activity patterns. UEBA systems use AI-driven risk scores to rank threats, helping security teams prioritize the most suspicious users and activities. In some cases external sources of identity risk intelligence are factored in as well (https://andresandreu.tech/disinformation-security-identity-risk-intelligence/). UEBA solutions use AI/ML to track user behavior and detect deviations. They also transform raw data into actionable insights by baselining normal behavior and detecting anomalies from there.

Consider an employee who consistently logs into an organization’s network from their office location during standard business hours. An AI-powered UEBA system has this user flagged as risky. This is based on an identity risk posture score that shows evidence of infostealer infections. The UEBA system continuously monitors relevant login activity. It detects a sudden login attempt originating from an IP address in a foreign country at 03:00, a time when the employee is not typically working. This unusual login is immediately followed by a series of access requests to sensitive files and directories. The employee in question does not normally interact with these files as part of their job responsibilities.

The AI system, which already has the user account flagged as risky, recognizes this sequence of events as a significant deviation from the employee’s established baseline behavior. In turn, it flags the activity as a high-risk anomaly. This strongly indicates a potential account compromise and promptly generates an alert for the security team to initiate an immediate action. Beyond detecting overt signs of compromise, AI in UEBA can also identify more subtle indicators of insider threats. For example, attackers may exfiltrate data slowly over time—a tactic that traditional security tools can easily overlook.

AI-driven UEBA needs clean, consistent data from logs, apps, and network activity to build accurate behavioral baselines. Poor data—like missing logs or bad timestamps—can cause false alerts or let real threats go undetected. AI must learn user-specific behavior and adapt to legitimate changes like travel or role shifts to reduce false alarms. Organizations must protect user data and comply with regulations when using systems that monitor and analyze behavior. Finally, it is important to be aware of potential biases that might exist within the user data itself. Biases may cause AI to unfairly flag certain users or behaviors as suspicious, even when they’re actually legitimate.

Part 8 will conclude this series and cover some unique data quality challenges in the cybersecurity domain. Data quality is the foundation for data-powered AI: proven cybersecurity examples you need to see.

Unlock Superior Cybersecurity With These Data Hygiene Secrets

Part 6 in the Series: Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential – The Power Of Pristine Data

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into cybersecurity has ushered in a new era of sophisticated threat detection, proactive vulnerability assessments, and automated incident response. As organizations increasingly rely on AI to bolster their defenses, the fundamental principle remains that the quality of the data on which they train these advanced systems directly links to their effectiveness. The old saying “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) holds true here; unlock superior cybersecurity AI with these data hygiene secrets.

Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential - The Power Of Pristine Data - Unlock Superior Cybersecurity With These Data Hygiene Secrets

In Part 5 we covered some ways how data quality issues can manifest in AI models. Ensuring high-quality data for training AI models in cybersecurity requires a comprehensive and continuous effort. These efforts include effective data cleansing, robust validation processes, and strategic data augmentation techniques.

Data Cleansing

Effective data cleansing is the first critical step. This involves establishing clear data collection processes with stringent guidelines to ensure accuracy and consistency from the onset (https://versium.com/blog/ais-achilles-heel-the-consequence-of-bad-data). Conduct continuous data audits to proactively identify any anomalies, errors, or missing information within datasets. It is essential to remove duplicate records to prevent the skewing of results. It is just as important to handle missing values using appropriate methods such as imputation or removal. Carefully consider the context and potential biases introduced by each approach (https://deepsync.com/data-hygiene/).

Outliers can distort analysis. Manage them using techniques like normalization or Winsorization (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winsorizing). Maintaining overall consistency is paramount. Require the standardization of data formats and the conversion of data types/encodings to ensure uniformity across all sources. Keeping data in a unified form can help prevent inconsistencies that arise from disparate systems.

Unnecessary or irrelevant data should be eliminated to avoid clutter and improve processing efficiency. Errors need to be actively identified and corrected, and the accuracy of the data should be continuously validated. Leveraging automation and specialized data integration software can significantly streamline these types of data cleansing processes. It is also crucial to maintain proper logs of cleansing activities. Develop proper processes and comprehensive documentation for all data cleaning procedures, maintaining a detailed record of every step taken to ensure transparency and reproducibility. Constant validation throughout the process is key to ensuring the accuracy and suitability of the data for AI training.

Data Validation

Robust data validation is important to ensure the integrity of the data used to train cybersecurity AI models. This involves implementing validation rules that check for data integrity and adherence to predefined criteria, such as encodings, format constraints, and acceptable ranges (https://www.smartbugmedia.com/blog/data-hygiene-best-practices-tips-for-a-successful-integration). Automated validation checks can be employed through rule-based validation, where specific criteria are defined, and machine learning-based validation, where algorithms learn patterns of valid data. Utilizing specialized data quality tools can further enhance this process.

Specific validation techniques include:

  • Performing data range validation to ensure values fall within expected limits.
  • Data format validation to check the structure of the data.
  • Data type validation to confirm that data is in the correct format (e.g., numeric, text, date).

Conducting uniqueness checks to identify duplicate entries and implementing business rule validation to ensure data meets specific organizational requirements are also critical. Ensuring data completeness through continuous systematic checks is another vital aspect of validation. While automation plays a significant role, teams should also conduct manual reviews and spot checks to verify the accuracy of data handled by any automated processes. Establishing a comprehensive data validation framework and finding the right balance between the speed and accuracy of validation are key to ensuring the quality of the training data.

Data Augmentation

Data augmentation is a powerful optional technique to further enhance the quality and robustness of cybersecurity AI models (https://www.ccslearningacademy.com/what-is-data-augmentation/). This involves synthetically increasing the size and diversity of a training dataset by creating modified versions of existing data. Data augmentation can help prevent overfitting by exposing a model to a wider range of scenarios and variations. This can lead to improved accuracy and the creation of more robust and adaptive protective mechanisms.

Various techniques can be used for data augmentation, including:

  • Text based (e.g. word / sentence shuffling, random insert / delete actions)
  • Image based (e.g. adjusting brightness / contrast, rotations)
  • Audio based (e.g. noise injection, speed / pitch modifications)
  • Generative adversarial networks (GANs)

The generative techniques are interesting because they can generate examples of edge cases or novel attack scenarios to improve anomaly detection capabilities. Furthermore, teams can strategically employ data augmentation to address the underrepresentation of certain concepts or to mitigate bias in training data.

Ultimately, a comprehensive strategy combines rigorous data cleaning, thorough validation, and thoughtful data augmentation. Unlock superior cybersecurity with these data hygiene secrets in order to build high-quality datasets required to train effective and reliable AI models. Some of these techniques have been employed by the examples covered in Part 7 – Success Stories: Real-World Examples of Effective Cybersecurity AI Driven by High-Quality Data.

Technical Insights: How Data Quality Issues Manifest in AI Models

Part 5 in the Series: Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential – The Power Of Pristine Data

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into cybersecurity has ushered in a new era of sophisticated threat detection, proactive vulnerability assessments, and automated incident response. As organizations increasingly rely on AI to bolster their defenses, the fundamental principle remains that the quality of the data on which they train these advanced systems directly links to their effectiveness. The old saying “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) holds true here; technical insights: how data quality issues manifest in AI models.

Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential - The Power Of Pristine Data - Technical Insights: How Data Quality Issues Manifest in AI Models

In Part 4 we covered the data fidelity crisis and some of the dynamics that can create it. Additionally, the consequences of poor data quality extend to the technical performance of AI models, manifesting in several critical ways that can directly impact the effectiveness of cybersecurity defenses.

One common manifestation is the increased rates of false positives and negatives (https://www.drugtargetreview.com/article/152326/part-two-the-impact-of-poor-data-quality/). Noise, inconsistencies, and biases within training data can confuse an AI model. This confused state makes it difficult for an AI engine to accurately distinguish between legitimate and malicious activities. High rates of false positives, where benign events are incorrectly flagged as threats, can overwhelm security teams. This barrage of white noise and alerts can lead to alert fatigue and potentially cause teams to overlook genuine threats (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387326774_Effect_of_AI_Algorithm_Bias_on_the_Accuracy_of_Cybersecurity_Threat_Detection_AUTHORS). Conversely, high rates of false negatives, where actual attacks go undetected, can leave environments vulnerable and exposed to significant damage.

Another technical issue arising from poor data quality is that of overfitting to noisy data (https://dagshub.com/blog/mastering-duplicate-data-management-in-machine-learning-for-optimal-model-performance/). When AI models are trained on datasets containing a significant amount of irrelevant or misleading data, they can learn to fit the training data too closely, including the noise itself. This results in models that perform very well on the training data. But they fail to generalize effectively to new, unseen data. In the dynamic landscape of cybersecurity, where new threats and attack techniques are constantly emerging, the ability of an AI model to generalize is crucial for its long-term effectiveness.

Indeed, AI models often learn and amplify biases from low-fidelity data. These biases can lead to skewed predictions and discriminatory outcomes. Moreover, attackers who understand the biases inherent in a particular AI model can potentially exploit these weaknesses to their advantage. For example, consider an AI-powered Intrusion Detection System (IDS) primarily trained on network traffic data from large enterprise environments. It might struggle to accurately identify atypical network traffic patterns in smaller environments. This could create a security gap for an organization. Or consider applying that same IDS to a manufacturing network. Here the communication protocols are radically different from the original training source environment. You will not achieve the expected outcome. Data quality issues, therefore, not only affect the overall accuracy of AI models but can also lead to specific, exploitable scenarios that malicious actors can potentially leverage.

Here is a table summarizing some of what was covered in Part 5 of this series:

Data Quality IssueTechnical ManifestationImplications for Cybersecurity
NoiseIncreased false positives and negativesAlert fatigue, missed threats
IncompletenessMissed threats (false negatives)Vulnerabilities remain undetected
InconsistencyFalse positives and negativesDifficulty in identifying true patterns
BiasSkewed predictionsDiscriminatory outcomes, exploitable weaknesses
ManipulationIncorrect classificationsCompromised security posture
Outdated DataFailure to detect new threatsDecisions based on irrelevant information, increased false negatives

Part 6 will cover best practices for cultivating data hygiene and fidelity in cybersecurity AI training. This next session is critical as a follow up to technical insights: how data quality issues manifest in AI models.

Data Fidelity Crisis: Secure AI Now Before Cybersecurity Fails

Part 4 in the Series: Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential – The Power Of Pristine Data

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into cybersecurity has ushered in a new era of sophisticated threat detection, proactive vulnerability assessments, and automated incident response. As organizations increasingly rely on AI to bolster their defenses, the fundamental principle remains that the quality of the data on which they train these advanced systems directly links to their effectiveness. The old saying “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) holds true here; to avoid a data fidelity crisis: secure AI now before cybersecurity fails.

Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential - The Power Of Pristine Data - Data Fidelity Crisis: Secure AI Now, Before Cybersecurity Fails

In Part 3 we covered some examples of cybersecurity AI applications and how they could be negatively impacted. Beyond the general cleanliness of data, the fidelity, or the accuracy and faithfulness of the data to its source, plays a crucial role in ensuring the trustworthiness of AI applications in cybersecurity.

Inaccurate Data

The use of inaccurate data in training AI models can have profound negative consequences. It can lead to flawed outcomes, resulting in significant repercussions for organizations relying on these systems for security. For instance, take an active protection system designed for an Industrial Control Systems (ICS) environment. Protection can be based on set point values that mean physical changes to some equipment. These set point values typically exist in some range for normal operational functions. A model can be trained with inaccurate data values that are outside the range of normal operational parameters. This means bad data may get past the active protection system. This in turn could have a potential physical impact.

Biased Data

Inaccurate or unreliable AI results can erode user trust and confidence in an entire AI system. Users can become hesitant to rely on its outputs for critical security decisions. Biased training data is another significant concern that can compromise the fidelity of AI models. AI models learn from the patterns present in their training data. If this data reflects existing societal, historical, or systemic biases, the AI model will likely inherit and operationalize those biases (https://versium.com/blog/ais-achilles-heel-the-consequence-of-bad-data). In cybersecurity, this can lead to the development of unfair or ineffective security measures. These can take the form of AI systems that disproportionately flag activities from certain user groups or source countries as suspicious.

Biased data can also result in AI models that perform poorly. This can manifest as an increased rate of false positives or false negatives for specific demographics. In turn, this can skew the overall fairness and effectiveness of a security system (https://interface.media/blog/2024/12/24/exploring-the-impact-of-ai-bias-on-cybersecurity/).

Poisoned Data

One of the most concerning threats to data fidelity in AI is the risk of manipulated or poisoned data. Data poisoning is when malicious actors intentionally introduce false or misleading data into some training process. This is done to either degrade the AI model’s performance or to cause it to behave in a way that benefits the attacker (https://akitra.com/cybersecurity-implications-of-data-poisoning-in-ai-models/). These types of attacks can be very difficult to detect. Especially if there is a lack of intimacy with the original unpoisoned data set. These types of attacks can lead to compromised security postures where AI models put cybersecurity resources into time suck scenarios, fail to detect real threats, or flag legitimate actions as suspicious. Model poisoning can also result in biased outcomes, provide unauthorized access to systems, or cause a disruption of critical services.

A related threat is that of adversarial attacks (e.g. Adversarial AI). This is where subtle modifications are made to the input data at the time of inference to intentionally fool an AI model into making incorrect classifications or decisions. In the context of cybersecurity, this could involve attackers subtly altering malware signatures to evade detection by AI-powered antivirus systems. Another example is the alteration of AI managed Web Application Firewall (WAF) rulesets and/or regular expressions.

The integrity of training data is therefore paramount. Biases can lead to systemic flaws in how security is applied. Intentional manipulation can directly undermine the AI’s ability to function correctly. This creates potential new attack surface elements where none previously existed.

Part 5 will cover some technical insights to unlock artificial intelligence potential and avoid a data fidelity crisis: secure AI now before cybersecurity fails.

Bad Data is Undermining Your Cybersecurity AI Right Now

Part 3 in the series -Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential – The Power Of Pristine Data

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into cybersecurity has ushered in a new era of sophisticated threat detection, proactive vulnerability assessments, and automated incident response. As organizations increasingly rely on AI to bolster their defenses, the fundamental principle remains that the quality of the data on which they train these advanced systems directly links to their effectiveness. The old saying “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) holds true here; bad data is undermining your cybersecurity AI right now.

Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential - The Power Of Pristine Data - Bad Data is Undermining Your Cybersecurity AI Right Now

In Part 2 we covered the perils of poor data hygiene. The promise of AI in cybersecurity lies in its ability to outperform a group of qualified humans. From the defenders perspective, this generally equates to:

  • analyzing vast amounts of data
  • identifying subtle patterns
  • responding to threats at speeds that are impossible for those human analysts

Like so many things in AI, the effectiveness of these applications heavily depends on the quality of the data used to train them. Poor data hygiene can severely cripple the performance of AI in critical cybersecurity tasks.

Threat Detection

Once everyone gets past the hype, threat Detection is a major area where cybersecurity practitioners are expecting much benefit. AI has shown immense potential, excelling at identifying patterns and anomalies in real-time to flag potential security threats. However, the presence of poor data hygiene can significantly undermine this capability.

Missed threats, also known as false negatives, represent a major area of impact. The formula here is relatively straightforward: AI models require data to understand what constitutes a threat. If that training data is incomplete or if it lacks examples of new and evolving attack patterns, the AI might fail to recognize novel threats when they first appear in the real world. Biased data can also lead to AI engines overlooking certain attacks, potentially creating blind spots in a security ecosystem (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387326774_Effect_of_AI_Algorithm_Bias_on_the_Accuracy_of_Cybersecurity_Threat_Detection_AUTHORS).

On the other end of the spectrum are false positives. Poor data hygiene can lead to these phenomena where AI incorrectly flags benign activities as malicious. This can be caused by noisy or inconsistent data that confuses a model, leading it to misinterpret normal behavior as suspicious. The consequence of excessive false positives is often white noise and alert fatigue among security teams. The constant stream of non-genuine alerts can cause analysts to become desensitized. The risk is then potentially missing actual threats that in some cases are blatantly obvious.

Bias in the training data can also result in a reduced ability to detect novel threats. This can lead to inaccurate assessments, causing a misprioritization of security efforts. The effectiveness of AI in threat detection fundamentally depends on the diversity and representativeness of the training data. If the data does not cover the full spectrum of attack types and normal network behaviors, the AI will struggle to accurately distinguish between them.

Vulnerability Assessment

Another critical cybersecurity function increasingly employing AI is vulnerability assessment, where AI continuously scans systems (networks, applications, APIs, etc.) for weaknesses and prioritizes them based on potential impact. Organizations highly value this capability because human resources cannot keep pace with the volume of findings in larger environments. Business context plays a huge role here. It becomes the driver for what is a priority to a given organization. Business context would therefore be a data set used to train models for the purpose of vulnerability assessments.

Inaccurate data can severely hinder the reliability of AI in this area. Inaccurate data can severely hinder the reliability of AI in this area. Incomplete or incorrect training data, or mislabeling assets, may cause AI to miss or misprioritize vulnerabilities. This could leave systems exposed to potential exploitation. Conversely, inaccurate data could also lead to the AI incorrectly flagging non-existent vulnerabilities or treating assets of non-value as critical, wasting resources on addressing threats incorrectly.

Biased or outdated data can also result in an inaccurate prioritization of vulnerabilities. This can lead to a misallocation of security resources towards less critical issues while more severe weaknesses remain unaddressed. Ultimately, poor data hygiene can lead to a compromised security posture due to unreliable assessments of the true risks faced by an organization. AI’s ability to effectively assess vulnerabilities depends on having precise and current information about the business and vulnerabilities themselves. Inaccuracies in this foundational data can lead to a false sense of security or the inefficient deployment of resources to address vulnerabilities that pose minimal actual risk.

Phishing Detection

The detection of phishing activity has seen significant advancements through the application of AI. This is particularly so with the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP). NLP allows AI to analyze email content, discover sentiment, identify sender behavior, and use contextual information to identify and flag potentially malicious messages. Despite its successes, the effectiveness of AI in phishing detection is highly sensitive to poor data hygiene.

One significant challenge is the failure to detect sophisticated attacks. If the training data used to teach the AI what constitutes a phishing email lacks examples of the latest and most advanced phishing techniques the AI might not be able to recognize these new threats. The scenario of AI vs AI is becoming a reality in the realm of phishing detection. The defensive side is up against those leveraging generative AI to create highly realistic, strategic, and personalized messages. This is particularly concerning as phishing tactics are becoming very realistic and they are constantly evolving to evade detection.

Inconsistent or noisy data within email content or sender information can lead to an increase in false positives. Legitimate emails could get incorrectly flagged as phishing attempts. This can disrupt communication and lead to user frustration. Bias in training data can cause AI to miss phishing attacks targeting certain demographics or generate excessive false positives. Given the ever-changing nature of phishing attacks, it is crucial for AI models to be continuously trained on diverse and up-to-date datasets that include examples of the most recent and sophisticated tactics employed by cybercriminals. Poor data hygiene can leave the AI unprepared and ineffective against these evolving threats.

Part 4 will cover the significance of data fidelity and how the lack of trustworthiness can negatively impact an environment. Bad data is undermining your cybersecurity AI right now.

The Perils of Poor Data Hygiene: Undermining AI Training

Part 2 in the Series: Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential – The Power Of Pristine Data

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into cybersecurity has ushered in a new era of sophisticated threat detection, proactive vulnerability assessments, and automated incident response. As organizations increasingly rely on AI to bolster their defenses, the fundamental principle remains that the quality of the data on which they train these advanced systems directly links to their effectiveness. The old saying “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO) holds true here; there could be a high price to pay for the perils of poor data hygiene: undermining AI training.

Unlock Artificial Intelligence Potential - The Power Of Pristine Data - The Perils of Poor Data Hygiene: Undermining AI Training

In Part 1 we covered the power of pristine data. Neglecting data hygiene can have severe consequences for those who depend on AI for information. Data hygiene is directly correlated to the training and performance of AI models, particularly in the critical domain of cybersecurity. Several common data quality issues can significantly undermine the effectiveness of even the most sophisticated AI algorithms.

Missing Data

One prevalent issue is incomplete data sets, in particular the presence of missing values in datasets (https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/ml-handling-missing-values/). This is a common occurrence in real-world data collections due to various factors such as technical debt, software bugs, human errors, or privacy concerns. The absence of data points for certain variables can significantly harm the accuracy and reliability of AI models. The lack of complete information can also reduce the effective sample size available for training and tuning. This potentially leads to a decrease in a model’s ability to generalize. Furthermore and slightly more complicated, if the reasons behind missing data points are not random, the introduction of bias into some models becomes a real-world concern. In this scenario a model might learn skewed relationships based on the incomplete data set. Ultimately, mishandling missing values can lead to biased and unreliable results, significantly hindering the overall performance of AI models.

Incomplete data can prevent ML models from identifying crucial patterns or relationships that exist within the full dataset. Addressing missing values typically involves either:

  • Removing data: deleting the rows or columns containing the missing elements. This comes with the risk of reducing a dataset and potentially introducing biased results if the reason for the data to be missing is not based on randomness.
  • Imputation techniques: employing imputation techniques to fill in the missing values with guessed data. While this preserves the dataset size it can introduce its own form of bias if the guesses are inaccurate. 

The fact that missing data can systematically skew a model’s learning process, leading to inaccurate and potentially biased outcomes, highlights the importance of understanding the nature of the missingness. The type of missingness are:

  • Missing Completely At Random (MCAR)
  • Missing At Random (MAR)
  • Missing Not At Random (MNAR)

Understanding the reason at hand directly impacts the strategies for addressing this issue. Arbitrarily filling in missing values without understanding the underlying reasons can be more detrimental than beneficial.

Duplicate Data

Moving beyond missing data elements, another significant challenge is that of duplicate data within training datasets. While the collection of massive datasets has become easier, the presence of duplicate records can considerably impact quality and ultimately the performance and accuracy of AI models trained on this data. This can obviously lead to biased outcomes. Duplicate entries can negatively affect model evaluation by creating a biased evaluation. This occurs primarily when exact or near-duplicate data exists in both training and validation sets, leading to an overestimation of a model’s performance on unknown data. Conversely, if a model performs poorly on the duplicated data point, it can artificially deflate the overall performance metrics. Furthermore, duplicate data can lead to overfitting. This is where a model becomes overly specialized and fails to capture underlying patterns on new unseen data sets. This is particularly true with exact or near duplicates, which can reinforce patterns that may not be real when considering a broader data set.

The presence of duplicate data is also computationally expensive. It increases training costs with necessary computational overhead for preprocessing and training. Additionally, duplicate data can lead to biased feature importance, artificially skewing the importance assigned to certain features if they are consistently associated with duplicated instances. In essence, duplicate entries can distort the underlying distribution of a larger data set. This lowers the accuracy of probabilistic models. It is worth noting that the impact of duplicate data isn’t always negative and can be context-dependent. In some specific scenarios, especially with unstructured data, duplicates might indicate underlying issues with data processing pipelines (https://indicodata.ai/blog/should-we-remove-duplicates-ask-slater/). For Large Language Models (LLMs) the repetition of high-quality examples might appear as near-duplicates. This can sometimes aid in the registering of important patterns (https://dagshub.com/blog/mastering-duplicate-data-management-in-machine-learning-for-optimal-model-performance/). This nuanced view suggests that intimate knowledge of a given data set, and the goals of an AI model, are necessary when strategizing on how to handle duplicate data.

Inconsistent Data

Inconsistent data, or a data set characterized by errors, inaccuracies, or irrelevant information, poses a significant threat to the reliability of AI models. Even the most advanced and sophisticated models will yield unsatisfactory results if trained on data of poor quality. But, inconsistent data can lead to inaccurate predictions, resulting in flawed decision-making with contextually significant repercussions. For example, an AI model used for deciding if an email is dangerous might incorrectly assess risk, leading to business impacting results. Similarly, in security operations, a log analyzing AI system trained on erroneous data could incorrectly classify nefarious activity as benign.

Incomplete or skewed data can introduce bias if the training data does not adequately represent the diversity of the real-world population. This can perpetuate existing biases, affecting fairness and inclusivity. Dealing with inconsistent data often necessitates significant time and resources for data cleansing. This leads to operational inefficiencies and delays in project timelines. Inconsistent data can arise from various sources, including encoding issues, human error during processing, unhandled software exceptions, variations in how data is recorded across different systems, and a general lack of standardization. Addressing this issue requires establishing uniform data standards and robust data governance policies throughout an organization to ensure that data is collected, formatted, and stored consistently. The notion of GIGO accurately describes the direct relationship between the quality of input data and the reliability of the output produced by AI engines.

Here is a table summarizing some of what was covered in Part 2 of this series:

Data Quality IssueImpact on Model TrainingPotential Consequences
Missing ValuesReduced sample size, introduced bias, analysis limitationsBiased and unreliable results, missed patterns
Duplicate DataBiased evaluation, overfitting, increased costs, biased feature importanceInflated accuracy, poor generalization
Inconsistent DataUnreliable outputs, skewed predictions, operational inefficiencies, regulatory risksInaccurate decisions, biased models

Part 3 will cover cybersecurity applications and how bad data impacts the ability to unlock artificial intelligence potential – strengthening the notion of the perils of poor data hygiene: undermining AI training.