Increase User Adoption of Encryption with Transparent Security

With the rising number of breaches (or maybe it’s just because we have better detection tools that let us know about breaches), everyone can be hacked. In our conversation at the 2015 Black Hat Conference in Las Vegas, Dave Bennett (@IONUSecurityInc), CTO of IONU Security Inc., suggested a data-centric security plan that renders data useless to a successful hack.

The solution, said Bennett, is to keep your data encrypted in transit and at rest. It’s an obvious solution that unfortunately hasn’t been realized because encryption can be somewhat troublesome. How do you get your data in the clear when you need to actually operate on it?

Encryption requires the user to manage the “keys.” Users are neither equipped nor inclined to do a good job of managing their keys. Instead of worrying about the keys, they’re more worried about getting their jobs done. The keys look like a barrier to getting their job done and as a result they’re treated with contempt, said Bennett.

To increase adoption of encryption, vendors must provide methods for making it so users don’t have to think about keys. They don’t have to change their ways of working. It’s a methodology that Bennett refers to as “transparent security.”

“They don’t have to think about keys. Pretty much they don’t have to think about encryption at all. It’s just happening,” said Bennett.