Is Your Dark Data a Ticking Time Bomb? Eric Kong From SailPoint on How to Defuse It
Is your business sitting on a hidden goldmine or a lurking threat?
In the age of big data, it’s easy to believe that more data equals more power. Yet, lurking in the shadows of your organisation’s vast data reserves lies a potential threat – dark data. While this dark data often goes unnoticed, it remains a prime target for cybercriminals, especially with the rise of sophisticated AI-driven attacks.
How can businesses ensure that dark data works for them, rather than against them? Eric Kong, Managing Director for ASEAN at SailPoint, shares his insights with Data & Storage Asia (DSA) on turning this liability into a strategic asset!
Dark Data: The Silent Threat Lurking in Your Systems
Dark data is, as Eric Kong explains, “the vast untapped reservoir of information that organisations collect and store but fail to utilise.” It’s everywhere—buried in documents, emails, and collaboration platforms—making up an astonishing 80% of a company’s total data. And what’s worse? It’s doubling every two years!
The problem with dark data is that it often lies scattered across various platforms, making it difficult to monitor and secure. This creates a perfect storm for cybercriminals. “Without robust data management strategies,” Kong warns, “organisations risk becoming vulnerable to sophisticated cyber attacks.”
On top of that, dark data poses major compliance risks, especially in regions like APAC where data privacy regulations are just about to evolve. According to the Singapore Cyber Landscape 2023 report, Kong highlighted that ransomware attacks in healthcare increased from 12% to 18% worldwide. This underscores the urgent need to get dark data under control before it becomes a bigger liability!
Artificial Intelligence: Is Your Dark Data Protected?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the world of cybersecurity – for both attackers and defenders. Dark data is a prime target for cybercriminals, and AI has made it easier than ever to exploit!
This data can include anything from personal information to financial records and intellectual property. In the wrong hands, it’s a goldmine for launching attacks. Kong noted that cybercriminals are now using AI to automate data mining and craft highly convincing phishing attacks and social engineering schemes, using detailed insights gleaned from dark data. As Kong points out, “These attacks are more convincing and harder to detect because they leverage insights from the data.”
But the vulnerability doesn’t end with external threats. AI tools itself can become a source of risk. Generative AI tools, widely used within businesses, can unintentionally create openings for data breaches. Kong points out that “it’s not AI itself that’s the risk, but organisations’ failure to adequately prepare their data and establish appropriate access controls.”
Kong has also cited a Stanford study that found that using AI assistants can lead to the development of vulnerable code, further exposing businesses to attacks from both internal and external sources.
Turning Dark Data into Gold: Strategies to Make it Work for You
While dark data feels like a burden, it doesn’t have to be! Kong stresses that “dark data, when managed correctly, can be a valuable asset.” However, the key is evolving identity security to extend control over both structured and unstructured data.
Kong recommends broadening identity security programs to cover unstructured data, which is often where dark data resides. This means implementing centralised access controls that provide visibility across all data sources and applications. “By bridging the gap between identity management across data and applications, businesses can gain complete visibility and address identity-related threats,” he says.
Additionally, leveraging dark data for strategic decision-making can yield major benefits. “For example, analysing employee data can help businesses identify bottlenecks and optimise workflows,” Kong explains. In other words, companies can also use dark data to spot trends and opportunities that wouldn’t be obvious from structured data alone!
AI itself can be your greatest tool in this matter. As the old saying goes, ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ With 80% of APAC businesses expected to adopt AI by 2028, and AI set to inject USD $9.5 trillion into the global economy by 2030, businesses are under pressure to balance innovation with compliance.
“AI tools that manage access controls, data privacy policies, and consent are critical to ensuring businesses stay on the right side of data privacy laws,” says Kong. By automating these processes, businesses can innovate without compromising security or risking non-compliance!
Ultimately, the key to turning dark data into an asset is strategic data governance. By adopting identity security solutions that cover all forms of data and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations such as PDPA or GDPR, businesses can transform their dark data from a lurking risk into a competitive advantage.
In the end, it’s all about flipping the script on dark data, turning it from a liability into a treasure that enhances operational efficiency and informs key business decisions!
From Rusty to Shiny: Time to Put Those Ungoverned Data to Good Use!
Dark data doesn’t have to remain a shadowy plague on your organisation. With the right strategies, it can become one of your most valuable resources to drive innovation, improve decision-making, and strengthen your overall data security.
Erik Kong’s insights remind us that turning dark data into gold is less about risks and more about seizing the opportunities it presents. In a world where data is precious, the businesses that succeed will be the ones bold enough to shine a light on the unseen, unlocking its true potential.
After all, those who harness the storm will steer the ship.
