By Yacoub Haddad | Staff Writer

In a world where technology is advancing at an exponential pace and data is becoming increasingly important, it is vital that this data is properly secured. According to the CIA, the three pillars of information security are confidentiality, which refers to the secrecy and utilization of encryption within the data, integrity, which is the idea that this data is not tampered with at any point, and availability, the fact that this data is readily accessible to authorized users at any given moment. With the above established, the three up and coming technologies, alongside their implications, can be discussed.

The first idea to be discussed within the context of data and cyber security is artificial intelligence, which is nothing but a machine learning algorithm that is ever learning. AI continuously improves its knowledge of cyber attacks to consistently defend against any attack that may arise. However, when those with malicious intent co-opt new technologies for their own purpose, AI in data security poses an issue. One of the most recent case studies where AI was co-opted for malicious intent was with deepfakes. By utilizing an AI algorithm, “deepfakers” create hyper realistic videos that cannot be differentiated from the original, or unaltered videos. The implications of deepfakes are extremely dangerous, as fake news could be created using hyper realistic videos of politicians and people in power for example. The amount of potential chaos and destruction possible with technology like this could potentially wage  wars, crash fortune 500 companies, and other cataclysmic consequences of the likes.

The benefits of artificial intelligence are simply outweighed by another form of AI, one that could shred the fabric of society as we know it. Artificial intelligence for data security depends highly on integrity and availability. Another worthwhile innovation in data security is encryption. With the level of sophistication malicious hackers have within their toolset, lack of encryption allows key data to be given to whoever finds it at no cost to the malicious hacker. In the modern world, two encryption types are widely used; 128 bit encryption and 256 bit encryption (AES128 and AES256). With 128 bit encryption, there are 2128 possible encryption keys; with 256 bit encryption, there are 2256 possible encryption keys. Logically speaking, 2128 possible combinations would be enough for most data security purposes. However, with the exponential increase in computing power of computers, especially with the new ARM based chips that Apple has released, there is a need for a higher level of encryption as computers can more easily break through 128 and 256 bit encryption.

Conventional data encryption focused on the confidentiality and integrity parts of the CIA’s definition of data security. This gives way to the rise of blockchain technology. When people hear blockchain, their minds go to Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. However, blockchain is a system of recording data in a manner that makes it quite difficult to hack or compromise. Blockchain technology works similar to a domino effect. If one domino is knocked over, the rest follow. If one domino is moved from the path of the original chain, the effect stops. Blockchain technology works similarly, where if one “block” of the network is compromised, the network redirects the data through other routes. Blockchain technology was first introduced with the creation of Bitcoin in 2009. Blockchains are revolutionary because they allow for higher levels of encryption, beyond 128 or 256 Bit networks, thereby adjusting for the exponential improvement in computer power. The biggest downside of blockchain networks is the power intensity, as seen with the rise in bitcoin mining,  which was the primary method used to verify transactions from one block to the next. It is estimated that bitcoin mining alone used more energy than the entire country of Argentina, and with the oil shock the world is currently facing due to the Russo-Ukrainian war, and amidst record-high levels of inflation, less and less people are turning to crypto as it becomes less feasible and profitable to do so.

Artificial intelligence and blockchain networks aren’t just the data security of the future; they are the entire digital future. Payment technology is trending towards blockchain, and AI is already becoming more widely used in day to day tech such as laptop and phone processors.  In fact most productivity softwares, including the platform this article was written on, use some level of AI. Blockchain and AI are the future, and the future is closer than one may think.