Part 1 of 3: Monitoring the “Human Ele­­ment” of Security – 10 Predictions for 2010

As pioneers of the industry’s most trusted PC and Internet monitoring software products, SpectorSoft has achieved some critical milestones and made some unique observations in the last decade. The company has introduced groundbreaking new technologies, received numerous industry awards, and earned the trust of more than half a million customers worldwide.  SpectorSoft products have been spotlighted by top-tier news organizations including the Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report and PC Magazine, and on television shows like the Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, Dateline NBC, and the CBS Evening News.

At the heart of this success, is the tremendous support we’ve received from customers, partners, and believers. Many of you have made startling discoveries about PC and Internet use simply by observing what your employees or children are doing, saying, and accessing online. More than just monitoring activity, SpectorSoft products enable customers to STOP unwanted behavior at the source, which is almost always the click of a mouse or a keyboard.  It’s this “human element” of security that makes SpectorSoft products unique and extremely compelling.

As 2010 unfolds, SpectorSoft sees several emerging and usage trends that warrant closer monitoring and inspection in the coming year.  The first installation in this three-part series will explore changes on the Internet, and how these are impacting us as a society of digital thinkers and publishers…

1. Welcome to the “Now” Decade. People have a ravenous appetite for real-time information about everything from world events and natural disasters to celebrity deaths and scandals. For better or worse, 21^st Century technology has enabled people to do, see, and share information in real-time—whether they’re at home, at work, or on the go.  On a global scale, there are tremendous financial and political incentives that come with being able to control the flow of information via the Internet; and for some, to take advantages of its weaknesses to exploit businesses, consumers, and even kids who use it.  In turn, we anticipate a greater demand for PC and Internet monitoring solutions to detect what is being accessed and by whom, and to help ensure that the desire for information does not compromise IT security, business productivity, or child safety.

2. The Internet is Our New Drug of Choice. It’s no longer about sex, drugs and rock and roll.  Society’s rising obsession with Facebook, Twitter, sexting, online gaming, and porn, is fueling powerful new addictions.  At the same time, the median age of an “addict” is dropping as children gain access to the Internet at a much earlier age than, say, cigarettes or alcohol in past generations. From an adult standpoint, one in five divorce filings cite Facebook as a mitigating factor.  At work, more businesses will be scanning employee profile pages and proactively monitoring corporate networks looking for excessive use of Twitter, Facebook and Fantasy Football during work hours—and doing something about it.

3. This is a Surveillance Society. For personal safety and corporate security it has become necessary to document human activity—whether it be a bank, convenience store, school, library, government agency, doctor’s office, or business establishment. This also extends to personal and business computer systems.  Companies can be put into serious financial and compliance risk from employee misuse; and children can unknowingly wander into harmful situations online, even if they’re clicking away at the dining room table. In 2010, PC and Internet monitoring solutions will be more widely used for business and personal use to crack down on internet abuse and keep kids safe online.

4. Move Over SPAM, Make Room for Social SLAM. As much as we enjoy social networking, so do cyber criminals who take advantage of people’s trust in one another.  It’s both frustrating and embarrassing to get “slammed” by a Facebook virus from your brother who didn’t even know he sent it, or by inappropriate content posted on your wall or on YouTube for the whole world to see.  In 2009, 85% of all email traffic was believed to carry spam.  In 2010 and beyond, social networking sites and online communities will increasingly become the hot new carriers of Internet viruses, scams, phishing and clickjacking schemes (which can hijack your personal data or silently turn on your web cam and capture footage).

How will social slam affect you? At work, don’t be surprised if your company tightens its Acceptable Use Policy to protect corporate networks from being compromised from an innocent click during a lunch break. At home, serious concerns stemming from cyberbullying, child pornography and online predators may prompt parents to more closely monitor what their kids are doing and saying on social networks, and importantly, what they’re clicking on…

For our next installation in this three-part series, we’ll explore digital kids and their online exploration and habits…