How can carriers minimize security and fraud risks
A Total Telecom interview with Max Roettgermann, Product Management IP Transit and DDoS Defense at Deutsche Telekom ICSS
Ahead of Carriers World 2017, Total Telecom caught up with ICSS's expert Max Roettgermann. Prior to the security and fraud panel at the conference, Max was so kind to share some of his thoughts on how to "manage the security threat".
How would you describe the current security and fraud situation in the telecommunications landscape/industry and especially in the wholesale space?
Digitization is a key driver for every business and industry today, with a large part of that done on the internet. The internet is used to connect all the different businesses, people and, in the end, billions of different machines and devices. Hence, internet access is important for economic growth. More and more companies and individuals rely on internet availability for their livelihoods. In Germany, for example, 50% of companies depend on the internet.
But is it always done in a secure way? If we are talking about security we have to look at it from three different areas. Because security means: confidentiality, integrity, availability.
Confidentiality: Can I be sure my credentials will not be stolen? Or is the device at the other end really the one I want to communicate with?
Integrity: Is the data transmitted correct? Or has it been manipulated along the way by a hacker?
Availability: Is the network or service still available or has it been taken down, for example by a DDoS attack?
In my opinion the third area, availability, is the most important factor for the wholesale industry. We are one of the key enablers for telecommunications and the internet itself. We have to make sure that it is available at any time. On the one hand, security breaches and cyber-attacks are on the rise. On the other hand, more and more companies and individuals rely on the availability of the internet. DDoS attacks are a huge threat, not only for players in the wholesale space.
How do you see security and fraud threats evolving and what risk does that pose to carriers?
There will be more and more vulnerabilities and cyberattacks every day. There were almost 60 million cyberattacks in 2015 and there will be 26 billion connected devices by 2020. To make matters worse: Companies and processes are automated but so is the deployment of attacks.
What do carriers need to do to manage these threats?
At Deutsche Telekom ICSS we are serious about security and do all we can to protect our network and our services. We have a number of security solutions in place for ourselves as well as our customers. To help and protect our clients, ICSS has launched several products and solutions that fulfill the special needs of the carrier and the wholesale market. With our DDoS Defense product, we provide 360 degrees of security.