SIDECHAIN INSIGHTS
While I know most of us would prefer the chocolate version, let’s not forget the other type – Easter Eggs may conceal unauthorized access points or pathways within a system, providing unauthorized individuals with entry into secure environments. Malicious Easter Eggs can be leveraged to execute covert actions, circumventing established security protocols and potentially compromising sensitive data.
QUICK TAKE
- At this point, you would have to have been living under a rock to not know about Artificial Intelligence (AI)! Many of us have used ChatGPT since its inception and there are many other options now out there. AI is integrated in almost every industry at this point and people use it for a variety of reasons (anyone else written a touching 80th Birthday tribute to their mother with a little help from Claude??) but did you know that Sidechain has a comprehensive guide to AI Security and Privacy? Click here to visit this resource – we would love to hear your feedback on your AI needs and how we can help!
QUIZ
Let’s see how savvy you are with Data Encryption – warning, this is for the techies! The first five people to send their correct answers to us here, will receive Sidechain swag!
1. What does encryption primarily protect?
- Data from loss
- Data from unauthorized access
- Data from hardware failure
- Data from duplication
2. Which of the following is an example of a symmetric encryption algorithm?
- RSA
- AES
- Diffie-Hellman
- SHA-256
3. What is the main difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?
- Symmetric encryption uses a single key, while asymmetric uses two keys
- Asymmetric encryption is faster than symmetric encryption
- Symmetric encryption is used for public keys, while asymmetric is for private keys
- There is no difference
4. In public-key encryption, the private key is used for:
- Encrypting the data before sending
- Decrypting the data received
- Signing the encryption certificate
- Storing the encryption keys
5. Which of the following is a widely used algorithm for securing web communications, such as HTTPS?
- RSA
- DES
- Triple DES
- SHA-1
Keep scrolling to see if you got it right!
INDUSTRY TRENDS & NEWS
- One-third of small- to medium-sized businesses were hit by a cyberattack in the past year according to Microsoft Security. Many SMB’s believe they are too small to be targeted by hackers, a misconception that can cost an average of $255,000 – read more here.
- While we’re on the theme of AI – Google has reported that they blocked over 5 billion ads in 2024 amid a rise in a AI-powered scams. See more about their enforcement activities.
DATA ENCRYPTION DECODED
Simplifying encryption – this is a great article that breaks down data encryption into what it is, how it works and best practices. It’s also a great refresher for those already in the know. Read more here!
Homomorphic, Honey and Biometric Encryption, Multi-Party Computation, Quantum Cryptography – anyone know what these are? Click here to discover some of the 2025 encryption technologies and trends!
DID YOU KNOW?
The answers to the quiz are:
- 2
- 2
- 1
- 2
- 1
Remember the first 5 correct responses will win Sidechain swag!
And now for some facts…
- Encryption Adoption Among Small Businesses: Only 17% of small businesses implement data encryption, leaving a vast majority vulnerable to data breaches and cyber threats.
- Data Breach Detection Delays: On average, companies take nearly six months to detect a data breach, highlighting significant gaps in current security monitoring practices.
