Experts stress importance of cybersecurity

Cybersecurity has become a “cornerstone” of the digital age, especially with the development of new technologies such as 5G and the Internet of Things, experts told a online cybersecurity conference.

Network security has expanded to the entire physical world and cyberspace, threatening security in politics, national defense, digital infrastructure, industrial production, finance, urban management and personal information and privacy covering billions of people, experts told the Internet Security Conference (ISC) 2020.

Without network security, there would be no national security, said Zhou Hongyi, chairman of 360, the country’s biggest cybersecurity firm. 

With booming data created, captured and used every day with tech adoptions such as 5G, IoT and the cloud, cybersecurity has become a necessity and part of life for everyone and business. It has become an essential part of the national strategy to boost digital infrastructure, experts told the conference. 

China should increase spending and strengthen legislation on personal information protection and data security, they said. Currently, China’s information security spending is just 1 percent of total digital infrastructure investment, much less than the 10 percent in many developed countries, according to industry figures. 

In the future, Shanghai-listed 360 will use next-generation cybersecurity framework, including a Safety Brain, to escort digital infrastructure and smart city construction and companies in various industries, Zhou said.