There’s no escaping it: cyber security events are happening more often, and the fallout is getting worse. In the first half of 2021 alone, there was a 125% rise in global intrusion volumes. We’ve all seen the devastating impacts of recent hacks like Colonial Pipeline and Solar Winds—not just on the affected businesses and their customers, but also society at large.

At the same time, many companies are moving full speed ahead with technology transformation, including a move to cloud, that can introduce new vulnerabilities if security isn’t front of mind. Add to this the rapid uptake of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, edge computing, and 5G networks, and the attack surface has rapidly expanded, giving hackers more to target.

Fortify: Doubling down on existing defenses

Right now, cyber digital twins can be used as a sandbox for understanding what security looks like from an attacker’s point of view. They provide a helpful way to understand attackers’ mindsets, potential attack patterns, and their impact. Here’s how:

Most companies are used to testing the security of a system or process just before deployment, and then evaluating changes on deployed applications. Intelligent cyber digital twins make it possible to evaluate changes as if they were made on the real deployed application, without ever touching the production environment—giving a preview of the future security posture.

Extend: Making security better and broader

In the longer term, intelligent cyber digital twins will unlock even more exciting possibilities. By simulating risks in an environment that mirrors the real world, digital twins help companies get better at predicting where hackers will strike, how the attack will unfold, and how damaging it will be. With this kind of knowledge, organizations can take targeted action to reduce the likelihood and impact of cyber attacks while also staying one step ahead of would-be attackers.

Re-invent : Preparing for tomorrow

In the future, nearly everything in the physical world will have a digital twin, including infrastructure, supply chains, consumer products, and more. Merging these digital twins will usher in the Mirrored World, forever changing how we all operate, collaborate, and innovate.

While this new world is still years away, thinking about the core management of cyber digital twins is essential today. This includes continually securing how they work, think, and manage sensitive data.

Speed your shift

Intelligent cyber digital twins are a way to shift security strategies from reactive to resilient. It’s vital to secure assets today while taking additional steps towards using intelligent cyber digital twins.

To explore these points in more detail, and learn more about how intelligent cyber digital twins can help evolve your security strategy, check out in Google Pages.