Charlie Sander, CEO of ManagedMethods, writes about the central role of AI in cybersecurity amid relentless cyberattacks, draining resources and tarnishing organizational reputation, offering critical perspectives.
When it comes to cyberattacks, organizations of all types and sizes need to let go of the mindset that “it won’t happen to us.” The trellis Threat predictions for 2024 The report highlights that threat detection and identification and advanced security tools are becoming increasingly difficult for victims. But why is this happening?
Ransomware gangs are getting smarter and AI is helping cybercriminals effortlessly find the personal information needed for phishing emails and then launch password-based attacks.
And the stakes couldn’t be higher: failing to protect sensitive data can result in reputational damage and significant financial losses. Steve Morgan, editor-in-chief of Cybercrime Magazine, predicts that the toll of cyberattacks on the global economy will reach more than $10.5 trillion by 2025.
Cybercriminals use AI to crack passwords, a traditionally relatively unsophisticated technique in which they guess passwords. They also use it to write better, more personalized phishing emails, making it more likely that the recipient will click the link and do what the criminal wants.
A common use case is similar to how developers use AI to write code more efficiently. Ransomware criminals, in particular, are using AI’s often superior coding capabilities to write malware much faster, which will make it more difficult for users. defense technologies to monitor the evolution of threats.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom: AI can solve these problems, helping security teams protect valuable information and their reputation while positively impacting their financial health. According to the Cost of a Data Breach 2023 global survey report, AI helps businesses save approximately $1.8 million in costs related to data breaches. Now it’s time to delve deeper into how.
How AI Helps Organizations Fight Cybercrime
AI can enable technology and security teams to add an extra layer of security in several ways. For starters, it acts as a brain capable of monitoring and consuming information quickly. Then it analyzes the patterns and identifies anomalies.
A common use case is to analyze unusual login activities or unauthorized changes to files and resources. Traditionally, a human would have to spend hours reviewing connection reports to identify anomalous activity. More recently, the technology identified a connection from an anomalous location, for example, and could send an alert to a security administrator who would investigate further. AI takes this to a whole new level.
Instead of just reporting an abnormal login to a location, it can detect abnormal behaviors in the account. For example, let’s say the account login isn’t coming from an abnormal location, but may be logging in at abnormal times of the day or night. Security technology using AI can detect differences in usage patterns much faster than a human who has to pull various reports for analysis.
AI systems can perform predefined actions such as blocking or quarantining suspicious IP addresses, restricting user access, preventing deletions, and alerting cybersecurity teams. The main benefit of using AI for detection and response is of course response time.
When a data security incident occurs, time is of the essence. It typically takes much longer for a human to become aware of a problem, understand what might be happening, and respond to it. According to a investigation commissioned by IBMMost SOC professionals reported that their incident response time has increased over the past two years, while identifying AI and automation technology as the most promising opportunity to improve threat response times .
Additionally, AI systems leverage their understanding of historical and current activities to predict future events. By cross-referencing detected anomalies with their database, they can predict potential next steps and likely outcomes associated with unusual behavior.
Finally, AI can facilitate post-incident analysis by quickly correlating large amounts of data to identify the root cause of a cyberattack. A common use of AI in the recovery phase is to write scripts. Technicians will need to scour their systems to find threats, and using AI tools to write these scripts can be helpful and save time. This capability allows businesses to understand attack vectors and strengthen their defenses against similar future threats.
What are the challenges of implementing AI for cybersecurity?
Although the benefits of AI for cybersecurity are well-documented, it’s not always easy to start leveraging this technology.
The heart of the problem is that organizations such as small businesses and the public sector cannot update their systems and respond quickly, largely due to budget and talent constraints. Economic downturns or uncertainties also force them to tighten their budgets in all areas, including cybersecurity.
However, taking advantage of AI doesn’t necessarily require breaking the bank: its benefits can be realized on a limited budget. For example, security teams can start by conducting a thorough risk assessment to identify and prioritize potential cybersecurity threats specific to their organization, whether it be weak authentication, insider threats, or data breaches. .
They may also outsource certain cybersecurity functions to managed security service providers. As these platforms can offer specialist expertise and tools on a subscription basis, they can reduce the need for significant internal investment.
Another challenge is that integrating AI into existing infrastructure can be complex. Organizations often have a wide range of legacy systems, applications and technologies accumulated over time. These systems may not be designed to work seamlessly with new AI solutions.
This is why it is essential to assess the compatibility of existing systems with AI solutions and prioritize AI solutions emphasizing interoperability and compatibility with various systems.
See more : 3 Important Ways AI Can Impact Cybersecurity This Year
Cybersecurity is not a one-time investment
Organizations must keep in mind that cybersecurity is an ongoing process. Criminals are constantly developing new ways to bypass security technologies and exploit vulnerabilities. Therefore, their information security team must regularly update systems and patch security vulnerabilities to make it more difficult for cybercriminals to access data.
Since most data breaches are caused by people and employees, implementing an employee cybersecurity training program is a good step toward a more secure system. This initiative can limit disruptions to operations caused by human error and reduce the risk of successful cyberattacks.
Four key considerations
Designing an incident response plan is also crucial. Four general steps to achieve this are:
- Define goals and scope: This step ensures that the objectives of your incident response plan align with your organization’s mission and goals. It is essential to identify potential risks and threats specific to your organization, taking into account factors such as industry, size and structure.
- Establish an incident response team: You should appoint members to the incident response team, such as representatives from relevant IT, cybersecurity, legal, communications, and business units.
- Create incident management procedures: Specify step-by-step procedures for responding to incidents, including data breaches, insider threats, and ransomware attacks. Ensure clarity of communication channels and escalation routes.
- Establish communication protocols: Inform internal and external stakeholders during and after an incident. Define what information will be communicated and by whom.
Ultimately, cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, posing challenges for systems and security teams to quickly identify anomalies. Additionally, the increasing frequency of these threats highlights the critical need for businesses to adopt advanced security technologies like AI.
Implementing innovative security measures helps organizations protect sensitive data and reduce costs. They must constantly invest in continuous improvement.
What challenges has your organization faced in integrating AI-based cybersecurity measures into existing infrastructure? Let us know on Facebook, XAnd LinkedIn. We would love to hear from you!
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