A few months ago, we shared with you an article on importance of artificial intelligence in the fight against cyber threats and the benefits of introducing this technology into business cybersecurity strategies.
Today, we want to turn the tide and reflect on whether the cybersecurity industry is prepared to deal with the full implications of AI, beyond all its benefits.
Cybersecurity in the GenAI era
Generative AI has taken over virtually every part of the world, but confusion remains about its application to cybersecurity and the extent to which cybercriminals might adopt it and use it for nefarious purposes.
According to a McKinsey global AI survey, 40% of respondents said their organization plans to increase investments in this technology thanks to advances in generative AI.
However, this suggests that few companies are prepared for its use or the business risks it can bring, with 53% recognizing cybersecurity as a risk related to generative AI, but only 38% trying to alleviate it.
On the other hand, according to a Cybersecurity Magazine survey, only 46% of security professionals believe they understand the impact of this technology on cybersecurity, and CIOs have the lowest understanding of AI among different positions. surveyed (42% admit it). .
These figures are worrying and endanger companies, their most sensitive data and their employees. This is why it is so important to consider crucial points such as:
- Prioritize risk modeling and risk assessment scoring
- Establish new regulatory and reporting requirements for cyber incidents
- Consider social, humanitarian, sustainable and technological risks
- Collaborate with cybersecurity vendors to implement next-generation security products.
Issues related to safe management of AI
These concerns and concerns can affect companies’ proactive approach to their technology implementation strategy. It would be a serious mistake not to invest in viable security policies, user training or AI-based tools.
It is therefore essential that the security industry familiarizes itself with the technology and identifies where and how it can be used effectively.
Seventy-three percent of respondents to the magazine’s survey agreed that AI is becoming an increasingly important tool for security operations and incident response. This technology can respond to incidents faster and more accurately by analyzing data at scale, identifying threats in real time, and proposing possible action plans in response to the findings.
As such, the cybersecurity industry cannot let its guard down in its AI implementation strategies..
The keys to preparation
There is no quick or easy solution to address the type of societal and technological change that AI is driving, but what is clear is that any strategy that includes AI should include developing a framework to identify and address current and future threats.
This should start by ensuring that AI expertise is present at board level, for example by appointing a CAIO. As well as mitigating threats, this will be someone who can ensure opportunities are identified and exploited, as well as raising awareness of associated risks within the team.
On the other hand, every employee should be aware of how AI can affect their role and how to improve their skills to make them more efficient and effective. The company must therefore ensure that there is an open and continuous dialogue..
Indeed, AI is used to gather information or make decisions, and policies must be implemented to assess accuracy and identify areas of operation that could be affected through AI, especially for those who use it on a large scale.
SO, identifying and mitigating AI-related cyber threats will become part of organizations’ cybersecurity strategies. This will involve applying best practices for combating security breachestrain employees in AI-enhanced social engineering and phishing attacks, or implement AI-based cyber defense systems to protect against cyber attack attempts.
Additionally, companies should engage in discussions with regulators and government agencies on AI regulation and legislation because, as the technology evolves, all stakeholders will be involved in drafting and implementing it. implementation of codes of good practice, regulations and standards. Therefore, businesses must be informed and trained in the use of this technology, because if they do not understand and react to these threats, they risk affecting them by not taking advantage of AI opportunities and falling behind their competitors..
A secure and robust AI strategy
Embracing digital transformation requires a re-examination of traditional security models, which do not provide agility in a rapidly changing environment. Today, the data footprint has expanded to the cloud or hybrid networks, and the security model has evolved to address a more global set of attack vectors.
Zero Trust is the essential security strategy for today’s reality. At Plain Concepts, we have the expertise and resources to meet the needs of all layers of security.
Moving to a Zero Trust security model it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. We recommend using incremental approaches, removing the most exploitable vulnerabilities first and covering identity, endpoints, applications, network, infrastructure and data..
Additionally, we provide a Generative AI Adoption Framework to allow you to learn best practices, discover the use cases that will be most beneficial to you and learn how to implement them effectively in your organization while preserving the security of your data and your employees.
We have already helped hundreds of organizations evolve their Zero Trust deployments to meet transitions to remote and hybrid working alongside the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks and new challenges posed by the latest technologies. Do you want to be next? We will help you!
