Artificial Intelligence technology is shaking things up in almost every field. The realm of cybersecurity is no exception. AI-powered tools recognize human speech, perceive visual elements, and make vital decisions.
Cybersecurity Ventures, a well-known research firm, revealed an alarming fact that the worldwide cybercrime financial damage is expected to reach $10.5 trillion by 2025. So, will AI be the strongest weapon to fight against cybercrimes? But, how can AI be used in cybersecurity?
The more important question is- How is AI used in cyber attacks? Let us explore these facts and discuss the role of AI in cybersecurity.
How Did Cybersecurity Specialists Work Before the Innovation Of AI?
Traditional cybersecurity approaches were highly dependent on the signature-based detection process. They used to compare the database of malicious code signatures to the incoming traffic. If a match was detected, the traditional system would send an alert and block the threat. Although this strategy was effective, it did not work against unknown and new threats.
Limitations of traditional cybersecurity strategies-
- Hackers could hack signature-based detectors by altering the code or developing new malware, not present in the database.
- Signature-based detection could increase the risk of false positives. Sometimes, genuine traffic was considered malicious.
- Traditional cybersecurity experts used to conduct manual investigations to check for signs of security breaches. But, it makes the process more time-consuming for security analysts.
How AI Helps in Cyber Security
AI-based cybersecurity solutions are better than conventional approaches. AI systems use machine-learning algorithms to identify and respond to real-time unknown and known threats. ML algorithms use a vast quantity of data (such as data obtained from networks and historical threat data) to find patterns, which are not identifiable to humans.
AI in cybersecurity primarily identifies unusual behaviors and prevents unauthorized access to personal and corporate systems. What’s more, AI-powered cyber security systems can-
- Prioritizes the major risks
- Detects the potential intrusion and malware
With proper implementation, AI technologies work as the security automation engine. AI also minimizes the risk of human error by eliminating humans from a process.
Are There Risks of Using AI in Cybersecurity?
AI technology is yet to reach the zenith of maturity. Human intervention is essential for training AI engines and detecting any mistakes in the engines.
AI-powered cyber security systems depend on ML algorithms that analyze historical data. It may result in false positives if the system experiences unknown threats. Sometimes, hackers leverage AI technology to develop malware.
Is Cybersecurity Automation With AI Safe?
Stronger cybersecurity needs human intervention. But, system monitoring and other tasks need to be automated through Artificial Intelligence. Automating will boost the threat intelligence capabilities of your organizational system. It will result in threat identification within the shortest time.
It is safe to automate your cybersecurity maintenance process with AI. The advantages of automating cybersecurity with AI are-
- AI in cybersecurity helps with faster data collection. So, your cyber security experts do not need to conduct a manual task. They can concentrate on other strategic activities for your business.
- Artificial intelligence in cybersecurity eliminates the need for human effort from security procedures. Thus, you can allocate human resources to meet some other purposes.
- Automating cybersecurity lets you find potential issues with your security strategy. It will be easy to implement the most effective process for a highly secure IT environment.
But, remember that cybercriminals try to modify their techniques to resist your AI cybersecurity.
How Is Artificial Intelligence Used In Cybersecurity? Different Use Cases
Cybersecurity risk management is the top priority for most organizations. So, the IT culture in companies needs transformation. Let us see how AI in cybersecurity makes systems safer to use.
Detect Anomalies
Anomaly detection means identifying unusual or anomalous patterns in data, logs, or traffic. It leverages the power of ML for pattern recognition. AI/ML can spot potentially harmful traffic with real-time monitoring. It also categorizes and creates groups of patterns.
Cyber Threat Intelligence with AI
Real-time system monitoring and instant alerts are highly important. However, AI helps you make your system more secure before the occurrence of any security-related issue. AI-based Cyber Threat Intelligence tools collect data about cyber security events. Their aim is to stay up-to-date with the current and new threats to prepare experts for the potential attack.
Prevent Vulnerabilities with AI
AI has the power to prevent software vulnerabilities. Today, code editors are equipped with AI assistants. Moreover, AI tools have made it easy to test the running systems quickly. So, experts can use AI for Dynamic Application Security Testing and check their software to determine any cyber-attack risks.
User Behavior Analytics
Some AI systems leverage machine learning technologies to evaluate network behavior. These AI models adapt automatically and improve accuracy in detecting potential risks. The self-correcting AI models will make your organization’s cybersecurity defense mechanisms more reliable. Moreover, AI-powered behavioral analytics will improve the threat detection procedure by analyzing device and user data.
How is AI Being Used in Cyber Attacks?
AI is not just intended to streamline a defense mechanism. It has led to the emergence of new types of cyber threats. Hackers exploit the technology to cause more precise attacks.
- Malware– Many hackers use Artificial Intelligence to create intelligent infection scenarios and malware.
- Vulnerability exploitation– Cybercriminals train AI technology to identify and take advantage of software vulnerabilities for more powerful attacks.
- Cyber-spying– Highly complex AI models can run a sophisticated cyber-espionage campaign. The term ‘cyber-espionage’ refers to a type of cyberattack where criminals steal sensitive data and intellectual property without the owner’s consent.
- Botnets– A botnet is a network of malware-infected computers controlled by a single attacking party. AI helps hackers expand and manage botnets.
- Phishing attacks– AI interprets communication patterns to create persuasive messages for phishing attacks.
Conclusion
Cybercriminals leverage AI to launch targeted attacks. They develop malware, automate attacks, and craft phishing emails. However, the technology has reshaped the cybersecurity landscape by improving threat-detecting capabilities and response times. AI in cybersecurity has made defensive strategies more advanced. The dual-edged nature of Artificial Intelligence shows the ongoing race between cyber attackers and defenders.