AI and CyberSecurity

There might not be a field in the world that AI has not touched today. Cybersecurity is absolutely no exception here! There are many facets at how AI is influencing cybersecurity but we will see how attackers and defenders are using it.

AI can be used by attackers as well as defenders in cybersecurity. It does seem to lead to a perfect war between AI attackers and AI defenders to see who makes use of this new technology to better their arsenal.

AI defenders:

The 2020s have been huge with change. There was a pandemic that made remote work a reality, and we now have AI that is rising faster in power than ever more.

With the advent of the pandemic, WFH reality and new ways of working emerged. Newer remote working tools emerged. This gave rise to newer threats and security challenges.

Today, the power of AI and machine learning can be harnessed in a positive way to detect attacks and mitigate them in a much faster way in cyber security. AI tools along with policy enforcements, human reinforcements and training and other security features will definitely thwart breaches and attacks in a much more faster and effective manner.

AI powered vulnerability management aids in automated threat detection, predictive analysis and continuous monitoring which ensures that vulnerabilities are caught in real time and mitigated in a much faster manner.

AI attackers:

If organizations make use of AI to bolster their defenses won’t attackers be far behind to “up” their attacks as well? Further more, they do not have to deal with product lifecycles and procedures to draw out AI battle lines.

In the wake of AI’s rise, these are some AI powered attacks that are on the rise:

a. AI generated phishing mails

Just as AI aids defenders of cybersecurity to erect their defenses faster, attackers can also create much faster phishing mails through the use of AI and dupe many users.

b. AI assisted social engineering

News about deepfakes and AI generated fake videos and audio seem to be nothing new these days(face palm!) But these in turn can cause the general public to believe untrue facts and part with their precious financial or personal information.

c. AI assisted malware variants

Threat actors can also create new malware variants with the help of AI automation tools.

These are just some ways in which AI is used by attackers for their own benefit.

Will AI redraw the cyber security map of several security concepts? Only time will tell…But for the time being, let us work towards adopting all security measures to keep organizations and people safe…

This post is for alphabet ‘C’ for #BlogchatterA2Z by @blogchatter