Disruptive Showdown: AI-powered Cyberattacks will be Controlled by AI

The best way to reduce the risk of cyber threats is by using AI solutions and strategies.

AI is revolutionizing many industries across the globe like manufacturing, retail, pharmaceutical, and IT, but it is also reinventing cyberattacks. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the remote work culture and rapid cloud computing have encouraged hackers to come up with innovative solutions to break into online networks. These cyberattacks pose a severe risk to worldwide security. According to a report by MIT Technology Review Insights, in association with Darktrace, an AI cybersecurity company, "Offensive AI risks and developments in the cyberthreat landscape are redefining enterprise security as humans already struggle to keep pace with advanced attacks."

Because cyberattacks have become more sophisticated with time, professionals are researching ways to use AI to combat these threats. Attempts are being made to integrate AI into existing security systems as AI has the ability to identify and predict security threats. According to a report by Capgemini Research Institute, 69% of organizations agree that AI is crucial for security as traditional methods are unable to curb the issue.

Deploying AI into the Battlefield

Artificial intelligence can identify suspicious activities throughout a company's technology and its user tasks. To safeguard various software, AI-powered antivirus software can detect network anomalies. When a malicious software is launched in a network, AI antivirus software can detect it and prevent assets from exploitation.

When a new technology is adopted by an organization, managing user behavior becomes critical as a wrong move can result in detrimental damage. AI has the capability to assess the behavior of network users. When a new user logs in, AI abilities can identify fraudulent activities and can disable the user, and notify the administrator.

According to a Forrester survey, 88% of cybersecurity experts believe that AI-powered attacks will grow in the coming years. On a day-to-day basis, organizations deal with several new loopholes. While conventional management techniques take time to address elevated loopholes, they are essential for managing and controlling identified vulnerabilities. AI methods like User and Event Behavioral Analytics can analyze baseline behavior of the servers and help these traditional techniques strengthen the security.

Traditional network security methods take time to develop cybersecurity policies based on an organization's network topology. For this, using AI to understand network traffic behavior will enhance network security. AI's analytical and monitoring skills can enhance the efficiency of the infrastructure, and lower the price of system maintenance. Traditional security methods depend on indicators of vulnerability to identify attacks. While this approach works against known attacking agents, it is ineffective against new attacks. Combining AI with existing traditional methods will improve the tracking rate and give an added advantage.

Setting up AI Cybersecurity Strategies

It's unfortunate that AI is accessible to hackers for attacking organizations that build its processes for good. To reduce the risk of threats, security experts should plan for AI software that can foresee potential threats, choose the right solution, and implement it on the identified malware. Organizations that heavily rely on artificial intelligence technology need to assess how AI attacks will impact existing AI systems and create strategies accordingly. Natural Language Processing can also be used to collect data on previous and current cyberattacks and improve privacy features.