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6 Advantages of AI in Cyber Security

  • Ashesh Anand
  • Aug 20, 2021
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is progressively being ingrained in the fabric of business and is being broadly applied across a variety of application use cases. However, not all industries are at the same level of AI adoption: the information technology and telecommunications industry are the most advanced, with the automobile sector trailing closely behind. 

 

AI may be both a boon and a disaster for cybersecurity since it is a general-purpose, dual-use technology. This is supported by the fact that AI is employed both as a sword (i.e. to enable malicious assaults) and as a shield (i.e. to defend against them) (to counter cybersecurity risks).

 

( Also Read  - Information Security vs Cyber Security )

 

The cyberattack surface in today's business environments is enormous, and it's just becoming bigger. AI and machine learning are becoming increasingly important in cybersecurity because they can quickly analyze billions of data sets and hunt down a wide range of cyber risks, from malware to shady conduct that might lead to a phishing assault. 

 

These systems are constantly learning and improving, drawing on data from previous and current assaults to identify new types of attacks that might happen in the coming future. As a result, assessing and enhancing a company's cybersecurity posture requires more than just human engagement. 


 

First of all, let us understand what both of these technologies are and how they are connected.

 

Artificial Intelligence or AI is a broad field of computer science that focuses on creating intelligent computers that can do operations that would normally need human intellect without the need for human intervention. Expert systems, natural language processing, speech recognition, and machine vision are examples of AI applications.

 

Cybersecurity is a collection of technologies, procedures, and practices intended to prevent attacks, damage, and illegal access to networks, devices, programmes, and data. Information technology security is another term for cybersecurity.
 

AI has several benefits and uses in a range of fields, including cybersecurity. With today's fast-evolving cyberattacks and rapid device proliferation, AI and machine learning can assist in keeping up with cybercriminals, automating threat detection, and responding more efficiently than traditional software-driven or manual approaches.



 

Advantages using AI in Cyber-Security

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be used to detect cyber risks and potentially harmful actions. Traditional software systems can't keep up with the huge volume of new viruses produced every week, therefore this is an area where artificial intelligence can really assist.

 

AI systems are being trained to identify malware, execute pattern recognition, and detect even the tiniest characteristics of malware or ransomware assaults before they reach the system using complex algorithms. With natural language processing, AI can provide greater predictive intelligence by skimming through articles, news, and research on cyber risks and curating material on its own.


 

Every day, a mid-sized firm receives warnings for around 200,000 cyber incidents, according to TechRepublic. An ordinary company's security staff would be overwhelmed by this amount of attacks. As a result, some of these threats will go undiscovered and inflict significant network damage. To operate effectively and protect their organizations from cyber threats, security professionals require significant help from intelligent machines and modern technology such as AI.


This image depicts different advantages of AI in Cybersecurity such as Faster Detection, Network Security, Phishing Detection, Secure authentication, Preventing Online fraud, Behavioural Analytics.

Advantages Of AI in Cybersecurity


This blog explores the advantages of combining AI with cybersecurity. Some of them are -

 

  1. AI Is Capable of Handling Large Amounts of Data

 

There is a lot of activity on a company's network. There is a lot of traffic in a normal mid-sized firm. That implies a lot of data is exchanged between customers and the company on a daily basis. This information must be safeguarded from harmful persons and software. 

 

However, cybersecurity experts are unable to inspect all data for potential threats. AI is the greatest option for detecting threats that are disguised as routine activities. Because of its automated nature, it can sift through large amounts of data and traffic. AI-based technology, such as a personal proxy, can assist you in data transfer. It can also detect and identify any hazards that may be lurking in the midst of the chaos.

 

( Also Read - 7 Best Data Security Practices )

 

 

  1. Duplicative Processes Reduce

 

As previously stated, attackers frequently modify their methods. The fundamental security practices, on the other hand, do not change. If you employ someone to do these duties, they may become bored and endanger your network in the process. 

 

AI takes care of redundant cybersecurity operations that might weary your cybersecurity worker while imitating the best of human traits and leaving out the flaws. It aids in the detection and prevention of fundamental security risks on a regular basis. It also does a thorough analysis of your network to check if there are any security flaws that might be harmful to your network.

 

 

  1. Detection and response times are boosted

 

The first step in securing your company's network is to detect threats. It would be ideal if you could immediately recognize issues like untrustworthy data. It will protect your network from permanent harm. Integrating AI with cybersecurity is the greatest method to detect and respond to attacks in real-time. Artificial intelligence (AI) examines your whole system for risks. Unlike humans, AI will detect risks early and make your security operations easier.


 

  1. Authenticity Protection

 

The majority of websites offer a user account function that allows users to log in and access services or make purchases. Some websites include contact forms that visitors must complete with personal information. Because such a site contains private information and sensitive material, you'll need an extra degree of protection as a business. 

 

Your guests will be safe while accessing your network thanks to the enhanced security layer. When a user wishes to connect to their account, AI secures authentication. For identification, AI uses a variety of techniques like face recognition, CAPTCHA, and fingerprint recognition, among others. These characteristics' data can be used to determine if a log-in attempt is legitimate or not. To gain access to business networks, hackers utilize credential stuffing and brute force assaults.

 

( Further Reading - Types of AI )


 

  1. Better Overall Security

 

The risks that affect corporate networks evolve throughout time. Hackers alter their strategies on a daily basis. It's tough to prioritize security activities at a firm because of this. You may be hit with a phishing assault, a denial-of-service attack, or ransomware all at once. 

 

These assaults have the comparable ability, but you must first figure out which one to deal with. Human mistakes and carelessness are more serious dangers that can make security difficult. The answer is to put artificial intelligence (AI) on your network to identify all sorts of threats and assist you in prioritizing and preventing them.


 

  1. Better Vulnerability Management

 

Vulnerability management is critical to a company's network security. As previously said, a typical firm faces several risks on a regular basis. To be safe, it must detect, recognize, and eliminate them. 

 

Vulnerability management may be aided by analyzing and assessing existing security measures using AI Investigations. AI enables you to analyze systems faster than cybersecurity experts, enhancing your problem-solving abilities significantly.


 

Drawbacks of AI in Cybersecurity

 

The benefits mentioned above are only a tiny part of AI's potential for enhancing cybersecurity. However, there are certain drawbacks to employing AI in this sector, as comes with anything. 

 

  • Organizations would require far more resources and financial commitments to create and operate an AI system. 

 

  • Furthermore, because AI systems are taught utilizing data sets, you'll need to collect a variety of malware, non-malicious code, and anomaly sets. Obtaining all of these data sets is time-consuming and expensive, which most businesses cannot finance. 

 

  • AI systems can provide erroneous findings and/or false positives in the absence of large amounts of data and events. Obtaining incorrect data from untrustworthy sources might sometimes backfire.

 

  • Another significant disadvantage is that hackers may utilize AI to evaluate their malware and conduct more sophisticated assaults, which leads to the following argument.


 

( Also Read - 10 Latest Innovations in AI )


 

Conclusion

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming a must-have tool for improving the effectiveness of IT security teams. Humans can no longer scale to adequately defend an enterprise-level attack surface, thus AI provides much-needed analysis and threat detection that security professionals can employ to reduce breach risk and improve overall security. 

 

Furthermore, AI may assist in identifying and prioritizing risks, directing incident response, and detecting malware assaults before they occur. Despite its drawbacks, AI will help businesses improve their cybersecurity posture.

 

In today's global marketplace, keeping your data and network safe is difficult. By incorporating AI into your security architecture, you can take a major step toward becoming safer. There are numerous advantages to utilizing AI for company security, and we believe that it will become an important element of commercial cybersecurity very soon.

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