AI in Cybersecurity: Protecting Against Modern Threats

[johny899]

Hello! Have you noticed how smarter cyber attacks are, literally every day? Hackers keep coming up with new ways to hack into our systems, and old-style security tools simply aren’t enough anymore. That’s where Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes in, and it’s really changing the way we defend against cybercrime.

How AI Helps In The Fight Against Cyber Attacks​

AI can detect problems many times faster than humans. For example, think about sorting through millions of logins, or review an organization’s network activities each day. Doesn’t that sound tiring? Well that’s why we can’t rely on humans forever. AI can do all of that work without fatigue. AI looks for certain patterns that appear out of the ordinary with machine learning, which might indicate an attack.

For example:

• Detection of intrusions: The AI picks up the odd behavior right away.

• Stopping phishing: The AI is also able to scan your emails to see if there are suspicious links.

• Finding malware: The AI can also find new malware by looking at previous versions of malware it has learned about.

Have you ever wondered why some of the antivirus programs block threats before you even see them? That’s the AI at work.

Predicting Attacks Before They Happen​

One of the coolest things about AI is that it can predict attacks. Instead of just responding to an attack after an event happens, the AI can analyze trends and past attacks to be able to warn security teams about what will happen next.

It’s similar to a weather forecast where you receive a warning before the storm hits so you can prepare.

Challenges With AI​

AI is not foolproof. Hackers are using AI to develop smarter attacks such as automated phishing emails or malware. Similar to all technology, AI needs large amounts of good data to function properly. If the data is incorrect or has significant gaps in information, then the AI may miss a cyber threat.

Furthermore, leveraging AI involves financial costs and the requirement for skilled individuals and not every organization has that.

The Importance Of AI​

Despite some shortcomings, it's becoming more difficult to ignore that AI is, fundamentally, becoming a critical part of the cybersecurity program. In particulars, AI enhances teams' capabilities for

• More rapid response,
• Better predictive analytics about attacks,
• Better data protection techniques given threats

When you combine AI technology with human intelligence, you create a nice layered model for cybersecurity controls and really increase the strength of the security posture.

I've seen AI catch attacks that humans just missed -- and while you think this is a minor issue, you could potentially avoid significant attacks.

Conclusion​

AI is no longer going from the scientists of the future to the protection of the present - there is evidence today of attacks that are detected, predicted, and stopped because of AI protecting organizations from cyberattacks.