Artificial Intelligence is the Future for CyberSecurity

CyberSecurity – Artificial intelligence becoming a great tool for cybersecurity and infra around. AI works well when its software gets trained on a very large data set of cybersecurity devices, network and any information which is useful to conclude anything. It aims at detecting anomaly, alert and block. Any abnormal pattern is a sign of worry to it. Sadly we should not forget that hackers are also using artificial intelligence in cyber attacks that are more advanced and harder to detect.

This is the second post in “AI role in CyberSecurity” series by #AILabPage, the first post is available here

 

A Glimpse on Artificial Intelligence  & CyberSecurity

It’s easy to describe & define Artificial intelligence compare to what actually it is. Now to put it in one-liner “AI is kind of intelligence demonstrated by machines to do the same task done by any human using natural intelligence”. In other words, the same task performed by humans with Natural Intelligence and  Machine with Artificial Intelligence should produce the same results. Speed, quality and productivity are the measuring units here.

CyberSecurity powered with Artificial Intelligence can boost transparency levels of the Cyber playing field.

Cybersecurity is a necessary component of every business in this digital age. It protects internet-connected systems, including hardware, software, and data, from cyber attacks. For Cybersecurity in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans; machine needs to check and detect anomalies in cyber data.

In a cybersecurity context, AI is software that perceives its environment well enough to find events and take action against predefined purpose. It can also learn and build the rules on the go as well; actually, that’s the real AI.

 

AI In Cyber Security: A Balancing Force or Disruptor?

The conclusion is already drawn here (could be my opinion) and debate is over: Artificial Intelligence is the Future for Cybersecurity. The biggest fear of today’s time is the concern that hackers are getting much smarter. These hackers will use artificial intelligence in cyber attacks that are more advanced and harder to detect.

AI has already proven as both a benefit and a threat on the cybersecurity front.  Barclays Africa is beginning to use AI and machine learning to both detect cybersecurity threats and respond to them.

AI is a kind of intelligence demonstrated by machines to perform the same task done by any human using natural intelligence.

If we don’t harness the power of artificial intelligence into cybersecurity then, hackers will eventually do this. Now to look at AI as a disruptor Cybersecurity has to keep up with technological advancements and use the power of AI to stay relevant.

AI may turn out destroyer of cybersecurity as well. For example, people who have succeeded in harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to create some sort of program. Combined with existing tools to figure out a quarter of the passwords from a set of more than 43 million profiles is a big breakthrough.

 

 

What can AI do for cybersecurity as a guard and as a terminator?

We do have Artificial Intelligence in our systems and business strategies in one or the other way. Still, there is a frightening truth about increasingly common cyber-attacks. These anti-attacks techniques need more learning and strengthening of the algorithms used for better monitoring. Sadly most businesses and the cybersecurity players itself are not ready for better use of AI as on date.

In an info-security industry that comes first with leadership roles with best-developed products and excellent professional services, this will be known as the winner. Yet the researchers say the technology may also be used to beat baddies at their own game.

AI shouldn’t be taking away jobs from cybersecurity experts. CSE (CyberSecurity experts) does not need any hard-core skill of AI / DataScience but surely needs to upgrade, work hard to understand and lead.

There are organization; which has suffered the cyberattacks,  about to suffer and may have suffered but don’t know.

What is needed for CSE to understand only “What AI will do to help them in their job” and how? Security alert needs to be looked at and actioned if needed still may be performed by humans until the machine learns. In the long run, humans should lead the process but shouldn’t do them.

AAA

AI in CyberSecurity

To get answers for many such questions as below the only solution is to deploy, keep updating rules and let the machine learn and adjust its algorithms at the backend (sounds like a wait and watch). Time will show how this thing will evolve as what is planned today may not be the goal. Hackers will also use AI. So AI will become a team player from both sides. Which mentor trains well?

• Will artificial intelligence take over cybersecurity?
• How the next level of Cybersecurity will become an AI-powered data-centric model?
• AI and Cybersecurity: Friends or Foes?

For cybersecurity, AI can analyze vast amounts of data, help the right systems and software are to make the decision and bring huge reductions in attacks & anomalies in a much faster way. Since it can work in 24×7 without rest so humans can’t beat the same. AI will allow automated software testing to find and kill bugs before they ship to avoid any banking opportunities on loopholes.

AI is likely to kill the need for complex passwords or any sort of passwords. With artificial intelligence need for passwords could come to an end in the next 5 to 10 years. The user identity and access management industry needs to redesign and rethinks the next modus operandi.

 

Challenges and risks with AI for Cyber Security

The first thing many of us think about when it comes to the future relationship between artificial intelligence and cybersecurity which looks promising anyways. At the same time risk relationship is also at the same level. There are a ton of claims around AI and cybersecurity that don’t quite add up. How artificial intelligence and machine learning will impact cybersecurity and the industry around it. Intelligent machines that can learn from experience, allowing them to work and react as a human would. This also means the same mistakes can’t be ignored.

Cybersecurity is NOT just an information technology department or people in the same department problem or responsibility. It is the job of every employee and even customers on the street.

Many organizations are already beginning to use AI to bolster cybersecurity and offer more protection against sophisticated hackers. AI adoption by malicious actors is much higher compared to a real hero. The current cyber landscape favours malicious actors. Many global information solutions companies have reported a major cybersecurity incident affecting 143 million consumers in the US.

The Appeal of AI for Cyber Security has extremely good reasons like automation of operational tasks, developing & delivering predictive capabilities, mitigating human biases behaviour and derive doable intelligence. On the downside, AI requires high volumes of high-quality data to learn. Data silos and varying formats can affect training. Given dynamic cyber landscape use cases need to stand the test of time and context but most of the time it negates the value.

 

Users need and Security Tools (Customer Perspective)

There is a need for an automated security assistant that learns the needs of the individual user and helps them to apply security tools. For me, as an individual, my cybersecurity needs are data confidentiality, data-loss tolerance limits and recovery costs. On the back-end, the machine needs to learn my usage patterns, technical knowledge and security choices I make.

CyberSecurity with Artificial Intelligence will get smarter at the same time cyber crimes as well. What’s the next stage in cybersecurity? Maybe a simple An AI-powered, a data-centric model with huge processing power to analyse trends/patterns and process any velocity of data to make quick decisions. Data-centric models will be able to get rid of noise (garbage data) and discard it for some other day use. Motivations and applications of AI in cybersecurity have a huge list so we not be able to cover all here. Begin your AI  filled CyberSecurity journey now.

 

Books + Other readings Referred

• Open Internet
• Hands on personal research work @AILabPage

 

Conclusion –   Cybersecurity is NOT just an information technology department or people in the same department problem or responsibility. It is the job of every employee and even customers of the organisation. As per google search engine, identities are being stolen online every 3 seconds 24/7.  So what are we doing, how can we protect it? GDPR makes it even more relevant. There are organization; which has suffered the cyberattacks,  about to suffer and may have suffered but don’t know. To find better answers on this we need AI techniques to get over this. Understanding the Relationship Between AI or science that can imitate human beings and Cybersecurity that is an essential need for all is the key to success in business today.

 

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