Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming a double-edged sword for cybersecurity professionals. On the one hand, Artificial Intelligence can detect and prevent hacks by detecting malicious behaviour in networks. On the other hand, AI-generated malware poses a new challenge, as it is difficult to distinguish between legitimate and malicious traffic.
As AI becomes more advanced and powerful, traditional security measures must be refined to keep up with the ever-evolving threat landscape. In addition, organisations must be proactive about researching and implementing new technologies to ensure their systems are safe from attacks.
AI has been highly researched and developed over the decades, making a widespread impact on society. Looking back to its origins, AI began with Alan Turing's Enigma-Cracking machine, revealed in his published paper "Computing Machinery and Intelligence". Turing asked the fundamental question of whether machines can think. This formed the basis of early Artificial Intelligence concepts.
John McCarthy coined the term "artificial intelligence" in 1955 while at Dartmouth College, further pathing the way for future development of AI. As technology advanced, AI became more prominent in everyday life - from voice recognition to virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa. AI had surpassed human capability in certain areas, most notably when it defeated world champions in Chess.
Most recently, the Open AI release of Chat GPT has sparked a revolution in AI and machine learning. By understanding the history of AI and its applications, we can gain a better insight into its dynamic effects on modern society.
AI is increasingly becoming a powerful tool for cybercriminals, with the potential to wreak havoc on organisations and individuals alike. AI can identify weaknesses in digital networks and carry out sophisticated attacks targeting specific systems or data.
It can also automate malicious activities, such as launching phishing campaigns. Every day, people use AI to automate mundane tasks, and cyber criminals use it to focus more on malicious activities like deep fakes to deceive people into believing false information.
By understanding how AI works and its use cases, organisations can better protect themselves against malicious actors who may wish to exploit the power of AI for their gain. Though much research is still needed in this area, organisations should ensure they are well-prepared to counter AI technology's potential threats.
There are concepts to consider when exploring strategies for the defence regarding AI and cybersecurity. The following are tools that can be used to reduce the risk of compromise.
It is vital to have a good data set to use to learn and understand the information. The data set should include both negative and positive examples, as well as different types of data. This ensures the system can respond to different kinds of threats. One way to do so is to use algorithms to detect and respond to malicious behaviour appropriately. It is also important to audit the system periodically to ensure it works as it should.
Other tools and software can also be used to ensure that AI is not finding a way through your system to cause a threat. One example is using a phishing simulator that creates pretend harmful emails that can be sent to employees. By doing this, it shows who could become a danger to your business if an actual phishing email happened to enter your software. It allows companies to pinpoint who may need more training on the topic and therefore improve company security.
Protecting your employees and networks from cyberattacks generated by AI does not have to be a challenging or complex task - with the right resources and solutions in place, every organisation has the potential to be secure in this ever-changing landscape.
We can help you achieve this at Silver Lining with our phishing simulator and security software. To find out more, please hit the image below to be taken to our cyber security management page. Alternatively, you can email us at info@silver-lining.com or call us on 0345 313 1111
