Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic in cybersecurity, just as it is in almost every industry right now, and for good reason. AI is about to change how many of us work, with the real question not being ‘if’ we will be affected, but ‘to what extent’. In the field of cybersecurity, AI has the potential to be a game changer in defending against cyber attackers, who are also looking at how to use AI to their own advantage. It’s a bit like being in the middle of a race and suddenly discovering that everyone has a rocket booster and all they have to do is figure out how to turn it on.
AI is a powerful tool no matter how you slice it. But amid the hype, some misinformation has also crept in. To truly embrace the power of AI, we must understand it. Let’s take a look at some of the current myths and how things are actually unfolding for AI in cybersecurity.
Chief Product Officer, Secureworks.
Myth 1: Cybercriminals use advanced AI techniques
The potential for threat actors to use AI to improve their operations is a hot topic in the media. However, the Secureworks 2023 State of the Threat report shows that adversaries are still investigating and testing it. Cybercriminals are opportunists, more like cat burglars than criminal masterminds. They want to achieve maximum results with minimal effort. And right now, the proven methods, which are low-tech and cheap, still deliver results.
That said, just because we’re not seeing a big turnout right now doesn’t mean it won’t happen. They are experimenting with it and we can expect it to become more and more part of their toolset.
Myth 2: AI is new in cybersecurity defense
One of the biggest benefits of AI tools in cybersecurity defense is its ability to speed up processes, something it has been doing for a while. AI can synthesize vast amounts of data and uncover insights at a speed that is difficult for humans to match. This can shorten detection times, which in turn speeds up response time. When it comes to investigations, our use of AI at Secureworks has reduced investigation times by more than 50% and saved analysts 90% of the time it takes to write investigations.
Acceleration and efficiency also help improve one of the biggest challenges in cybersecurity today: the talent gap. As the cybersecurity talent shortage forces more organizations to do more with less, AI has the ability to fill gaps and strengthen cyber defenses. As AI systems continue to develop and evolve, it’s easy to imagine a day when AI will democratize access to advanced security technologies, empowering organizations of all sizes with robust cybersecurity measures that don’t require a large team of experts to implement. to manage.
It is this ability to grow that has many people excited about the future of AI in cybersecurity. AI will be able to quickly assess historical data and use it to help predict potential vulnerabilities and attack vectors. AI systems can exist in a state of constant evolution, constantly learning and adapting to improve their effectiveness. These improvements can be further tailored to the organization’s industry and goals to create more customized cybersecurity measures.
Myth 3: AI will replace humans
It’s important to emphasize that closing the talent gap doesn’t mean figuring out how AI can replace humans in a SecOps center. On the contrary, AI is only optimized when cybersecurity professionals bring their intuition, creativity and experience to the table. These qualities are essential for understanding context, making nuanced decisions, and strategizing.
For example, let’s say an AI-enabled detector is looking at data from an endpoint in an industrial machine shop. If it detects a threat and needs to make its own decision, it can reasonably assume that isolating the host is the best approach. However, a cybersecurity professional would have the context that isolating the host will shut down the production line – resulting in a huge loss of time and money for the manufacturer. The cybersecurity professional can look at all the nuances and understand that the “best approach” in this situation will depend greatly on the impact that choice has on the manufacturer.
Even when it comes to ethical and legal issues, cybersecurity professionals will always be needed to navigate complex issues and ensure that all decisions an AI makes are made in accordance with compliance, legal and ethical standards.
Rather than replacing human decisions, AI has incredible potential to make cybersecurity professionals better at their jobs by helping them make decisions faster, as evidenced by our own shorter research times. Automating mundane tasks will also free up time for cybersecurity professionals to develop new cybersecurity strategies and innovative solutions to emerging threats. AI can support this process, but it cannot replace the creative minds and strategic thinking of experts.
Harnessing the potential of AI
Creating AI systems that can outpace our adversaries also means that the cybersecurity industry must foster an environment of collaboration and sharing. We need an AI-powered application security ecosystem that can bring together our best practices and collective knowledge to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals as they figure out how to enable the rocket booster that is AI.
There is no doubt about the power of AI to reshape the cybersecurity industry, but we must also recognize that AI in itself is not a silver bullet. An organization’s comprehensive cybersecurity plan will always require human oversight and expertise. AI can significantly improve an organization’s cybersecurity posture and provide a level of defense that is difficult to achieve with human resources alone. But AI also cannot replace the critical thinking, ethical judgment, and creative problem-solving that cybersecurity professionals provide.
The most effective cybersecurity strategies in the future will leverage the strengths of both AI and human expertise, working together to protect against threats.
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