AI and cloud computing may sound like a complex combination, but the two technologies have long been present in our daily lives. When we ask Alexa to set a 15-minute cooking timer, use Google Maps to find a new route around a traffic jam or, more recently, ask ChatGPT to write us a tricky Excel formula, we depend on a seamless interplay between AI and the cloud. But AI is also being integrated into the cloud in much more advanced and mission-critical ways, which brings both major benefits and risks.
Data accelerated: our increasing dependence on AI and the cloud
Today, organizations in industries such as e-commerce, banking and manufacturing are using the AI cloud combination to automate proprietary manufacturing processes and decipher sensitive data sets. Major technology players such as Google are using it to improve business operations through predictive analytics and anomaly detection. Even healthcare is becoming dependent on AI and the cloud. Researchers use AI to search millions of cloud-based pharmaceutical items to discover patterns and uncover breakthrough biomedical relationships that could lead to life-saving drug discoveries.
Simply put, AI-powered cloud computing is permeating many aspects of business and life. But as our dependence on it increases and its accessibility and power increase, so do the methods cybercriminals use to abuse it. AI technology is giving hackers new ways – from sophisticated phishing emails to deepfake videos – to catch us off guard. Let’s take a look at these growing risks and how your business can protect itself.
AI is taking the threat landscape to the next level
It is estimated that by 2025, the cost of cybercrime will reach approximately $10.5 trillion annually – a 300 percent increase over 2015 levels. The National Cyber Security Center has already warned that malicious AI use is changing the threat landscape will lead in 2024. In an environment where AI is becoming increasingly weaponized and providing ever-evolving “upgrades” to hacker toolkits, it’s no wonder that spending on information security and risk management will reach $188.1 billion by 2023.
This new, highly complex threat landscape is largely due to the ultra-advanced capabilities of AI. The most obvious malicious tactics are those that rely on text generation for social engineering attacks. But this goes beyond phishing: it concerns the potential threat of rapid spread of malware techniques. Malicious actors can use AI to identify cloud vulnerabilities and create malware to exploit them. It can detect weaknesses and exploit security flaws much faster than human IT teams can respond. It can even generate sophisticated malware that learns to avoid detection, making it virtually impossible for traditional antivirus software to combat it.
Training and infrastructure must keep pace with developments
Given these risks, a major responsibility of business leaders in 2024 will be to provide employees with training on how to recognize the “telltale signs” of an AI attack. Up-to-date knowledge of the latest tactics will go a long way in preventing malware and ransomware from slipping through the cracks unnoticed.
But training is only part of the puzzle. Companies also need to bring security and simplicity to their cloud operations. Steps include:
1. Implement strong access control management that follows the principle of least privilege. This means that all users or applications should be given the minimum level of access they need, with multi-factor authentication required at each level.
2. Encrypting all data at rest and in transit. This will allow unauthorized actors to access and decipher sensitive information. Meanwhile, encryption keys that decrypt the data must be changed regularly and stored securely.
3. Regularly assess vulnerabilities. Tools like penetration testing allow companies to simulate real-world attacks, revealing weaknesses in their cloud infrastructure that can then be strengthened.
4. Adopt a cloud-native strategy. Cloud-based businesses should ensure they only use security practices and technologies specifically designed for cloud environments, closing any legacy gaps and building security into applications from the ground up.
Fight AI with AI
However, strengthening the cloud infrastructure is no longer enough to just protect its data. As cybercriminals increase the use of AI for a range of different attack vectors, companies must do the same. By using AI to detect threats and detect ‘outrageous’ behavior and patterns, companies can stay one step ahead of criminals and better secure their security perimeter.
AI can especially help protect data in hybrid cloud environments. It can detect shadow data and detect anomalies in data access, immediately alerting IT teams to potential threats. AI can analyze and verify login attempts through behavioral data, granting access to users who behave normally and flagging or even blocking those who behave abnormally or suspiciously.
AI can even perform real-time threat assessments and after-action risk assessments. Then, IT leaders can set up automated incident responses that accelerate attack prevention and investigation for watertight cybersecurity. In addition, AI also plays a role in automating many standard and time-consuming security processes, reducing the risk of human error and improving staff efficiency.
Unlock complete trust in your cloud
Recently, Britain and the US signed a landmark agreement to collaborate on testing advanced AI and assessing its threats. It is the first bilateral agreement of its kind, highlighting how seriously two of the world’s most powerful countries are taking this new technology. Companies should do that too.
As companies commit more resources to the cloud, we must all use the most advanced technologies available to protect it. AI-powered security is the fastest, most adaptable, and most intelligent tool we have at our fingertips. And to ensure you have the right AI shields in your arsenal, it’s worth working with an expert enterprise software and cloud consulting provider. This way, you have access to built-in or added AI security that protects your business during this next big technological revolution.
We have the best AI tools.
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