Artificial intelligence and machine learning are important elements of information security because these technologies provide the ability to analyze millions of data sets very quickly and monitor a wide range of cyber threats, from malware to suspicious activities that could lead to a phishing attack. Let’s look at a few of the benefits of using AI in cybersecurity.
Detecting new threats. AI effectively detects cyber threats and suspected malicious activity. Classical software systems simply can’t keep up with the vast amount of malware that appears every day. And this is an area where AI can help, using sophisticated algorithms to detect malware. This can provide information about new anomalies, cyberattacks, and strategies to prevent them.
The battle with bots. Bots make up a huge portion of Internet traffic and can be dangerous. They can hijack accounts, steal credentials and participate in fraudulent schemes. Dealing with them by manual response alone is simply not possible. AI can provide a comprehensive view of website traffic and distinguish good bots (e.g., search engine scanners) from bad bots and regular people.
Hacking risk prediction. AI systems help define an inventory of IT assets, which is an accurate and detailed record of all devices, users, and applications with different levels of access to different systems. This enables planning and resource allocation for areas of greatest vulnerability, as well as configuring and improving controls and processes to improve cyber resilience.
Improved endpoint protection. In many companies, employees work remotely, and AI can play an important role in securing all those endpoints. Of course, anti-virus solutions and virtual private networks can be used to combat remote malware and ransomware attacks. But they often operate based on signatures, and this can be a problem if virus definitions lag due to a failure to update the antivirus solution or the software provider’s lack of awareness. So if a new type of malware attack occurs, signature-based protection may not be effective. Using AI to protect endpoints involves a completely different approach. The machine reacts to unusual processes, if they occur, the AI flags it and takes action, such as sending a notification to a technician or even stopping the process and returning the endpoint to a safe state.
Capgemini Research Institute has analyzed the role of AI in cybersecurity and concluded that enhancing protection against cyberattacks with AI is an urgent task for today’s enterprises. And the relevance of this issue is also incredibly high because cyberpunks are already using AI technology to conduct cyber attacks. However, organizations need significantly more resources and financial investment to build and maintain an AI system.
