Role of AI in Enhancing Cybersecurity

Did you know?

Lack of cybersecurity can make a financial loss of over 50 million to your business!

We are familiar with Facebook’s data breach that caused a massive dip in the company’s share value.

You work a lot to build a million-dollar company and a single data breach can cost you years of work. Cybersecurity and AI are among the most commonly used words in the tech world nowadays.

Is there a more powerful way to curb data breaches?

Yes, with AI and ML, you can level up the security of your app or website.

Like how technology is evolving, the same way cyberattacks are evolving. AI can be used in both ways – for protection and for cyberattacks too.

Let’s look at how implementing AI in cybersecurity can provide that extra protection to your business. Let’s dive right in.

How is AI integrated with cybersecurity?

The rise of IoT(Internet of Things), cloud storage, and increased internet users in recent years has led to a lot of data storage. To store a huge amount of data with privacy intact is not an easy task.

Let’s say we use AI to experience the maximum potential of technology; why not hackers use the same AI to use the full potential for malware attacks.

So AI protects you from possible cyber attacks and alleviates every potential hacking attempt.

AI has a flexible structure to go with any area of expertise; it goes well with cyber security.

The three main characteristics of AI are-

• • 1. Continous learning – Easy understanding of network behaviour with deep learning and machine learning.
    2. Handling extensive data – AI can efficiently deal with a large amount of data and find the pattern.
    3. Eliminating similar tasks – Many cyberattacks have the same pattern, and AI is an expert in finding such patterns.

Areas where AI is most used for cybersecurity

Source: Capgemini research

Artificial intelligence can be embedded in mostly all the places of your organisation where data is included. It would be best to keep an eye on the areas where you use high-security data.

Some important places where you need to club AI with cybersecurity are:

• • • Network security
    • Cloud security
    • IoT security
    • Endpoint security
    • Identity and access security
    • Application security
    • Identity and access security

Apart from the areas mentioned above, there are many different sides of the organisation where you can use AI in cybersecurity for better results.

Apart from the areas mentioned above, there are many different sides of the organisation where you can use AI in cybersecurity for better results.

Advantages of AI in cybersecurity

Cognizant research points out that two out of three organisations say the implementation of AI in cybersecurity has provided a good ROI in cybersecurity tools.

As every software or technology organisation uses 100 -1000 software devices, it is crucial to maximising security. You need the AI superpower to keep up with those bad guys (Hackers).

Let’s see how AI can help your organisation build a stratosphere over the data and IoTs.

1. Early detection of new threats

Prevention is always better than cure, especially in cybersecurity. Every year hackers find different patterns to phis attack software.

It’s impossible to find and analyse the malware attack pattern manually with a new release every week.

If used properly, AI can easily map and detect the patterns before entering the system.

While providing better algorithms, AI can improve protection strategies for the organisation.

AI can be modulated with global and industry-specific patterns for enhanced security.

Due to its auto-learning ability, it can find the different patterns on its own and alert the security systems of the organisation in advance.

2. Challenge the bots

Bots are evolving at a rapid speed. They are becoming one of the big headaches for many organisations.

Bots can create bogus accounts and use the account with the stolen data. One of the most significant advancements in technology has become a big threat to the technology itself.

Challenging bots and protecting the data will be a massive task for cybersecurity experts.

AI can find patterns different from regular user journeys and spot bots.

With a good amount of data, AI and machine learning can distinguish between the good and the bad bots. This will implement a shield for bad bots – which may cause cybersecurity threats.

3. Lowering the cost of detecting breaches

Comprising much work into one AI system will eventually reduce the cost of detection and analysis.

Research shows that many organisations have reduced the cost of detecting malware attacks by upto 15%.

Some companies have even managed to reduce costs by more than 15%.

Along with money, it also saves many resources and time by eradicating a good number of repeatable works and human errors.

4. AI can handle a lot of data

Regardless of the size, small to large-sized companies contain and store a humongous amount of data.

Handling the massive amount of data manually is unthinkable. Comprehending and analysing the vast data require proper tools and perfect ML and DL with AI for good and responsive results.

So protecting data and analysing the traffic needs advanced methods for effective outcomes.

AI’s automation will make skimming massive amounts of data as easy as possible. .

5. Better authentication

Many websites have login features, and many have contact forms. Either way, some personal information will be shared from the user’s side.

Running this kind of website requires high security to ensure the user’s privacy. If a hacker gets into one of the user accounts, your website will be at higher risk.

To eliminate such instances, you need better authentication for enhanced protection.

AI uses biometric security, captcha security and more to ensure the authentication is at a reasonable level. This will help AI to confirm the login details are from the right source. If you are interested, you can learn more about the role of AI in web development process.

Read: Why do You need to Embrace AI in Your Business?

6. Risk prediction and responding

With the help of AI, the prediction of risk of breaches and response time to breaches are reduced up to 12%.

IT Asset inventory containing data of devices, users, log in details and access information is prone to data breaches.  IT inventory breach risk is high in number, and AI will help you find where you lack security.

You can easily find the loopholes and fix them with AI. You can plan and execute the security system at a high-end level with AI-based cybersecurity tools.

7. Endpoint protection

Remote working and hybrid working are trending now. The rise of remote working leads to higher security risks for all tech firms.

Endpoint protection for every device is crucial in remote working. Antivirus and VPN have had good results till now, but AI uses geological information and behavioural patterns to detect attacks.

AI will give you that extra hand when the signature system fails for better protection.

Disadvantages of using AI

What we have seen in the advantages are just the tip of the iceberg. The advantages are improving day by day for AI in every possible industry.

There are some disadvantages if you embed AI in cybersecurity. Let’s look at them.

• • • Hackers are also advancing, and the use of AI by cyber attackers will lead to a clash between AI and AI. This is not a good thing to handle.
    • Biometric security empowered by AI will lead to significant threats. Advanced technology will provide accurate data about your appearance to the third party, which many individuals don’t like.
    • The introduction of AI won’t make cybersecurity wholly protected. As technology evolves, organisations must be evolving to cope with the attacks.
    • Artificial intelligence requires various and numerous involvement from the human side.
    • Affording a well experienced or skilled artificial intelligence specialisation team will cost a lot to the company.
    • It is tough to understand AI and how it works. It takes a lot of resources and time to build a foolproof AI system.
    • AI collects and analyses a lot of data; if you recruit a third party to utilise AI, they will have a lot of data compared to your organisation.

Most commonly used AI tools in cybersecurity

This list will have the most popular AI tools used for cybersecurity,

• • 1. IBM Qradar Advisor
    2. Sophos’ Intercept X tool
    3. Targeted attack analytics (TAA) by Symantec.
    4. Darktrace Antigena
    5. Cognito by vectra

Early adopters of using AI for cybersecurity

Some early adopters of using AI in cybersecurity is

• • • IBM
    • Google
    • Jupiter Networks

Conclusion

Leveraging AI in cybersecurity will give a handful of benefits, and shortly, AI will have a dominating role in cybersecurity.

Knowing which part of the organisation needs Artificial Intelligence for cybersecurity and implementing it will give good results.

Going with the trend will make you stand out and is always a way ahead. AI is the new trend, and you can rely on AI for better results.

Thinking of deploying AI to strengthen your software security. Book a free consultation to get expert advice.

Read: How To Choose The Best AI Development Company That Help You Scale