Nowadays, surfing on the internet is always assisted with AI, be it Instagram, WhatsApp, or any other significant app. We never know when we could accidentally lose a password and get our accounts hacked. This is where we need cybersecurity. When everything else is AI-assisted, cybersecurity cannot be dealt with by manpower alone. AI assistance in cybersecurity can play a vital role in securing the data of organizations and individuals.
Why is AI in Cybersecurity Important?
The Internet is now the source of livelihood for many businesses. Almost all of the businesses have started operating online. Rivalry, theft, and scams have also started to follow suit. AI in cybersecurity is needed to safeguard privacy and for protection against potential threats. Cybercriminals have also started using AI to counteract security measures. Thus, security teams need to improve efficiency to a greater extent with the help of AI. The development of AI models for cybersecurity has made it possible to go beyond human expertise and tackle cyber attacks more prominently.
AI in Cybersecurity- Benefits
Quick Responsiveness |
Traditionally, cybersecurity is handled by human labor, which might not always be available. Lack of availability may lead to increased risks. AI can be available anytime, and it can respond to incoming threats in real time, minimizing the risk to organizations to a great extent |
Automation of Security tasks |
AI can automate the daily tasks minimizing workload on security teams. The tasks may involve detecting threats or responding to them, searching for vulnerabilities, etc. By automating such tasks, the security teams can focus on more serious issues. |
Ouick and Enhanced Decision-making |
Since AI can analyze data in depth, it can understand the correlations and patterns that may be missed manually. By analyzing data, AI can improve security protocols and make strategic plans considering every minute detail. AI can help organizations be ready for any kind of mishap by forecasting future threats or by quick decision-making through its predictive capabilities. |
AI in Cybersecurity. Image Credit: hurix
How can we use AI in Cybersecurity?
1. Identification and Management of Weaknesses
Every organization has some weak points. It might get exploited if such weakness is known to any external party. However, AI can go through every form of data from any source to identify such weak points. AI-integrated vulnerability management systems can fix such problems by reducing the chances of revealing any weakness. Furthermore, AI is also integrated with a patching system that can track and simplify the patching process.
2. E-mail Scam Detection
AI algorithms can inspect the contents or behaviors of the email sender. In case there is a hoax attack, it can surely be detected because of the Advanced Machine Learning models. AI-based Systems for email security have inbuilt identification and blocking systems so that such hoaxes are reduced to a greater extent.
3. User Behavior Analytics
AI algorithms not only detect and respond to threats but also keep a check on the behavior and usage patterns of users. Given that, such algorithms can figure out any kind of unusual behavior that can be unauthorized access or insider threats. It can also analyze the usual localities or times of regular usage. This is very helpful for organizations to keep in check the large amount of data that is accessible by employees.
4. Enhanced Security Risk Assessment
AI Technologies make the systems deep intelligence-based analysis of the IT application and structure, compared to human resources. The information, thus provided, is fully detailed about the security risks. AI-integrated risk detection tools give realistic guidance for security enhancement. It tracks and inspects the historical data using the best and most advanced practices in the industry.
Uses of Cybersecurity. Image Credit: apu
Challenges Faced by AI in Cybersecurity
1. False Alarming
One of the problems regarding AI in cybersecurity is that even though it is effective and analytical, sometimes it can misjudge anything genuine, causing unnecessary alerts. This leads to human intervention and often causes alert fatigue as security teams may think it is a false alert even if it might be genuine. AI technologies are just tools and not replacements for human judgments. To lest such mistakes, AI tools should always be assisted with human expertise and intuition.
2. Data Privacy Concern with User Behavior Analytics
In order to analyze user behavior AI is required to go through a large amount of sensitive data. UBA is used significantly to sense anything unusual in the user’s behavior in case of a security breach. However, such inspection is a privacy invasion, that can lead to misjudgments. A balance between the User’s privacy and AI security should be maintained by organizations to reduce such privacy invasions.
3. Adversal AI
AI is now a trend, just like organizations follow the trend so do the cybercriminals. Cybercriminals counteract the security measures by using AI maliciously. Thus, to make attacks cybercriminals can manipulate data or exploit the vulnerabilities of AI to avoid detection. Companies should beware of such malicious techniques and lest such attacks by implementing robust security systems.
4. Essentiality of Human Expertise
Since the development of AI, it has been a very efficient tool but we must not forget that it is just a tool for human convenience. AI in cybersecurity automates tasks, detects threats, alerts, and responds to them but it still needs to be analyzed by security teams. Security analysts are the ones who need to make critical decisions in tough situations and supervise security strategies with the help of AI and not working under AI.
Conclusion
The new Era of technology starts with AI. Everything around us is AI-equipped. AI implemented in cybersecurity has nonetheless shown effectiveness and efficiency. Security teams together with AI can rely on each other’s expertise to achieve the best outcomes. Despite the challenges faced by AI, it has still shown its efficiency, and as it keeps developing, the drawbacks might also be eradicated. Due to AI’s wider access, many organizations have been able to form a strong security ground for their businesses.
References
- 5 Uses of AI in Cyber Security, Challenges & Best Practices
- AI in Cybersecurity – Uses, Benefits and Challenges – GeeksforGeeks