The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Cyber Security

The frequency of cyber attacks and the extent of damage they can cause has greatly increased over the past few years. Recent statistics show that 66% of businesses have experienced a cyber attack in the past twelve months, and 69% believe that the attacks are becoming more targeted.

Considering these statistics, businesses now need to adapt to solutions that are not as time-consuming as the traditional methods of cybersecurity that involve a manual hunt for threats and vulnerabilities. In recent years, artificial intelligence has evolved to a point where it can bring considerable benefits to an organization’s cybersecurity operations. 

What is the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Cyber Security?

Artificial Intelligence provides organizations with an alternative to traditional cybersecurity tools and ensures that cyber threats are identified and addressed at their inception. AI tools make use of past data of cyberattacks to identify trends and vulnerabilities. The analysis is then used to predict future attacks.

In addition, AI can also be programmed to respond to cyber threats. Using AI in their cybersecurity helps businesses improve threat detection, security measures, and incident response times. 

Use of Machine Learning 

Machine learning is an integral part of Artificial Intelligence and is critical for its role in cybersecurity. It ensures that explicit programming is not required for the algorithms to learn and improve. 

Machine Learning is used in AI for two main purposes:

• Classification of organizational data into categories. 
• Identifying any unusual user behaviors or network activity

Artificial Intelligence Vs. Data Analytics

In recent years AI has become a popular buzzword, and most people confuse it with Data Analytics. Although AI makes use of data analysis, its core function is to generate cognitive abilities for automating operations. On the other hand, data analytics is a process of examining data sets to draw conclusions. Unlike AI, data analysis is not self-learning and requires the aid of specialized systems and software. 

How Does AI Help With Cyber Security?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps process millions of datasets and can track various cyber attacks. In addition to this, AI makes use of machine learning algorithms to identify any unusual behavior or network activity and flags it as a potential threat. 

In addition to detecting new threats, AI can also differentiate between the different online traffic types, allowing it to block malicious bot traffic. 

It can also examine different types of software and hardware, which allows it to identify any existing vulnerabilities. This, in turn, helps the security team predict any potential breaches.

Benefits of Applying AI to Cyber Security 

Implementing AI in the cyber security ecosystem can help organizations looking to protect their business’s data from cyber adversaries. In addition to its capabilities of data processing and threat identification, AI provides various immediate and long-term benefits as well. Some of these benefits include: 

Asset Inventory 

AI systems ensure an accurate inventory of all the devices, users, and applications that access an information system. The information can be used to predict any potential breaches that may occur. 

Identifying Exposure to Threats 

AI-based cyber security systems allow organizations to identify exposure to threats and provide detailed information on global and industry-specific cyberattacks. Organizations can use this information to prioritize protection efforts based on what cyber attackers may use 

Breach Prediction 

In addition to providing information about cyber attacks, AI-based systems can also predict where a data breach is likely to occur. Businesses can use these predictions to allocate resources and budget accordingly. 

Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in Cyber Security

Despite all the security measures that can be enforced by using AI in cyber security, the technology still has a few drawbacks and challenges. AI is still in its developmental and experimental phases, and therefore integrating the technology with cyber security can be costly. Although the implementation of AI has numerous benefits for an organization, its cost can be a challenge for many businesses to overcome.

Similar to all other technologies, AI has its vulnerabilities as well and is not invincible to cyber attacks. Hackers can manipulate tasks performed by an AI. Such manipulation can cause the AI to categorize malicious user behavior as a safe or normal occurrence. Attackers can then use the categorization to exploit vulnerabilities. 

How Can Businesses Leverage AI for Cyber Security?

With the growing number of cyberattacks and data breaches, businesses need to leverage AI for cyber security. Organizational leaders need to ensure that sensitive information can not be breached and is protected at all costs. Implementing AI for cyber security can help businesses identify potential threats and vulnerabilities ahead of time. This will allow leaders to allocate cybersecurity efforts and resources in the most required areas. 

Businesses can leverage AI by implementing endpoint protection systems, two-factor authentications, and limiting access to sensitive data. Organizations can use IAM solutions to control users’ access levels to have optimal data security.

How Can Business Leverage IAM Solutions for Cyber Security?

Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions work based on Zero Trust identity and provide businesses with various benefits such as:

1.Protection for Business 

These solutions ensure that businesses can monitor and control user access to specific resources, allowing them to identify malicious activity.

2. Enable Digital Transformation

IAM solutions enable digital transformation by providing a secure and seamless experience when sharing access to resources. 

3. Ensures Regulatory Compliance

Compliance failures often catch most business owners off guard. Using IAM solutions allows businesses to manage access certifications and meet regulatory compliance. 

Final Thoughts

Dynamic changes in the cybersecurity landscape have made the implementation of AI in the security ecosystems a necessity. AI uses machine learning to classify organizational data and identify unusual user behavior or network activity. When implemented in cyber security systems, AI can help identify potential breaches and exposure to threats. Despite all the benefits of AI, it can prove to be harmful to cybersecurity if used by adversaries.