How AI Has Changed the Cybersecurity Landscape
Artificial Intelligence has made a permanent impact on the cybersecurity landscape. AI can perform tasks much faster than humans and can adapt to emerging threats through machine learning (provided it is regularly updated with recent threat data). However, this ability to adapt benefits both security teams and threat actors. So, while AI provides more tools to detect cyber threats and react quickly when a threat is identified, it also provides cybercriminals with greater abilities to exploit weaknesses in public and private cyber defenses.
Areas that are seeing the increased use of AI include:
Threat detection and response
As the number of threats increases, cybersecurity teams are more reliant on automation to keep up with the number of alerts they receive. AI-driven cybersecurity tools can analyze vast amounts of data in real time and identify patterns and anomalies that might indicate a potential threat. This is particularly useful for identifying zero-day exploits and sophisticated attacks that traditional methods might miss. By integrating advanced analytics, AI can prioritize alerts based on risk so that cybersecurity personnel can focus their attention on the most significant threats.
Behavioral analysis
AI can detect deviations from standard activity patterns. Machine learning models can profile the expected behavior of users, systems, and devices and then alert cybersecurity teams when abnormal behavior is detected. For example, AI can monitor user activity and flag insider threats or compromised accounts based on unusual patterns, such as accessing company resources during non-work hours, unusual geographic login attempts, or sudden access to high-security files.
Reducing human error
Human error remains one of the biggest cybersecurity challenges. AI can help reduce human error and enforce better security hygiene by alerting teams to risky behaviors or potential vulnerabilities, such as weak passwords or repeated phishing clicks, enabling proactive responses to these threats.
AI-Powered phishing detection
Phishing remains a top cybersecurity threat for every organization. More and more, AI is being used for automated phishing attacks, enabling the generation of highly personalized messages that are more convincing to users. AI is helping to counter these attacks by using Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze email content, sender behavior, and context to flag potentially malicious messages. AI models can also assess URLs in real time to identify phishing sites before they harm users. AI-driven awareness programs can also help train employees by simulating phishing attacks and providing instant feedback when mistakes are made.
Increased use of AI-powered attacks
Just as security teams leverage AI-powered tools to detect and manage cyber threats, cybercriminals use AI to their advantage in their attacks. In addition to phishing attacks, these threat actors use AI to create sophisticated malware that adapts to bypass AI-based detection algorithms, automate password cracking schemes, launch automated attacks (such as credential stuffing and brute-force attacks), find and exploit software vulnerabilities, and create deepfakes for use in impersonation deception using AI-generated audio and video messages.
How ArcherPoint can help
Organizations should consider incorporating AI-powered threat detection tools into their cyber defenses. AI can provide more intelligent, automated, and efficient defenses against an increasingly complex array of threats, allowing cybersecurity teams to be more proactive than reactive.
Contact ArcherPoint to learn how our Managed IT Services can help you with your endpoint and infrastructure security.