Artificial intelligence doesn’t just bolster cyber security. It serves as a resource-leveling force-multiplier, expanding what’s possible. AI can offer real-time updates on emerging threats, provide advanced threat detection and response, streamline security operations and so much more.
In this article, we’ll explore five ways in which security professionals can proactively leverage AI to defeat cybercrime, keeping your teams ahead of hackers.
1. Threat intelligence and information sharing
AI has advanced threat intelligence. AI can take vast quantities of data from divergent sources, including open-source intelligence, dark web monitoring, and security feeds, and aggregate and analyze the information in a way that allows security professionals to extract actionable insights.
AI-powered threat intelligence can provide real-time insight into emerging threats, malware signatures and indicators of compromise. It can also inspect millions of files, block tens of thousands of zero day threats, and expedite information sharing.
2. Malware prevention and detection
AI’s extraordinary processing power can serve as a powerful tool in fighting malware, although AI may not detect every malware threat. AI can identify and flag patterns in data that may indicate malicious activity, it can build a library of malware samples, and detect unknown malware strains. Market-leading AI-based malware analysis technology reduces the probability of cyber threats and subsequent data breaches.
3. Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)
These tools can help streamline security operations across critical areas like threat and visibility management, incident response and security operations automation. They automatically triage and prioritize security alerts, reducing manual effort and response time.
AI algorithms can analyze severity, context and historical data associated with alerts in order to recommend a course of action. Further, AI-driven automation can execute predefined response actions, from isolating compromised systems, to blocking malicious IP addresses or quarantining infected files. Leveraging AI within SOAR can limit the impact of cyber threats.
4. Adaptive authentication and zero trust
A type of multi-factor authentication, adaptive authentication adjusts the level/method of user verification according to the risk profile of each login attempt. At the core of adaptive authentication protocols are artificial intelligence and machine learning engines, which help to increase the technology’s accuracy over time.
When it comes to zero trust, “Without AI, zero trust has zero chance,” says Rohit Ghai, CEO of RSA. “Identity is the most attacked part of the attack surface.” AI allows for access management in granular terms, in real-time and at the data level, presenting a system that’s truly based on the principle of least privilege.
5. Cloud workload protection
AI can play a critical role in securing cloud workloads by investigating and analyzing normal behavior of applications and processes. Through machine learning algorithms, AI can detect deviations from normal behavior and identify potential vulnerabilities or threats.
In turn, organizations can implement stronger controls where needed, ensuring the integrity and security of cloud-based applications and data.
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