What Does the Rise of AI Mean for Cybersecurity?
/The practical application of artificial intelligence is all the rage right now but has been in our science fiction dreams for decades. When you break it down, artificial intelligence is computer power and reasoning on par with human computation. The real-world difference is the speed at which AI can process and deliver results. One area that's seeing great promise is AI cybersecurity. Due to the always-on nature of cybersecurity, it's a natural fit for AI in this high-stakes arena.
Are you and your business prepared for today's, and the future’s, cybersecurity threats?
Rise of Artificial Intelligence
The first digital computers were created in the late 1940s, and since then, scientists have hoped to one day make computers as intelligent as humans. In the last five years, the rise of ChatGPT has taken AI mainstream, but getting to ChatGPT was seven decades in the making.
Diagram credit: Our World in Data
Although not to the level of The Jetsons with the flying cars, jetpacks, robot maids, and moving sidewalks, AI's endless possibilities are not fully grasped. According to Exploding Topics, there are approximately 70,000 AI companies worldwide, with around a fourth based in the US.
How is AI used in Cybersecurity?
AI cybersecurity makes a difference in how organizations think about securing their networks. A report from Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that by 2025, global cybercrime will cost USD 10.5 trillion. There have been programs for network monitoring for some time that still need to be monitored and double-checked by humans. AI cybersecurity isn't doing away with human involvement. Still, it takes on more mundane and repetitive tasks, allowing people to devote more time to higher-level duties like security design.
For example, beyond the repetitive tasks, AI is being used to monitor network traffic, both current and historical, to identify threats and deviations. With AI always being active, it can work through exponentially more data faster than ever.
Vulnerability Detection
The adage, "Time is money," couldn't be more relevant than detecting vulnerabilities. Since AI can constantly scan for abnormalities and vulnerabilities, you can patch holes and secure the system. According to SolarWinds, the cost of downtime for small businesses is between $137 to $427 per minute, whereas larger companies can cost over $16,000 per minute. AI cybersecurity isn't perfect; nothing is, but you'll gain valuable time when malicious activity arises.
Risk Assessment and Improved Threat Intelligence
AI learns from massive amounts of data from a wide variety of sources. It relies on machine learning algorithms to continuously grow and evolve with the information it receives. You can think of AI as a living organism, taking information from the world around it and adjusting what it knew before with what it now knows. It's not as scary as it sounds, but conceptually it can help. Once AI cybersecurity has enough data, it can start recognizing patterns in logins, locations, types of devices, etc., to help identify risky behavior or threats within their network.
Automate Time-Intensive Operation
For any business familiar with software incidents, figuring out how and why something occurred can be the most time-consuming process. With AI cybersecurity, you can have a data-compiling super machine at your disposal, automating incident responses and quickening investigation time. This is just one of many tasks that can be streamlined with the help of AI and the cybersecurity professionals at The Maynard Group.
Importance of AI in Cybersecurity
The time and resources gained by using AI to detect issues, kick off an incident response, and monitor your network are a windfall for your company. You must seriously consider implementing an AI cybersecurity plan that protects your business.
Any new advancement can have a dark side if misused. Since significant AI-driven tools use the same data to find vulnerabilities, those same vulnerabilities can be used to target organizations who are unaware they're susceptible to the problem. This is just a new version of the oldest game in the book, cat and mouse.
AI Cybersecurity Will Save You Money and Aggravation; The Maynard Group Can Help Your Business Implement a Solution
Start to set your organization on the path of security and invest in the power of AI cybersecurity. Investigating every opportunity and seeing what solution will work best for your business is more important than ever.
The Maynard Group has been serving businesses like yours for over 35 years and is an expert in business technologies. Contact us today at 888.376.5577, and let's secure your business.