The cybercrime economy is the third largest economy in the world, after the USA and China. The scale of cybercrime in the 21st century cannot be understated.
When new tools come along, it’s inevitable that bad actors will find ways to use these tools to their advantage. One new tool is AI, with hackers using AI’s advanced capabilities to launch stronger cyber-attacks than ever before.
However, AI is just a tool, and many companies are also using AI in cybersecurity to fight fire with fire.
Before we dive into AI in cybersecurity, let’s look at how AI is used in cybercrime in the first place.
How is AI being used in cybercrime?
AI is increasingly being used in cybercrime in several ways:
1. Social engineering and phishing attacks.
AI can use available online data from sources like LinkedIn and Facebook to paint a picture of people and figure out who is likely to fall for a phishing attack.
After identifying vulnerable people, generative AI can then draft phishing emails that the person has a higher-than-average chance of falling for.
Some advanced AI can also generate voice clones and deepfake videos to be even more convincing to potential victims.
2. Malware and ransomware.
AI can enhance regular malware attacks, allowing it to adapt to changing security measures more quickly and hide itself more effectively.
It can also be used to automate ransomware attacks, making the infamous ransomware as a service (RaaS) economy even more effective. Attacks are smarter, more adaptive, and harder to detect.
3. Fake AI chatbots.
Cybercriminals can use AI to create fake chatbots that trick users into providing sensitive information.
“Bad” AI chatbots are hard to tell apart from “good” AI chatbots, making this type of cyber attack particularly troublesome.
How is AI used in cybersecurity?
AI can be used in cybersecurity as part of a Managed Detection & Response (MDR) service or another similar cybersecurity service.
AI in cybersecurity has the ability to:
- Monitor data in real time
- Investigate system activities
- Identify anomalies via machine learning & pattern recognition
- Report suspicious activities & issues to human security experts
AI is a great tool to help cybersecurity teams automate everyday security processes and flag suspicious activity more quickly.
As more criminals use AI in their cyber attacks, it’s important for cybersecurity teams to keep pace with their own AI cybersecurity measures.
What are some examples of AI in cyber security?
A few examples of AI in cybersecurity include:
- Automated AI-powered threat detection
- Flagging of suspicious behaviour or patterns of activity
- Predictive analytics (predicting attacks before they occur)
- Detection of phishing emails before they are sent
- Detection of malware & ransomware
AI and cybersecurity are already commonly used in tandem. As cybercrime technology advances, the use of AI in cybersecurity increases too. It’s crucial to keep pace with cyber criminals and stay one step ahead.
Can AI predict cyber attacks?
There’s never a complete guarantee that AI can predict cyber attacks, due to all the factors involved.
However, using advanced AI in cybersecurity will make it much more likely that you will predict a cyber attack.
AI-powered cybersecurity can accelerate incident responses by 55% on average, according to IBM.
Is AI taking over cyber security?
AI is not “taking over” cyber security as such, but AI in cybersecurity is a tool that can be used to defend against attackers alongside trained human experts.
Many modern hackers are using AI as part of their attack strategy, so it’s important to arm yourself with AI in cybersecurity to keep pace.
Will AI replace cybersecurity jobs?
AI will not replace cybersecurity jobs, no.
AI is a tool that will help human experts to assess potential threats and carry out high-level tasks more effectively. Human validation of AI-flagged threats is a key component of reputable MDR services.
If you’re looking for UK-based 24/7/365 cybersecurity services, book in a call with ANS.
