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What is the potential of AI in Cyber Security? 

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Cybersecurity / Cybersecurity and Privacy

What is the potential of AI in Cyber Security? 

What would you do without your phone or computer for a day? We live in a world dominated by technology, whose presence is becoming increasingly important to fraudsters and bad actors. In light of the continually increasing sophistication of cyber attacks, there is no effective way to protect against them. To deal with these potential threats new technologies, such as the use of Artificial Intelligence, are being adopted by the cybersecurity sector in recent years.

Researchers at Capgemini Research Institute demonstrate the importance of utilizing artificial intelligence in modern cybersecurity defenses in their paper, titled “Reinventing Cybersecurity With Artificial Intelligence”. Their study found that around 61% of organizations/businesses aren’t able to detect cyber risks without the use of artificial intelligence.

In this blog, we will uncover how AI has revolutionized threat detection, anomaly detection, and behavioral analysis, as well as discuss the ethical challenges attached to AI adoption.

Anomaly Detection

AI holds significant promise in cybersecurity since it enables the early detection of odd behavior and potential security breaches. Assume a corporation has implemented an artificial intelligence-based anomaly detection system for network security. This system evaluates parameters such as packet headers, connection durations, data amounts, and protocols in real-time. Over time, the AI-powered anomaly detection system learns the network patterns the organization’s network use. It then creates a baseline of anticipated activity by taking into account factors such as working hours, typical communication patterns, and frequent network usage. Any activity that deviates from this baseline is detected as a potential threat. That way, the AI detects a possible cyber attack earlier before it actually happens.

Behavioral Analysis

The capacity of artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor and interpret complex behavioral patterns, discover abnormalities, and offer timely warnings allows proactive threat detection and response in cybersecurity. AI can learn and understand organizational user behavior, such as access patterns, application usage, and data transfer activities. The system alerts the security staff when it detects an abnormality. The security team examines the warning, confirms the presence of an insider, and acts quickly to avoid any data breaches or unauthorized disclosures. This may entail temporarily suspending the user’s access, conducting more investigations, and, if required, taking disciplinary steps or legal action. Organizations can efficiently detect internal threats, compromised accounts, or unwanted activity that might otherwise go undetected by employing AI for behavioral analysis.

Automated Response

 AI may automate reaction steps to quickly minimize hazards. AI systems, for example, may automatically monitor and analyze huge amounts of data for anomalies that may indicate hostile conduct, block suspect IP addresses, quarantine infected devices, or activate incident response procedures. This automation reacts immediately after a threat is detected, reducing the effect of cyber assaults. Furthermore, AI can help with the automation of security patch management by initiating system updates as soon as a vulnerability is discovered, therefore reducing potential attacks before they occur.

Network Monitoring

AI-powered security systems help in monitoring the network for any anomalies by using predictive analytics to predict future risks. Such systems can use machine learning models to detect trends and signals of malicious activity, anticipating the likelihood of future attacks and assisting security teams in taking proactive measures. Furthermore, AI may be used to simulate attacks and assess security protocols, allowing enterprises to discover possible network vulnerabilities and shortcomings.

AI-powered cybersecurity systems offer all those benefits, however, it raises concern over its potential to generate a number of ethical concerns, such as privacy infringement, algorithmic prejudice, employment displacement, data manipulation, and a lack of accountability. Additionally, if not used appropriately, AI might make judgments that may injure or negatively influence persons or communities.

Finally, AI has the potential to greatly improve security by enhancing the way cyber threats are monitored, discovered, and handled. AI-powered systems can automate procedures like incident response and patch management, monitor networks for suspicious activity, and forecast possible threats much faster than manual processes. This integration might be difficult since it necessitates continuous cooperation and communication between AI systems and human analysts inside current workflows. Organizations should take advantage of AI and human analysts to protect their systems from outsiders. Human analysts contribute context and topic experience, whilst AI technologies automate monotonous processes and deliver significant insights. We will explore all the ethical concerns surrounding AI adoption in cyber security in our next article. Follow us on Twitter and follow the EpesiCloud blog for more industry news.

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