How Smart Cyber AI Systems Can Boost Modern Security Teams
Using smart cyber technologies companies can enhance their security teams. Here’s how!
Company leaders have increased security budgets and expanded teams — but augmenting security teams with data and machine intelligence is somewhat new. Justin Kozak, EVP of sales at Founder Shield explores the nuances of utilizing smart cyber technologies to increase your company’s security.
The cybersecurity landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years. Undoubtedly, the global pandemic and its impact contributed to many of these new developments. While much on the cyber horizon is a step in the right direction — machine and artificial intelligence (AI) for starters — IT specialists and security teams must tackle uncharted waters. Let’s review these factors and what they mean to the risk management front.
Expanding Enterprise Attack Surfaces
Several decades ago, as far back as the 1970s, trusting our computers was effortless. Naivety likely played a significant role in our cybersecurity approach, yet, the enterprise attack surface wasn’t nearly the size it is today.
Albeit awkward, the business computing landscape wasn’t like running the gauntlet as it often seems in the modern world. When the target is smaller, fewer arrows hit it, per se. Memorizing a handful of usernames and passwords was a one-and-done deal — but that environment is long gone.
As digital progression charged forward and organizations relied on new cyber technology, the enterprise attack surface grew by leaps and bounds. Most businesses used to depend on network firewalls, endpoint antivirus, and VPNs to safeguard their perimeters. However, these protections don’t do the job now with sophisticated and inventive threat actors.
The ever-expanding enterprise attack surface is largely to blame, not to mention the dramatic and lasting shift to remote or hybrid work in the pandemic. For example, employees frequently access several devices daily, such as laptops, desktops, tablets, smartphones, and even smartwatches. These devices tap into networks, from local coffee shops to the kitchen table.
The risks increase as employees connect to other Internet of Things (IoT) devices like TVs, lights, or smart speakers. As it appears, this work-from-anywhere approach significantly broadens the enterprise attack surface, primarily because outside networks are rarely as secure as we’d like them to be.
AI Defense Against Cyber Threats
Cybersecurity is unique because most individuals, company leaders, and their respective teams often approach data protection defensively. And this approach is undoubtedly one way of doing things. Naturally, this strategy makes sense as we are only now learning about some of the most vicious and stealthy attacks executed by cybercriminals. Fight ‘em off; stay one step ahead!
Directors and officers accept more cyber responsibility
It’s worth mentioning that directors and officers faced increased pressure to mitigate cybersecurity better, with increased security budgets and rapid adoption of more advanced defenses across the board. For example, a shareholders’ suit would impact company leaders significantly if a data breach occurred. In these cases, many companies utilize directors and officers (D&O) insurance for cyber liability claims.
Founder Shield’s Customer Success Manager, Rachel Jenkins, explains further, “We are starting to see more, still limited but increasing, cyber claims bleed into D&O through shareholder litigation as there is an increased fiduciary duty on the C-suite to maintain proper cyber controls through regulation and industry requirements.”
See More: 4 Myths That Inhibit Our Search for Cybersecurity Talent
AI defense techniques that work where human analysis fails
Artificial intelligence keeps pace with emerging technologies — and novel cyber threats. Unfortunately, humans can’t measure up to secure enterprise attack surfaces. However, AI provides the invaluable analysis and threat identification that IT and security teams can leverage.
AI discovers risks, prioritizing and validating genuine threats. It can respond to the incident directly and specifically, targeting the identified attacks before they become a full-blown reality. These enhanced security processes minimize breach risk and put companies in a more defense-ready and safe position.
Arming security teams with AI defense tactics is one way to meet cybercriminals in the heat of the battle. However, a more proactive approach also exists. Combining the two undoubtedly works as a one-two punch against cyber threats.
Weapons Against Future AI-driven Cybercrime
Artificial and machine intelligence has some proven upsides; however, a handful of cons inhibit some companies from onboarding AI techniques.
AI systems offer plenty of pros but also come with cons
For example, utilizing AI systems requires massive amounts of data sets (i.e., malware, non-malicious, and anomalies).These resources don’t come cheap, and acquiring them requires a significant monetary investment and time-intensive dedication that neither qualified security teams nor businesses can always afford.
Cybercriminals can use AI systems against a company, analyzing their malware and developing more sophisticated attacks. Additionally, AI systems aren’t always foolproof. Sometimes they produce incorrect results, which can backfire and create more issues for security teams.
AI systems working as weapons against AI-driven cybercrime
According to Deloitte, getting in front of risk with predictive risk intelligence is the game-changer. Not only do smart cyber technologies complement current security controls, but they map out threat patterns by logging and contextualizing data. These AI systems capture baseline information, generating risk insights later in the process.
Most companies are rich with data, but that data’s potential is often unrealized. Valuable historical information often remains untouched, let alone utilized as a powerful AI-driven weapon against cybercrime. Naturally, tapping into this pool of information should be one of the first steps in augmenting security teams. Data and machine learning flow more effortlessly when leaders know precisely what they have in their arsenal.
From this starting point, companies can conduct actionable intelligence, building upon cyber AI systems and creating a safer horizon for themselves, their ecosystem, and clients.
Have you considered using cyber AI to enhance your security operations? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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