Large-scale cyber-attacks on the world’s biggest companies are fixtures in the news cycle. Attacks are now commonplace, with almost half of UK businesses being attacked just last year.
Not only are attacks becoming more common, but they are also becoming smarter.
Attackers are prepared to spend months learning weaknesses in an organisation. A report recently confirmed the most common type of email cyber-attack doesn’t involve traditional hacking.
Instead, attackers are more likely to try and trick employees into handing over access. This is known as phishing and it can be dire for businesses.
There’s the clear financial burden of losing money to scammers. But businesses often hold personal data and being breached also puts this at risk.
Big Data is a currency and has made companies like Facebook global giants. It’s naturally a prime target for cyber attackers.
Under GDPR there are legal consequences if this data is compromised. This means it’s important all companies have robust cyber security measures.
So, how do security platforms need to adapt?
As cyber attacks become smarter, so too must cyber security services. Traditional email gateways are still needed in the fight against cyber-crime and will be in the future. They’re the first line of defence against attack. They stop malicious emails from breaching your systems.
But they can’t protect businesses from attackers who don’t look like attackers. Those people who will find an email address online, and imitate it, before chipping away at people in different companies until someone lets their guard down.
Security Awareness Training is also crucial. Employees need to be up to date on how to spot phishing attacks, and how to report them to their IT departments. It’s important that people are trained to protect sensitive information. But even with the best security training in the world, not everyone will be a cyber security expert. There will still be gaps in the armour.
Artifical Intelligence and cyber security
Looking to the future then, it’s clear that a new type of security will be needed. It will need to fill in the gaps which allow attackers to exploit both human error and security technologies.
This is where artificial intelligence and machine learning comes in.
Big Data could change from being the target of cyber criminal’s attacks, to becoming one of the best ways for organisations to protect themselves.
Big Data can reveal patterns and trends, which can help predict criminal activity. AI systems powered by Big Data will supplement traditional cyber security platforms. This will limit the ability of cyber criminals to breach systems.
How Artifical Intelligence is helping businesses today
This is not a distant future. AI is helping businesses achieve greater security today.
Products such as IRONSCALES use AI systems to monitor email. If their algorithms detect phishing activity, it can pull emails out of an inbox without delay. This stops cybercrime before it can take place.
This tech may not be perfect yet, but IRONSCALES is a real world, working example of how AI will increase cyber security by boosting traditional cyber security networks. It demonstrates why businesses need multi-layered solutions from in order to be fully protected from threats.
The security battleground of the future
This technology will grow more efficient as AI matures. Google’s new service Chronicle, announced in January 2018, promises to increase security efficiency 10x with AI helping to stop threats.
But of course, as AI technology for cyber security improves, so too will the ability of cyber criminals to use AI to try and break into systems.
Speaking to Future of Everything Avast CTO Ondrej Vlcek argues that in 10-15 years, cyber security will resemble a ‘war of the machines.’He sees the future battle ground of cyber security as being AI systems used for both security purposes and for automating cyber attacks.
Of course, making predictions about the future of technology is never easy, and much could change. But it’s clear that AI will be a big part of the future of cyber security, and a way for business to protect their employees and customers from attacks.
