Five Ways Artificial Intelligence Will Impact Cybersecurity
Using artificial intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity solutions is not new. Cybersecurity companies have spent years honing their machine-learning algorithms in an effort to make their solutions more accurate and efficient.
The recent explosive growth of generative AI has added fuel to this slowly burning fire. As generative AI is increasingly incorporated into commonly used solutions and technologies, it is accelerating the pace of development in the cybersecurity industry, for both good and bad.
According to Statista, the artificial intelligence market is projected to reach USD $305.90 billion in 2024. Furthermore, between 2024 and 2030 the market is expected to grow at an annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.83%, resulting in a market of USD $738.80 billion by 2030.
This growth will help fuel growth in many industries, including both cybersecurity companies and cyber threat actors. Here are five ways that the rise of generative AI will impact the cybersecurity industry.
1) AI helps cybersecurity solutions detect and respond to cyber threats
Cybersecurity solutions leverage advanced AI algorithms to simulate and predict potential cyber threats based on historical data and real-time monitoring. By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI models can identify patterns indicative of malicious activities, enabling proactive threat detection. This enables cybersecurity teams to respond swiftly and effectively to emerging threats, enhancing overall resilience against evolving cyberattacks.
2) AI helps fill the cybersecurity skills gap and manpower shortage
Gartner has predicted that “by 2028, the adoption of GenAI will collapse the skills gap, removing the need for specialized education from 50% of entry-level cybersecurity positions.” AI addresses the cybersecurity manpower shortage by automating routine tasks, allowing your more skilled cybersecurity professionals to focus on more complex and strategic issues. Meanwhile, AI’s ability to analyze vast amounts of security data and discover relevant patterns augments human threat detection and response capabilities, helping cybersecurity professionals to operate at a higher level than before. Additionally, AI-powered training platforms provide scalable and personalized learning experiences, enabling individuals to acquire cybersecurity skills more efficiently and bridge the manpower shortage through more efficient and cost-effective training.
3) AI adds new vulnerabilities to your environment
While AI can be used to enhance cybersecurity defenses, just like any other new piece of software it also introduces new vulnerabilities into your environment. Threat actors can exploit AI algorithms through adversarial attacks, poisoning training data, or manipulating AI decision-making processes. Moreover, the complexity of AI systems may obscure potential security flaws, requiring robust measures to protect against AI-related attacks and secure the underlying infrastructure.
4) AI is leveraged to create more effective social engineering attacks
AI can automate the generation of highly personalized and convincing phishing emails, chat messages, social media posts, and other forms of outreach tailored to individual targets. It does this by using machine learning algorithms to analyze vast amounts of data and craft messages, images, and even voices that exploit psychological triggers and bypass traditional countermeasures. By mimicking human communication patterns and preferences, AI-powered social engineering attacks can deceive even savvy users, increasing the likelihood of successful infiltration into target networks.
5) AI is leveraged to create better attacks
Threat actors use AI to enhance cyberattacks in multiple ways. Firstly, AI can automate and optimize the process of scanning for vulnerabilities in systems, enabling attackers to identify and exploit weaknesses quickly and more efficiently. Secondly, AI-powered malware can adapt and evolve in real time, making it more challenging for traditional security measures (especially signature-based or rule-based measures) to detect and mitigate. Overall, AI empowers even less proficient threat actors with the ability to develop more potent and evasive tactics, posing significant challenges to cybersecurity defenses.
Conclusion
The integration of AI into cybersecurity solutions is accelerating, transforming both defensive and offensive strategies. As the AI market continues to grow, it will profoundly impact cybersecurity practices, workforce dynamics, and the threat landscape. While AI enhances the ability of cybersecurity solutions to detect and respond to threats, helping teams address skill shortages and streamline training, it also introduces new vulnerabilities and amplifies the sophistication of cyberattacks. As organizations navigate this AI-driven paradigm shift, ongoing adaptation and investment in resilient defenses will be essential to safeguarding digital assets and preserving trust in an increasingly interconnected world.
The Redjack cyber resilience platform
The Redjack cyber resilience platform includes an AI-powered asset discovery and categorization engine capable of not only giving you complete visibility into your connected infrastructure but also mapping how those assets connect to each other and to your critical business functions. Furthermore, Redjack helps you identify how resilient your assets are through asset resiliency scoring. This approach has a significant impact on the effectiveness of both IT and business, making cyber resilience a valuable asset.
The Redjack platform has been successfully implemented in some of the world's largest corporations and government agencies. Contact us to discover how Redjack has helped these organizations achieve genuine cyber resilience.
