The AI arms race is on, and it's a cat and mouse game that we see every day in our threat intelligence work. As new technologies evolve, our lives become more practical, but cybercriminals see new opportunities to attack users. Whether you're bypassing antivirus software or installing malware or ransomware on a user's machine, abusing hacked devices to create a botnet, or take down important websites and server infrastructure, getting ahead of the bad guys is the top priority for the bad guys. security providers. AI has increased the sophistication of attacks, making it increasingly unpredictable and difficult to mitigate.
About the author Michal Pěchouček, Technical Director, Avast.
Increase in systematic attacks.
AI has reduced the staff required to carry out a cyber attack. Unlike manual malware development, this process has been automated, reducing the time, effort, and expense required for these attacks. As a result, the attacks are becoming more systematic and can be carried out on a larger scale.
Social change and new standards
Along with cloud services, the growth of AI has brought many technological advances, but unless carefully regulated, it can change some aspect of society. A good example of this is the use of facial recognition technology by police and local government authorities. San Francisco made headlines this year when it became the first US city to ban technology. This was seen as a huge victory: the technology had far more risks than benefits, and questions were raised about inaccuracy and racial bias. Artificial intelligence technology is not perfect, and it is not as reliable and accurate as the data that feeds it. As we enter a new decade, technology companies and policy makers must work together to ensure these developments are regulated and used responsibly.
We are now in the age of fake news, misinformation, and deepfakes. AI has made it even easier to create and distribute misleading and false information. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that we are consuming more and more information in digital echo chambers, making access to unbiased information more difficult. While the onus falls on the technology companies that host and share this content, data literacy education will become more important in 2020 and beyond. An increased focus on educating the public on how to examine information and data will be essential.
More alliances to fight contradictory AI
To combat the threat of conflicting AI, we expect to see even stronger partnerships between tech companies and academic institutions. This is precisely why Avast has partnered with the Czech Technical University in Prague to advance research in the field of artificial intelligence. Avast's rich threat data from more than 400 million devices worldwide has been combined with CTU's study of complex and evasive threats to prevent and prevent; inhibit attacks by cybercriminals. The lab's goals include publishing groundbreaking research in this area and improving Avast's malware detection engine, including its AI-based detection algorithms. As we enter a new decade, AI will continue to impact and change the technology and society around us, especially with the rise of smart home devices. However, despite the negative associations, there is much more to be gained from artificial intelligence than from bad. Tools are only as useful as those who use them. The highest priority in the coming years will be cross-sector and government collaboration, to use AI for good and ban those who try to abuse it.