Data is at the heart of today's digital economy and has intrinsic value to businesses and consumers. However, organizations around the world face serious data protection challenges against cybercrime and data breaches. Technology, of course, can provide many solutions to protect data against leaks. However, some technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) can also provide cybercriminals with new methods to develop malicious attacks. TechRadar Pro sat down with Ian Woolley, Director of Recipes at Ensighten, to better understand whether artificial intelligence is a help or a hindrance to cybersecurity.
What are the security risks for companies?
Businesses need to be aware that cybercrime is becoming more prevalent, especially as more and more consumers use online channels to process and share data. As a result, many cybersecurity incidents have led to data leaks from companies, both yours and your customers. Microsoft Office 365 is just one example, as some of its users' accounts are compromised by hackers, exposing personal email content as part of a data breach. Although the number of affected users has not been revealed, Microsoft has confirmed that approximately 6% of the users involved would have seen their emails hacked. It is clear that cybercriminals find value in any type of data for monetary gain. For example, Facebook connections sell for just €5.20 on the dark web. It is clear that data breaches should be avoided for a number of reasons, such as the lack of financial or reputational implications. According to IBM, the overall average cost of a data breach rose to £3 million and estimated that a breach of 50 million or more records could cost up to €500,000. To 273 million pounds in a company. Despite all the security efforts of many companies, conditions are difficult. Attackers trade knowledge in underground markets, allowing them to specialize in particular aspects of cybercrime, such as stealing security credentials or hacking accounts. Cyber criminals know very well how to bypass security protocols. What is even more dangerous is the fact that they reflect the way companies operate. Cyber criminals determine where to spend your time and effort based on the return on investment. For example, if companies focus security on a single channel, such as phones, criminals will be more interested in Internet platforms, such as their websites. We are seeing this behavior in the banking and financial sector. Some attackers are turning away from the Internet and the phone to resort to mobile banking fraud. According to RSA, 60% of digital banking fraud now comes from the mobile channel.
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Many companies choose AI to protect themselves from cybercrime. But is it a cure or a risk?
Technology for many companies is a silver bullet, especially since the AV-TEST Institute found that 856 million malware variants were created last year. Traditional cybersecurity systems and techniques cannot handle the many variants of malware. As a result, evolving technologies such as AI have been chosen to address cybercrime risks, thanks to their ability to automate threat prevention, detection, and response. Gartner found that the number of organizations implementing forms of artificial intelligence (AI) has grown exponentially in the last four years by 270%. Businesses hope that by adding a machine-based intelligent layer to their traditional firewall approach, they will have the tools they need to keep their networks impenetrable. For example, AI is used to protect existing corporate logins and passwords through its biometric login techniques such as fingerprint, retina, and fingerprint. However, in the spirit of data collection, hackers are quick to adapt to these techniques by leveraging artificial intelligence capabilities to get into advanced security strategies. Essentially, just like companies use artificial intelligence for cybersecurity purposes, hackers also use the same technology to test their own malware.
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