Reportedly, ransomware attacks have been relentless and impacting every organisation everywhere. These attacks are expected to follow a unique kill chain that comprises complex tactics which require human involvement. Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to drive better technological security structures with applications such as FraudGPT and WormGPT, among others. “ AI can help make ransomware encryption more resistant against decryption and reverse engineering by optimising encryption algorithm. It is also possible that ransomware negotiations with victims can be powered through a generative AI chatbot. By harnessing AI, ransomware operators can scale their operations much wider to attack more victims while increasing the effectiveness of their attacks,” Reuben Koh, director, security technology and strategy, Asia Pacific and Japan, Akamai Technologies, told FE-TransformX.
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Generative AI-powered virtual assistants are expected to enable businesses to turn conversational requests into consistent, governed and high-quality complex automation. About 82% are looking for specialised and industry-specific automation technologies, such as custom large language models for generative AI, as per insights from the ‘Now and Next report’ by Automation Anywhere, an intelligent automation solutions provider. Also, 61% of enterprises mentioned that they cannot detect breach attempts without the use of AI technologies. By 2026, the global AI in cybersecurity market is projected to reach $46.3 billion, as per insights from Zipdo, a market research firm.
Real World
Reportedly, Verizon in its data breach investigation report stated that it had submitted private call details of a woman to a man who sent them a fake search warrant while impersonating a police officer over email. This is an underappreciated fact that most cyberattacks are rooted in something like this. These techniques are called social engineering. Doing this at scale was impractical earlier. About 20% of breaches took months or longer before organisations realised something was amiss, as per insights from
In 2024, it is expected that business leaders, including CEOs, will intensify their focus on cyber resilience. With over 90% expressing concern about ransomware attacks as per IDC, the connection between cyber resilience and operational stability is clear. “AI has the potential to shape cyber resilience by enabling faster and more accurate threat detection. Choosing the right AI platforms, however, with simplicity and alignment with business goals, will be vital considering that tool fragmentation is a known risk to cyber resilience. Fostering an organisational culture where C-suite leaders participate in recovery exercises could also, potentially, be a game-changer in becoming more cyber resilient,” Balaji Rao, VP, India and SAARC, Commvault, said.
Industry experts believe with technological advancements, companies can leverage GenAI capabilities, such as predictive analytics and automated threat response, to identify security gaps, and reduce risk and complexity, among others, for reducing exposure to security breaches. “ As AI demonstrates the ability to intentionally lie to trick people into doing something, this becomes an unprecedented security threat. Since people cannot be expected to always be vigilant against such threats, the antidote would look like AI systems that can reliably flag and filter out such attempts,” Anmol Saini, head, product wing, GreyB, explained.
The road ahead
In addressing cyber threats, AI’s role can be looked at within a zero-trust security architecture, where every interaction is subject to continuous scrutiny. Quantum-resistant encryption is expected to become imperative to counter the potential threat posed by quantum computing to existing cryptographic systems. “Collaborative efforts of AI and quantum-resistant techniques, not only bolster the detection and mitigation of cyber threats but also ensure the long-term sustainability of cybersecurity measures in the face of quantum advancements. The integration of quantum-safe AI models can fight against cyber threats,” Shailesh Dhuri, CEO, Decimal Point Analytics, highlighted.
Experts believe that predictive AI tools can analyse threats and detect anomalies faster than humans, while adversarial AI systems can misdirect malicious bots. By understanding the tactics of threat actors, defensive AI systems can identify sophisticated cyberattacks and provide intelligence to block and respond to them. “ In 2024, AI-driven cybersecurity is expected to be the norm, where leaders might need to invest in robust data infrastructure, AI training, and security frameworks. Adopting AI solutions today can allow companies to accumulate learnings and data assets to stay adaptable against future unknown threats,” Vivek Mittal, founder, Yugasa Software Labs, concluded.
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