ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & CYBERSECURITY:
BENEFIT OR THREAT?
Cyberattacks targeting businesses, large and small, are made public almost weekly. The number of these attacks has exploded since 2019, and flexible and remote working options have not made things any better.
Since the pandemic, nearly every business has been forced to open up their networks and systems to operate remotely. On average, over 61% of companies have implemented home office for all employees by 2021. Therefore, in the current situation of increasing digital transformation, cybersecurity awareness has become an absolute necessity.
According to Cesin’s latest Corporate Cybersecurity Barometer, released in January, nearly 54% of companies report experiencing at least one cyberattack in 2021. The most common attack vectors remain phishing (73%), the exploitation of vulnerabilities (53%) and “the president scam” (38%).
Beyond simply customizing phishing techniques, hackers are increasingly using Artificial Intelligence to make their operations more effective. AI can make fake emails more believable, both in the words used and in the turns of phrase, so that they resemble the wording and writing style of a company executive, for example. AI can also make spelling mistakes and rough translations non-existent.
Cybersecurity experts, too, are using artificial intelligence to combat these new types of attacks. AI can evaluate huge amounts of data and can easily and quickly detect anomalous behavior. It can also determine risk profiles, i.e. the tendency of an individual to click on a dangerous link based on his or her digital behavior.
Artificial intelligence is therefore a double-edged sword. It can be beneficial in many areas, including cybersecurity. But it can also pose a threat. As a result, cybersecurity professionals must constantly develop new, modern defenses to thwart the innovations of hackers…
