This past year saw a surge in the complexity of networking systems and algorithm-backed adaptive technology as AI became not only commonplace but essential for many businesses and even private-use computer systems. Whether these are low-risk systems employees use to collaborate or share information or high-risk platforms clients use to transfer funds, buy Bitcoin, or plan projects, these systems introduce new vulnerabilities and opportunities for user error. They also give hackers and cyber-criminals new tools to use against security software.
This isn’t the first time the face of cybersecurity has seen a monumental shift, but the scale is difficult to fully grasp. Here are some things to keep in mind going into the year.
The Bad Guys Also Have AI
Cybersecurity teams are already using AI and Machine Learning as critical new tools in their early detection kit. AI helps them to predict, identify, and respond to threats with more speed and precision than ever before. As real-time threat analysis becomes more common, and machine learning naturally iterates and improves through use, you can expect AI-backed security systems to become exponentially more advanced throughout the year.
Will they keep up with malicious AI, though? Cybersecurity will always be an arms race between your defenses and the ingenuity of those you are defending against. One main attack of the past decade involved sneaking malignant programs onto an otherwise secure network. In this new era, those programs will be artificially intelligent and adaptive, so they will learn and adapt with each attack. Stubborn criminals can train AI bots against a specific company’s defenses, creating custom-built agents.
Upskilling Teams for New Cybersecurity Challenges
One key to succeeding in the new era will be educating teams about these threats. This includes making sure your security team doesn’t fall behind a rapidly advancing skill gap, assuming that poor actors are always at the bleeding edge of technology.
It also includes, however, training the larger workforce to recognize artificially intelligent phishing schemes. As the Internet of Things expands and workers integrate an ever-increasing number of devices onto your team’s network, there will be a multiplying number of vulnerabilities and opportunities for user error. Factor in th
e rise of remote work and the uncountable risks this brings, and you’ll see no shortage of invitations for malicious attacks.
While your security team constantly trains to defend each new potential hole in an expanding firewall, the rest of the workforce—and potentially even clients and customers—will have to do their part to keep the network secure. While your security team constantly trains to defend each new potential hole in an expanding firewall, the rest of the workforce—and potentially even clients and customers—will have to do their part to keep the network secure. So whether you decide to build your own app or just want to secure your company data, security should be a shared responsibility across the organization
New Security Concepts Will Be Common
Once niche concepts, ideas like Zero Trust Security and Cybersecurity Insurance are already becoming commonplace in some of the most high-risk virtual environments. Both assume that some unpredictable sort of network violation is inevitable. Zero Trust Security requires constant verification even on internal networks, creating cells of security that will endure even if part of the network has been compromised, like a bank where every door in the building has its own combination and key. Cybersecurity Insurance, meanwhile, covers the eventual damage that malicious attacks can do.
Whether your approach to new security challenges is proactive upskilling and predictive AI security bots, reactive insurance and constant verification, or more likely a combination of all of the above, there’s no ignoring these new challenges. Every online company’s networks will engage with AI in one way or another, for better or worse.