How AI is changing business cybersecurity

AI has been a disruptor in a variety of industries and practices. In the world of cybersecurity, it’s become a powerful tool as a new way to thwart ransomware and malware. As threats increase and more cybersecurity breaches occur, AI will continue to be a great defense for businesses.

Cybercrime needs as many defenders as possible. The 2019 Annual Cybercrime Report suggests that it will cost the world $6 trillion by 2021. To counter this, the Cybersecurity Market Report predicts global spending on cybersecurity products and services will exceed $1 trillion through 2021.

This spend will most certainly include AI tools. AI also has the ability to fill the gaps as the cybersecurity industry continues to have talent shortages.

How AI is improving cybersecurity

One of the most important ways AI is impacting cybersecurity is with threat detection. Machine learning-based technology is rather efficient as detection. With machine learning, threats can actually be predicted and anomalies instantly identified. Machine learning can also use supervised algorithms, which find threats based on labeled data—malware vs. non-malware—that it has been trained for.

As the machine learns, AI performs pattern recognition to recognize malicious behavior in software. Further, AI could detect malicious files, including web shell, and then defensively isolate them from the system.

AI offers companies the ability to automate to find cyber threats. Some companies are depending solely on automation as their cybersecurity guard.

AI also can enable better password protection and authentication, keeping cybercriminals from physically entering hardware. Passwords, after all, are extremely vulnerable. AI offers a biometric login approach. AI can be used to determine physical characteristics such as fingerprints and retinal scans, making the system much more secure than ever before.

Regarding authentication, AI-powered systems help create a real-time, dynamic, and global authentication framework. Artificial intelligence can alter access privileges based on location or network.

AI in cybersecurity also affects Natural Language Processing. AI-powered systems collect data for reference by scanning articles, studies, and information on cyber threats. AI then uses Natural Language Processing to select information that could be valuable. With this insight, cybersecurity professionals can calculate risks and make predictions on future attacks. This enables firms to develop strategies for keeping networks secure.

With all these opportunities for AI to impact cybersecurity, it would seem to be a no-brainer to use it. However, your company may not have the resources or expertise to implement such a system. Using AI in cybersecurity is highly complex. Instead of going it alone, turn to a professional cybersecurity firm.

Identifying a cybersecurity partner

Here are some actionable tips on choosing the best cybersecurity partner for your company.

Credentials matter

While many cybersecurity firms appear to have the experience you expect, it’s a good idea to ask the right questions. They should be able to provide you with information about why cybersecurity is vital to your company and have the credentials to back it up. How will they protect your company? And what is their AI acumen? Ask about certifications as well to ensure their team is up-to-date on the latest in the industry.

Communication is critical

If you choose to work with a cybersecurity partner, you have to ensure that there will be clear, consistent communication about how they are using AI to keep your network safe and what new risks are popping up.

What’s their process?

You should have a good understanding of what it will be like to work with the cybersecurity firm. What are the steps they will take to keep your networks secure? How will they use AI? Their work process should be documented so you know what to expect and have a clear grasp of how they’ll work to defend you from cyber threats.

Ready to find your cybersecurity partner? Connect with Stetson Cybersecurity today to learn how we can help.