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AI is already changing the way we interact with technology, but it can be difficult to pinpoint where it can have the biggest impact. Getty Images
Artificial intelligence is already changing the way we interact with technology. However, it can be difficult to identify the locations that can have the greatest operational impact. AI has a wide range of use cases, but it works best when applied to specific tasks as a force multiplier for human teams. For many organizations, one of the most impactful AI investments is in cybersecurity.
Cyberattacks are one of the biggest risks to modern organizations of all sizes.our the study found an 8% increase in weekly cyberattacks worldwide in the first half of 2023 alone. The effects range from paying ransoms to shutting down services in critical sectors of the economy, and even disrupting critical services, as we saw with the Colonial pipeline breach.
Threat actors are quickly adopting new technologies, especially artificial intelligence, to more effectively exploit their targets. During the Colonial Pipeline attack in 2021, cybersecurity incidents succeeded in breaching 18% of the time. Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report. Since then, his success rate has increased to over 30%. As threat actors use AI to increase their effectiveness, it is imperative that all organizations evolve in parallel to not only respond to these threats, but also prevent them.
Threat actors and AI
Cyber threat actors are leveraging AI in ways that have significant impact at cloud scale. This is perhaps most visible in social engineering-based attacks.
according to knowbee 4, at least 70% of malicious breaches result from social engineering or phishing attacks. This means that attackers don’t necessarily exploit any technical vulnerabilities at all, but usually by sending emails with malicious attachments masquerading as legitimate senders to trick users into using legitimate access credentials. persuade them to give up. With the advent of generative AI models in 2022, this attack vector becomes even more dangerous.
Threat actors are experts in finding malicious applications due to advances in technology, and ChatGPT is no exception. They discovered that despite its safety measures, the tool could be easily used to create malicious emails for phishing campaigns. Before this, many phishing emails contained obvious red flags such as poor grammar, unusual word choices, typos, and other question-provoking deviations. This lucky last line of defense has disappeared as threat actors use generative AI to create formally perfect and often personalized phishing lures. These engines typically have natural speech translation capabilities that can be used to construct and deploy malicious files.
Generative AI lowers the barrier to entry throughout the attack lifecycle. The generative AI boom may already be having an impact: the study shows that email-delivered attacks will skyrocket in 2023, accounting for 86% of all recorded file-based attacks. Other types of AI also enhance the capabilities of threat actors by automating attacks, finding vulnerabilities, managing botnets, and more. They use artificial intelligence as a power amplifier.
Reducing risk optimizes cyber resilience
Over the past few years, attacks have occurred against a wide variety of organizations, from multinational corporations to local governments and even individual schools and hospitals. Most of these organizations have very limited cybersecurity expertise, and threat actors are not opportunistic.inside First half of 2023for example, healthcare institutions alone experienced 1,634 cyberattacks. Week by week A jump of 18% compared to last year.
The economic impact of an attack can be severe and manifold. Risks range from upfront ransom payments to the disclosure of commercially sensitive information, the cost of idle machinery, and a wide range of other possibilities. In some cases, this may lead to litigation. generate a settlement In hundreds of millions of dollars.As claims increase and insurers realize the scale of cyber risk, the insurance industry We have revised our insurance premiums. It is cost-prohibitive for most organizations.
At the same time, even the most well-funded organizations are expected to fund security teams with the personnel and expertise needed to confront a full-scale modern threat environment without increasing their forces. you can’t. This is where defensive AI comes in as an essential foundation for any organization. No matter what other technologies and innovations you implement, they are always at risk of cyberattacks that can disrupt operations and expose your company to potentially devastating liability.
Furthermore, new technologies also serve as new points of entry for malicious actors. we are watching this closely Use Internet of Things (IoT) devices. As cybercriminals adapt and become more effective in using AI in their attacks, organizations must use AI to combat that threat. prevention position. The current set of point products has significant avoidable blind spots and limited interoperability. Implement a unified cybersecurity platform that uses AI to continuously improve proactive detection and remediation over time or identify anomalous behavior within tightly defined boundaries. Zero trust policycyber resilience against all types of attacks will be dramatically enhanced.
AI is driving breakthrough advances in commerce, healthcare, education, logistics, and other areas vital to society. We cannot take these advances for granted by failing to protect them. Prevention-focused cybersecurity is possible for organizations of all sizes through AI-enabled solutions. Establishing this type of integrated security posture is the next generation of protection.
Rupal Hollenbeck is president of Check Point Software Technologies. Check Point is a partner of Fortune Brainstorm AI.