NEW YORK—Cybersecurity experts say the increasing sophistication of artificial intelligence systems could create a new poverty line in the cyber sector, and companies that can afford to research and develop the technology will be better off than those that cannot. He said it will also provide better protection from hackers.
Security leaders and vendors say AI systems, especially generative AI, can offer significant benefits in defending against hacking. These include the ability to quickly sift through vast amounts of data to flag potential breaches, identify product vulnerabilities, and serve as an assistive research tool for analysts.
But experts worry that the benefits of AI will not be available to everyone, especially those without deep pockets.
“With the advent of artificial intelligence, cyber “I’m concerned that the haves and have-nots are changing when it comes to security.” Wednesday at a conference hosted by the nonprofit Aspen Institute.
Mr Joyce said that while AI has benefits for security professionals, he is concerned because it has the potential to dramatically increase the capabilities of hackers. For example, phishing emails can now be created quickly, instantly tailored to their target, and have few obvious signs of a fraudulent message, such as spelling or grammar mistakes.
Similarly, companies can use AI to scan software for vulnerabilities, but so can hackers. Heather Adkins, vice president of security engineering at tech giant Google, suggested that the recent increase in zero-day vulnerabilities is closely related to the development of AI platforms. Small businesses, such as dental offices that still run older versions of the Windows operating system, are the types of businesses that are at risk of being overtaken by technological developments, Adkins said.
The promise and dangers of AI are so great that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on Monday announced how to use AI and how to protect critical infrastructure from AI-powered hacking. announced a strategy outlining the The agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, said it will work with other government agencies and the private sector to develop, test and evaluate tools.
But leveraging this technology is double-edged, and businesses that don’t have the resources or technical skills to understand AI and defend against attacks enabled by the technology risk being left behind. Other speakers at the event said the issue is a challenge even for technically competent companies.
“If you think about some of the capabilities that AI has when it comes to code reviews; [code]Protecting against the unknown is going to be very interesting for us,” said Jameeka Green Aaron, chief information security officer at identity management company Okta.
Email James Rundle at james.rundle@wsj.com.
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