Cyber security threats exploit weaknesses in companies. Potentially critical vulnerabilities can arise from any loophole caused by hardware weaknesses, compromised procedures, and software. Some are detected only after an attack has occurred. Strong cyber security protocols are essential for a resilient and reliable digital transformation.
AI is actively working behind the scenes to detect cyber security threats and mitigate them more effectively. It can analyze large amounts of data and detect vulnerabilities in business systems. AI offers a variety of cyber security benefits during the digital transformation era.
The top cyber security attacks in the US for 2021/2022
Check Point Research data shows that cyber-attacks are on the rise by 50% each year. Globally, organizations experienced an average of 925 cyber-attacks per week in 2021. Cyber-attacks are a common occurrence on at least 30,000 websites each week. In 2021, the average loss from data breaches is $4.24 million. ITRC (Identity Theft Resource Center), released data showing that the US experienced 1,291 major data breaches.
Ransomware, undetected security holes, and third-party vulnerability were the main security risks in 2021. External third-party attacks were dominated by attacks from business email compromise (BEC). AI cyber security technologies can help organizations fight BEC using the most recent machine-learning-based anti-BEC technology.
In 2021/2022, the largest cyber security attacks were against major US corporations with global influence. Companies such as:
Microsoft It was attacked in January 2021, and the impact affected 30,000 US-based organizations. It had an impact on 60,000 organizations worldwide. Microsoft is the world’s largest email exchange server, but hackers were able take advantage of its coding mistakes.
Facebook: Facebook was the victim of a massive cyber-attack that left 530 million people exposed in April 2021. It was caused by a data breach that was not immediately detected. Hackers accessed user profiles.
JBS USA Holdings :JBS USA Holdings, a major food processor in the US. Ransomware attacks caused serious disruptions in the company’s meat processing plants and led to its May 2021 attack. They were required to pay a ransom of $11 million in bitcoin. Outsourcing a business process to established outsourcing companies is one way to protect your business from being attacked.
Civicom – Civicom, a New York-based company that provides online services like market analysis and video conferencing, is based out of New York. The company was hit with a serious breach in February 2022 that resulted in the disclosure of 8 terabytes worth of sensitive data. It was caused by vulnerabilities in the cloud storage configuration.
AI’s role in cyber security prevention
Globally, the cyber security landscape is evolving with new types and threats to organizations. Scammers and hackers are targeting not only businesses but also clients. Clients are tricked into purchasing goods from them, believing they are shopping at their preferred supplier. Organizations must adapt their approach to cyber security threats. This war has been won by AI.
AI used to counter cybersecurity threats
Countering cyber threats used to be a tedious, manual task. Experts would identify a new threat and analyze its characteristics before adding it to the list. As the threat list grew and evolved, this process became ineffective. It was essential to train protection systems in order to detect new threats before they happened and to develop counterattack strategies.
This was possible thanks to the AI subfields. These subfields included machine learning and planning, NLP, expert system, and neural networks. These areas play an important role in the cybersecurity paradigm shift. Although they do not provide all the solutions, they can help to create automated decision-making processes. They can quickly spot unusual patterns or changes in the data structure and take immediate corrective actions.
First, the algorithms for AI are taught using real data, such as impersonation and third-party exposures. These patterns are taught to AI so it can recognize them and take corrective action before they happen. Each sub-branch has a different role in suspicious pattern detection. It takes a lot of data to teach the AI algorithms cyber security vulnerabilities and prevention.
Uses for AI in cybersecurity
AI learns by three components: reasoning, learning, and self-correction. First, it acquires new knowledge/skills. Then it draws logical conclusions based upon that knowledge/experience. The final phase of learning is the ability to recognize and correct errors.
Deep learning and machine learning allow AI to automatically detect and classify data. This includes suspicious network activity or anomaly detection. AI also acts to decrease security breaches and improve the security structure. AI continues to learn from historical and new data in order to improve its effectiveness. AI is able to accurately predict future attacks and evolves with new threats.
AI can detect fraud detection, process behavior analysis, and suspicious behaviours in systems. It monitors websites and domains to ensure their reputation is high-valued. AI can detect similar websites, email addresses, applications, social media accounts and payment solutions. The technology is used by organizations to run system security scans, identify vulnerabilities, and create comprehensive reports.
The advantages of using AI for cybersecurity
AI uses automated processes to provide faster detection and response times. It is capable of processing large amounts of data in real-time and can deal with them all. It is constantly learning new threats to aid in detection. It is capable of identifying unknown threats and stopping them. AI is more adept at managing vulnerabilities and threats than human beings. A company eliminates redundant processes that are common in vulnerability management and manual threats.
Conclusion
It is easier and more productive for organizations to integrate digital technology into all departments. Cyber-attacks are also more likely. AI allows organizations detect and eliminate potential threats quicker and more efficiently. AI can analyze large amounts of data, which decreases the need to have highly-trained IT professionals.
