Using AI in Cybersecurity 

We should start learning using AI in cyber security because Hackers aren’t going to slow down any time soon and with a using AI!

The next step to level up in protecting your business’s IT infrastructure is to integrate artificial intelligence. Studies have revealed that AI will strengthen the wall between systems and cyber threats.  

According to an IBM report, the average total cost of a data breach increased in 2021 from $3.86 million to $4.24 million. Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated and advanced in their attacks resulting in this significant rise in cost. They are elevating their approaches through intensified phishing, and ransomware attacks against the human layer of an organization, who are the weakest link in cyber defense and are responsible for 14% of successful cyber breaches in 2021.  

With the advancement in cyberattacks, organizations are looking for a way to protect their data and IT systems, and to do so, they must adopt a more proactive approach. To be ahead of threats, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has proved its capabilities. AI enhances the security of an organization’s IT infrastructure to ward off cyber criminals and keep clients and employees protected.  

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?   

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that focuses on building and managing technologies and algorithms that can learn to autonomously make decisions and carry out actions on behalf of a human being. In the case of cybersecurity, AI is a double-edged knife. It is beneficial for security reasons as it can help in protecting a business, but it also, could be misused by remote criminals to launch malicious attacks. Statistics reveal that the global market of AI in cybersecurity is expected to reach $66.22 billion by 2029 due to the frequency and complexity of cyber threats.  

Finding a needle in a haystack is difficult and finding traces of an attack in a sea of data produced by machines is a daunting job where humans won’t be able to read let alone get insights and useful information on who maliciously accessed networks and systems.   

5 Benefits of Using AI in Cybersecurity

1- AI in cyber security can handle a lot of data  

On a typical company’s server, a lot of activities take place. This implies that a significant amount of data is transmitted daily between customers and the company and between machines and networks. Cybersecurity analysts can’t examine every bit of data for potential risks.   

The best choice for detecting threats that pass for everyday activity is artificial intelligence. It can sort through a lot of data and traffic, segment, cluster and make automated actions based on accurate analysis. Additionally, it can recognize any dangers that might be hiding in the chaos.  

2- AI in cyber security Reduces response time   

The ability to detect threats quickly is crucial, as 42% of organizations reported an increase in threats that are time sensitive. And solely depending on humans will most likely take longer and will not be the most efficient results to say the least. While on the other hand, AI is capable of scanning large amount of data at once and identifying cyber threats in real-time making security tasks much simpler. 56% of organizations have stated that their cybersecurity analysts are overwhelmed with the volume of threats and 23% of them are not even able to effectively investigate the detected threats. (Capgemini Reinventing Cybersecurity with Artificial Intelligence Report)  

3- AI in cyber security Helps in predicting future threats  

This is one of most looked after promises coming from AI. organizations want to move from being reactive to proactive and to do so, AI comes to the rescue. The amount of data cybersecurity analysts go through is massive, making it difficult for them to predict future threats. However, with AI’s capability of handling a plethora of data at once, it can help in detecting any malicious activity or even potential threats early on to prevent them. This is beneficial to help in wasting less time and human resources and to always be a step ahead.  

4-  An aid for human analysts  

To offer a safe experience for your users and employees, having a secure network is important. A way to achieve an extra layer of protection is by securing authentication with AI, as it provides a selection of methods such as fingerprint and face recognition. It can help in enhancing the manual effort made in detecting threats by using information given by the machines from past attacks. 60% of executives have noted an improvement in their cyber analysts due to the introduction of AI (Capgemini Reinventing Cybersecurity with Artificial Intelligence Report).  

5- AI in cyber security Helps reduce costs  

The financial impact of data breaches is irrefutable. Year over year, more companies are affected by them, and criminals have no intentions to stop. Studies reveal that businesses who deploy the usage of AI for cybersecurity purposes experience an 80% difference in lower costs, $2.90 million, compared to $6.71 million for organizations without (IBM Cost of Data Breach Report 2021). And 64% of executives agreed that when they used AI, it lowered the cost of breach detection and response (Capgemini Reinventing Cybersecurity with Artificial Intelligence Report).  

Conclusion

Hackers with their malicious plans aren’t going to slow down any time soon, they will only keep attacking and sharpening their skills over time. Not to mention the challenge in cybersecurity talent scarcity, which is why businesses of all sizes should be on the lookout for ways to improve how they accurately protect their systems while manage cost.  

With using AI, an organization can achieve this and better. Studies have proved the effectiveness of deploying AI for cybersecurity. Hackers have a challenging time matching AI’s intelligence since it is always improving as it gets better in identifying risks which makes the use of AI in cybersecurity a great way to improve your detection and protection and reduce the dependence on human beings.   

AI is an advancement in cybersecurity!