The global market size for cyber security is expected to reach $345.4 billion, an indicator that cyberattacks are the biggest threat that sectors dealing with extensive data records face.
Small, medium and large enterprises continue to invest in cyber security infrastructure to avoid being victims of online fraud and attacks.
These threats range from phishing attacks, ransom attacks, stolen devices, and network attacks.
The digital world has made significant strides toward curbing cyber threats, and one of the breakthroughs is artificial intelligence.
From timely threat detection to enhancing user authentication, artificial intelligence has shown the potential to revolutionize the cybersecurity industry by improving data protection.
Cybersecurity specialists had a lot on their hands before artificial intelligence came into the picture.
Finding and fixing bugs in data loads can be time-consuming, but artificial intelligence and machine learning technology have helped automate threat detection and management.
So, in what ways has artificial intelligence transformed the cybersecurity industry?
Most Rampant Cybersecurity Concerns
Cyberattacks comprise several activities carried out by online criminals to steal valuable company data for their illegal gain.
The stolen data can range from payment information, medical records, customer details, etc.
Fortunately, any reputable artificial intelligence and machine learning development company can help create models to detect the threats below and many others.
1.) Malware
A malware attack happens after a user clicks on a malicious link or email. Once in the computer system, malware which can be a virus, trojan, worm, or spyware, affects the system’s operations by, for example, denying access to some parts or whole of the network.
Attackers can use malware to collect user information, like passwords, for illegal use, such as unauthorized purchases.
2.) Phishing
This cyber attack lures users to click or download malicious files via email, social media, or phone to steal personal details.
A perfect example of phishing at work was during the Covid-19 pandemic when many victims received attachments from attackers posing as Corona medics or government sharing pandemic updates.
Attackers win their victims through impersonation, which is hard to decipher for most people.
3.) Ransomware
Ransomware is blackmail-driven, where attackers gain control over a targeted network or files and can only release them after their financial or alternative demands have been fulfilled.
The attackers deny network owners access to the system until the amount or ransom requested is settled.
4.) DOS Attacks
Denial of Service attacks aim to render a targeted system unresponsive to legitimate users.
The attacker overloads a server with requests, causing it to stall or crash. Denial of service attacks can cost companies a lot of money if the attack is prolonged because it prompts users to find alternatives.
How Artificial Intelligence Has Impacted Cyber Security Industry
In a digital world where alarming cyber threats keep advancing, artificial intelligence technology is, beyond doubt, helping cyber security professionals to find and fix loopholes that could result in data breaches.
Through artificial intelligence, hackers have a hard time intercepting various systems to steal data such as credit card numbers, ATM pins, medical records, etc.
Artificial intelligence technology has impacted the cybersecurity industry in the following ways:
1.) Threats And Spam Detection
Artificial intelligence enables you to detect threats before they happen. For example, you can get alerts if an employee leaves a computer logged in after using it.
It is possible to achieve almost a 100% threat detection rate by combining conventional threat detection strategies with artificial intelligence, minimizing false positives.
Artificial intelligence algorithms detect unusual activities and trends and issue alerts for necessary investigation.
The technology is faster and more efficient than the conventional way of reviewing data records to find anomalies. Detecting potential threats earlier can save your business or company time and costs.
Artificial Intelligence also efficiently blocks bots that can compromise a company’s system by differentiating organic and malicious traffic.
Additionally, artificial intelligence in cybersecurity improves the more it gets used, enabling it to learn communication patterns and making it easy to pinpoint spam content.
2.) Network Connections Security
Businesses dealing with extensive networks due to heavy workloads can lose a lot if compromised.
It can prove hectic trying to facilitate secure connections that cannot be hacked, bearing in mind that hackers rely on sophisticated technology to plan and execute their attacks. Such organizations need top-tier security for safe connections.
Artificial intelligence can help create a threat-proof network model. Artificial intelligence technology streamlines communication and network traffic patterns, notifying relevant teams when there is suspicious web traffic.
With the technology in place, users can channel the time used to clean and patch networks and applications due to malware intrusion toward other high-value tasks.
Artificial intelligence enhances user authentication through techniques like facial recognition and thumb scanners, helping eliminate human-fueled errors like weak or shared passwords.
In doing so, only authorized users get access to a company’s network, making it hard for third parties to penetrate and tamper with the data.
3.) Helps To Manage And Monitor Huge Data
Organizations working with volumes of data become vulnerable to attacks because it is challenging to spot weaknesses in the stacks of information.
These organizations can mitigate the risk of being hacked using artificial intelligence to automate their systems.
Artificial intelligence can predict threats in extensive data, saving time used to, for example, reprogram systems to deal with anomalies.
The technology can effortlessly scan all data and help organizations to interpret posed security challenges.
More importantly, IT teams and other stakeholders can get explanations from artificial intelligence that help in informed decision-making.
3.) Improved Productivity
The energy and time spent securing systems and freeing them from all sorts of threats affect the overall productivity of a business.
With artificial intelligence, startups and enterprises can focus on other vital areas, leaving their security concerns to artificial intelligence-powered tools.
Trained artificial intelligence algorithms sideline human intervention in a way that eases the security burden in cyber teams.
Companies could use the resources to beef up cybersecurity in other areas, thus improving productivity.
5.) Artificial Intelligence Learns And Responds In Real-time
Artificial intelligence is ahead of its time compared to security software because security teams can learn about threats before they take place and act promptly.
The technology can understand and respond in real-time, making it possible to thwart attacks before they happen.
Security software, on the other hand, would require an update to address a loophole after an attack has already happened, making them unreliable.
The Bottom Line
Cybersecurity may be a significant concern in the digital space, but with artificial intelligence, detecting and combating threats has taken a new shape.
The implementation of artificial intelligence in the cybersecurity industry has already taken off.
It is high time business owners seriously consider artificial intelligence and machine learning as an option for fighting cyber threats.