The Dual-Edged Sword of AI in Cybersecurity
Our security can be saved by AI. But can it be harmed at the same time?
Cybersecurity is a serious issue. We need a remedy for the illness that plagues our security for so long. AI can help with this in a huge way.
Today, we will talk about AI’s benefits on cybersecurity, how AI can help, and a real life example that illustrates the entire picture.
AI can help with threat detection and response. What does this mean? AI algorithms can detect and flag suspicious activities, malware, and data breaches faster than traditional security tools. Also, AI can help in user behavior analysis, meaning AI can analyze user behavior patterns to detect problems and identify potential insider threats or compromised accounts. By learning normal user behavior, AI can flag unusual activities that may indicate a security breach or unauthorized access.
I find this area to be of utmost importance because vulnerabilities in our systems and AI can lead to major issues, for example, in political matters, wars, and even shootings. We must ignite the conservation and take action. So many countries are at risk. Artificial intelligence can prevent 85% of all security breaches. Moreover, AI can help detect threats 50% faster than traditional methods. What’s more, AI can automate up to 90% of routine cybersecurity tasks. Additionally, AI-powered tools can identify 85% of malware threats missed by traditional antivirus programs. It is pretty blatant that AI is instrumental in cybersecurity intervention.
But AI is not completely good in this area. For example, 75% of security professionals said they have seen an uptick in attacks over the past year, with 85% attributing the rise to bad actors using generative AI. This is huge. Also, AI can analyze vast amounts of personal data to create highly personalized phishing emails or social engineering attacks, making them more likely to deceive victims. Furthermore, AI can be used to clone voices, creating deepfakes that can be used to impersonate individuals and trick people into revealing sensitive information. Also, there is the issue of automated phishing. AI can generate highly personalized phishing emails, making them more convincing and harder to detect. This is scary. However, it is the reality of our new, “tech-filled” world. And AI’s capabilities will only continue to grow. There is a clear urgent need to control AI, and not let it control the tech/social world we proudly call home. I want you and I to work towards making this fiction a reality. It will take some time, but I believe we can make progress if we take each other’s hands and push for this.
I want you to now imagine you were dealing with important information. Wouldn’t you feel so vulnerable knowing there is someone out there waiting for your back to be turned to launch an attack on your privacy? I definitely would. This highlights the urgency of the situation. Please, after you read this article, think of something you can do within your ability that will make some impact on this sector of humanity.
I’m sure some of you have gone through the menacing situation of a data-breach. I empathize with you, because it must have been scary and stressful. I believe there is now an even more compelling reason to work towards a safer future free of such attacks. The time to act is now. So let’s raise our voices, get involved, and fight to ensure that the promise of AI in cybersecurity outweighs its misgivings. The future of our digital world depends on it.
Thank you for reading,
Ethics4All.
Works Cited
https://cybermagazine.com/articles/cybercriminals-are-creating-a-darker-side-to-ai
