February 9, 2017
With Great power comes Great Rresponsibility. -Spiderman
While there is no doubt that today internet and technology has become the most powerful tool for humankind, effective regulation and control of this enormous power is yet to be harnessed. Providing an efficient security system to over 2 billion users online has become a colossal challenge.
2016 witnessed some major and high-level cyber crimes throughout the world. Whether it is the banking sector or financial sector or the business sector, hackers have ridiculed the sheer concept of digital security. The hacking of Hillary Clinton’s private email server proves that cyber crime is seriously affecting sensitive fields like international politics. In addition to this whole fiasco, in the mid-2016 security researchers at Kaspersky have confirmed that the trend of ransomware continues to increase and could be the biggest threat to major organizations.
To know more about the cyber crime stories in 2016, click here
If this whole trend of hacking continues to grow without any barriers, digital space could (or has) become the most unsafe place for personal and commercial communications.
How can Artificial Intelligence help?
It is evident that humans have achieved a very little success in providing a better cyber security today. There is not enough man force to continuously tackle with the notorious cyber criminals. It is estimated that more than 1 million workers are needed to fill the cyber security jobs globally.
All sizes of enterprises, ranging from startups to major global organizations today are investing heavily in AI to improve cyber security. By analyzing a large amount of data in the shortest period, AI systems help cyber security experts to identify all the potential threats detected. Here are few ways through which AI could truly help in preventing potential hacking:
Using machine learning algorithms
By integrating machine learning algorithms, intelligent systems could continuously evolve their capabilities of identifying and analyzing a security flaw in the system. For example, by constantly scrutinizing phishing messages, AI could develop its ability to detect the messaging and convincing style of a phisher. By applying such constant research-driven intelligence, AI systems could easily predict such anomalies or malicious behavior inside the system.
Tracking Cyber Criminals
Internet anonymity has become the biggest boon for any hacker today. While the pros and cons of internet anonymity are still debated, the fact remains that it is becoming increasingly difficult to track cyber criminals manually. With the help of big data and cyber security analytics, AI could aid not only in tracking down the source of a cyber crime but also in predicting how and when a cyber attack could occur.
Analyzing the aftermath of an attack
No matter how much an organization is well equipped against an attack, with the continuous war going on against hackers nothing could be entirely predicted. It is essential to investigate the causes and the later consequences of an attack. By using automated investigative algorithms, AI could help cyber professionals in understanding the required information and drawing educated conclusions.
Reacting instantly to an attack
Just like cyber security, cyber attacks continue to evolve in their variations and complexity. Hackers are finding new ways everyday to corrupt an organization’s system. Time plays an extremely crucial role when a system is under attack. By using an old malware detection software during an attack, a lot of time would be lost as most of these softwares could detect only the recognizable malicious viruses. If the viruses are redesigned, it becomes highly impossible to recognize them.
In such scenarios, AI could help not only in detecting the recognizable viruses but also in predicting and analyzing what the virus does. This quick prediction could assist professionals in recognizing the threat and minimizing further damage.
Just like there are two sides to every coin, AI could be used for both constructive and destructive purposes when it comes to cyber security. The rapid advancements in intelligent systems can be used by both hackers and security providers. Unless there is some revolutionary discovery of an absolutely impeccable security system in the future, an organization’s data will remain unsafe and unprotected.