AI and Cyber Security

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): Two phrases that have become major buzzwords in the technology world.

Whereas AI and ML used to seem futuristic, like the stuff of movies, today, these technologies can be found in businesses as diverse as banking, advertising, and retail shopping.

Banks like HSBC and The Commonwealth Bank of Australia are using AI-powered chatbots to handle customer inquiries. Amazon Go, the internet giant’s new cashless checkout store, uses Artificial Intelligence to monitor in-store activity. Sensors analyze customer movements and can determine when items are removed from shelves.

How AI Can Impact Cyber Security Procedures

By its very nature, Artificial Intelligence mimics human intelligence by using computing power to teach itself human speech recognition and calculate complex mathematical computations. In the world of Cyber Security, this has many practical purposes.

For example, certain analytical processes that previously took many man-hours to complete are now automated and significantly faster. ML can not only discover phishing and spam attempts, but learn patterns and use them to anticipate and prevent future incidents.

One area where AI can be particularly effective is password protection and user authentication. Because passwords can be hacked, technology companies have been pushing for higher levels of security for years.

That’s the idea behind biometric logins, which are next to impossible to breach. An individual’s retina, palm print, or finger scan is unique to each person and therefore, cannot be mimicked. AI can use these physical characteristics for passwords and unique logins, ensuring greater levels of security.

Volume of Data

Often, it’s not the data itself, but the sheer amount of data. Take the airline industry as an example. Airlines’ websites and servers are constantly changing. They process enormous amounts of information, from passenger bookings to updates from the FAA and the National Weather Service.

Consumer spending is another area that generates considerable data. In the United States, credit card volumes are over $3 trillion from both offline and online purchases. This creates massive records of financial transactions, which are analyzed by banks and credit card providers. Consumer purchasing behavior is also studied, by retail companies and analytics firms.

Man vs. Artificial Intelligence

At today’s rapid rate of technological advancement, manual system checks can no longer be relied upon. Companies need to quickly locate perceived threats and shore up any weak points-of-entry to their servers. AI allows businesses to do this quickly and accurately, saving human Cyber Security professionals a lot of time.

The lack of Cyber Professionals, combined with ever-increasing security risks, make AI and ML necessary tools for companies and governments.

While AI and ML tools can clearly benefit Cyber Security, there are also some concerns among industry experts.

As high-tech as AI may be, it lacks human perception. It is only the human eye that can detect certain anomalies and use critical thinking skills.

Computers—even next-gen ones—lack these very human skills.

Because this inherent weakness in AI and ML tools can be a security risk, leading Cyber Professionals believe that a combination of automation with human involvement can be a solution.

For more on the latest in Cyber Security trends and news, check out other HackerUSA blogs and news.


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