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Cybersecurity Awareness Month: AI Powered Cyber Threats

Utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) has risen across industries and enterprises, and also for personal use. This includes the rapid production of content such as text, code, images, videos, audio, strategy and more, saving time and thought power in the service of creating compelling, quality assets, or understanding complex ideas.

However, not everyone is using AI for noble aims, giving rise to a dangerous slew of cyber threats that have the potential to be more potent and sophisticated than anything we’ve ever seen. The same advanced technology that can be used to accelerate tasks and content development, also has the power to assist bad actors and cyber criminals gain access to sensitive data and critical systems.

For Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we explore this new frontier laid by AI and ML, and the nefarious forces seeking to take advantage of these powerful capabilities.

Why Should We Be Concerned about AI and Cybercrime?

Cybercrime is a field that already amasses multi-billion dollar losses per year, a staggering figure that continually rises. Using AI tools, this figure has the potential to skyrocket, as cybercriminals can deploy intricate, targeted attacks with more ease now than ever before. Even low-skilled cybercriminals may now quickly develop attacks that are more advanced than what an average hacker could take months to develop alone. Through AI, cybercriminals are improving existing attacks, generating new attacks, automating and scaling attacks, as well as developing a myriad of deepfakes, voice scams, password cracking algorithms and more. The carousel of options at the disposal of cybercriminals is cause for deep concern and renewed vigilance. Anyone can be a target from large Government and Fortune 500 organizations to small businesses and unsuspecting populations, such as the elderly and children.

AI-Enhanced Cyber Threat Examples:

  • Voice scams – Imposter phone calls mimicking the natural voice of people you know and trust
  • Deepfakes – Producing videos/images that replicates a person’s likeness
  • Evading Detection – Masking malicious code to evade and bypass antivirus protections
  • DDOS Attacks – Enhancing volume and protocol-based attacks that aim to deny important user services
  • Phishing/Smishing Attacks – Quickly producing high-quality email/text exchanges that swindle users in order to gain access to sensitive data, critical systems and financial information

While many of these attack vectors have existed without the integration of AI, this technology overwhelmingly strengthens each of these cyber threats. As artificial intelligence becomes smarter, highly effective attacks are developed with greater ease.

Cybersecurity Improvements with AI May Be the Answer

In response to increased AI-enhanced cyber threats, security experts are honing AI to bolster cybersecurity prevention, detection, and automated response capabilities to secure critical assets. These controls and countermeasures are being applied throughout various cybersecurity technologies and processes, from detecting malicious code and analyzing large datasets to uncovering indicators of compromise and automating incident responses.

Fighting fire with fire, AI use in cybersecurity helps keep pace with the growing influx of new and enhanced cyber threats. This will eventually make it mandatory to leverage AI and ML to secure organizations from cyberattacks. Even the U.S. Department of Defense recently announced its plans to open an AI Security Center to integrate artificial intelligence capabilities into national security. With each passing day, this need for AI-enhanced cyber defense becomes more apparent as headlines continue to spread news of cyberbreaches against notable Government entities and commercial enterprises alike.

Whether you’re ready to deepen your investment in cybersecurity, or not, it’s important for organizations and individuals to be aware of the threat landscape and practice good cyber hygiene. In addition to the basic countermeasures and controls (such as those detailed in NIST Special Publication 800-53), AI assisted security practices should also be considered.

AI-Enhanced Cyber Defense (Forbes Recommended):

  • Access control measures – ML algorithms can flag suspicious login attempts, making it easier to identify potential security breaches
  • Continuous Monitoring – Helps security experts identify emerging threats and trends, as well as take preventative measures
  • Reduction of false-positives – Strengthens threat detection and analysis with increased accuracy and efficiency
  • Insider Threats – AI solutions can determine employees who may be engaging in fraudulent activities against their employers
  • Incident response automation – AI can orchestrate containment and remediation activities independent of user involvement

For Cybersecurity Services, Choose Seneca Resources

In this complex, rapidly evolving threat landscape, it makes a difference to partner with someone you can trust. Seneca Resources has decades of experience providing cybersecurity services to both public and private sector customers. Furthermore, the firm has proven AI and ML expertise and experience to help customers navigate technological advancements and next-gen digital transformation.

For more information about Seneca Resources’ cybersecurity capabilities, please contact us at info@senecahq.com or (703) 390-9099.

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