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AI has been slowly but steadily planting its roots in cybersecurity in recent years, and as the technology keeps evolving, so do the threats that are created with malicious intent. As a result, organizations are forced to look for new ways to tackle and keep informed about all the new cyber threats.
A common belief that always prevails is that no AI can match the human touch and knowledge in any given field. It is still true, but sometimes, when there is a lack of talent or skill shortage in a certain field, organizations are forced to depend on AI to get things done.
And cybersecurity is one of those fields that really has a talent shortage issue, and it is only expected to increase in the upcoming years, so all the organizations that try to protect themselves with in-house expertise and organizations that offer cybersecurity as a service have to leverage AI in some way to quickly and efficiently build a resilient environment against the evolving threats.
But it’s not a guarantee that AI can completely help mitigate cyber risks; there are always ways it can open doors to new threats as well, as it all depends on the people who handle it. Before we dive into the drawbacks of AI’s implementation in cybersecurity, let’s explore some of the benefits that it can offer.
Cost Saving
As said earlier, investing in a strong cybersecurity environment is never cheap, especially when organizations look to hire candidates with niche cybersecurity skills when there are far fewer talented candidates available in the market.
With AI in place, organizations can implement them in places where less human involvement is needed and automate tasks, which could be creating reports or analyzing previous cyber incidents and creating a roadmap of when and where a vulnerable system may be targeted.
Less Human Error
Human intervention is always necessary in any circumstance, but one of the biggest challenges with human intervention is that the attention may slip and pave the way for cyberattacks. AI, on the other hand, can analyze systems and servers non-stop, looking for any anomalies or loopholes through which any malicious activity may occur.
Also, AI solely operates on data and how it is trained; this also reduces the chances of any human bias inside the organization while working on critical data.
Quick Threat Response
In an incident of a cyberattack, one important factor that could make a really big difference is the speed at which the organizations realize that there is a cyberattack happening and how fast they are responding to that attack.
And humans, which is the IT team in this scenario, could be infested with multiple other important tasks to focus on; this is a blind spot for them, making them unaware of the cyberattack that is happening. But, with AI being on the lookout 24x7, it can detect the cyberattack instantly and notify the respective team, and if it is automated to move high-risk data to a safe location, it can do it in quick succession, minimizing the overall damage caused by the cyberattack.
Drawbacks of AI in Cybersecurity
Slow Learning Curve
No matter the upgrades to the security systems, the cyberattacks are only going to evolve, pushing organizations to adapt themselves to all the evolved threats. As a result, as much as AI can help keep cyber threats at bay, there may be a few instances where AI may not have enough learning and adaptability towards the new threats since they had to be trained in detecting them.
This will indeed take time, pushing organizations again to depend not only on AI but on talented cyber professionals who can address them. So, AI should be upgraded periodically with all the latest data so that it may have an overview of all possibilities how a threat may occur.
AI on AI
It is not strange that most people are against the use of AI since the AI itself can be the biggest threat. Especially when the hackers have access to the same AI that these organizations do. They can train them in a way that can bypass the organizations' AI’s detection by impersonating a person of the organization under certain circumstances, exposing vulnerable data.
Also, the same AI that is used inside the organization can also be corrupted when their algorithms are manipulated by people who are working in the same organization; this is a huge risk to the organization’s security and the reputation of all those who are associated.
Key Takeaways
AI’s involvement cannot be completely ignored, but organizations need to find a way to set limits and regulate them periodically and upgrade them with all the new technologies and data to protect themselves first and then protect the fields it is deployed on.
An AI that is kept in check and well-trained in cybersecurity can be a boon for organizations, allowing them to focus on other core operations and worry less about continuously monitoring their infrastructure, cutting costs, and providing a better threat response environment.
Want to know more about how GenAI can be a double-edged sword for your cybersecurity? Read our blog.
