Digital businesses go beyond physical borders to turn the planet into a unified global market, but this is exactly what makes them vulnerable to all sorts of cybersecurity threats. No matter where you are, hackers can find you and jeopardize your company almost instantly.
This is where Artificial Intelligence steps in to help you out.
The new form of technology adds another layer of protection to traditional security systems, thus making businesses safer and more resilient. It’s a major improvement in the world where barely 50% of all companies are properly prepared to fight cyberattacks.
But how can AI improve the safety of online operations? Keep reading our post to learn why AI is integral to the future of cybersecurity.
What Is AI: Definition and Cybersecurity Statistics
AI is a complex phenomenon with a broad scope of practical applications. By definition, AI represents the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems, with a special focus on learning, reasoning, and self-correction.
The idea is to design a machine that can think like a human being, but with much higher processing power. This is a true benefit of AI for all businesses. You can run a personal statement writing service or any other type of company - AI will help you to make it safer and become a genuine security builder.
Why does it all even matter to you? Check out a few stats to understand the importance of making cybersecurity improvements:
- The average cybersecurity attack creates damage worth over $5 million.
- A malware attack takes place every 39 seconds.
- Companies using AI need 12% less time to detect and identify hacker attacks.
- The global AI in the cybersecurity market was $7.1 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach approximately $30.9 billion by 2025.
AI is obviously reshaping the cybersecurity industry, but let’s move on to the next chapter to see how it really contributes to the enhancement of cybersecurity.
5 Ways AI Improves Cybersecurity
The abilities of AI are close to limitless, but we need to narrow down our focus and discuss the most important benefits of using the new technology in cybersecurity. Here are five basic ways AI can strengthen your digital security efforts:
1. Fraud and malware detection
The first benefit of AI is clear – it can help you to identify fraud and malware attempts. How come? Well, the idea is to use advanced cybersecurity algorithms to pinpoint suspicious activities and identify users who behave unusually. AI can do it simply by tracking and analyzing the roles and allowances of each user individually.
2. AI can handle the volume
Data generation is what makes humans unable to fend off cybersecurity threats. With so many stakeholders and so much information floating around, not even a team of cybersecurity experts can keep an eye on everyone and everything.
On the other side, AI can successfully monitor online operations and analyze enormous datasets. This includes the company’s data libraries, email communication, websites, and all other features that might be the targets of hacker attacks.
3. Continuous protection
Another thing that makes AI so powerful is the system’s ability to constantly supervise and control online operations. A smart machine requires no rest, breaks, time off work, sick leave, etc. AI is fully functional 24/7 and 365 days a year, which makes it much more efficient than human cybersecurity agents.
4. Natural language processing
AI is not only able to identify malware actions but also to discover suspicious text-based content. Thanks to its natural language processing abilities, AI can analyze internal messages and textual inputs coming from the outside. In such circumstances, detecting new malware attacks or even plans is constantly getting easier.
5. AI improves over time
The final advantage of using AI in cybersecurity is that it keeps getting better. The system improves over time and gets smarter with each problem solved successfully. This is exactly why you don’t have to worry about your system being out of date – AI is evolving continuously.
The Setbacks of AI in Cybersecurity
Although AI makes a tremendous impact on cybersecurity, it is important to mention the cons of the new online security mechanism. Generally speaking, we recognize three types of setbacks:
1. Pricing: The costs of deploying an AI-powered cybersecurity system can go very high. If you are not ready to invest in this field, perhaps you should stick to the more traditional online security mechanisms.
2. Training: While it is true that AI automates most of the processes, you and your team still need to learn how to keep it under control. Smart technologies require human inputs, so your employees will have to learn and train in order to make the most of AI. The best solution is to organize a practical course that focuses on the targeted AI cybersecurity system.
3. Hackers also use AI: Cybersecurity specialists are not the only ones using AI. As a matter of fact, hackers also rely on new mechanisms to improve the efficiency of malware attacks. This means you’ll need a super-productive AI system to fend off agile hackers.
It is necessary to remember the downsides as mentioned above, but don’t let it discourage you because the bottom line is that the benefits of using AI are much greater.
Conclusion
Digital security is getting increasingly difficult and harder to understand. No human being is able to constantly monitor and fight malware attacks, which is why AI comes in handy to make the process simpler and more efficient. In this article, we discussed the following:
- The definition of AI and its influence on cybersecurity in general
- Practical ways to use AI for online safety issues
- The cons of AI in cybersecurity
Have you ever thought about adding AI to your cybersecurity strategy? Do you have enough resources to invest in the new technology? Share your ideas in comments – we would love to see your experience with AI and cybersecurity!
