In the ever-evolving world of technology, cybersecurity has become a paramount concern for companies, with cyber attacks being perceived as the top threat. The fear is accentuated by the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in aiding hackers to infiltrate computer systems rapidly and more effectively. However, AI isn’t just a tool for the offenders; it also offers significant defensive capabilities. George Kurtz, CEO of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, emphasizes the importance of companies leveraging AI to identify and prevent cyber attacks.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the U.S. witnessed a record number of cyber attacks in 2023, with over 3,200 breaches. These breaches pose a severe risk to businesses, impacting sales, tarnishing reputations, causing legal issues, and endangering customers.
AI at the Heart of Cybersecurity
CrowdStrike employs a unique approach to counter these threats. The company monitors systems for hacking attempts and blocks cyber attacks based on “Indicators of Attack” (IOAs), sequences of events signaling a potential breach. Previously, creating these IOAs was a time-consuming manual process, as Elia Zaitsev, chief technology officer at CrowdStrike, explained. However, in 2022, the company launched AI-powered IOAs, significantly speeding up the process and increasing effectiveness.
The AI system sifts through trillions of data points from customers—ranging from Target to Wyoming’s state government—to suggest new patterns that may indicate breaches. “It gets smarter as it goes through the data,” Kurtz said. Zaitsev added that the AI-powered IOAs are better at identifying threats while minimizing false positives, creating a more efficient system.
The Use of AI in Cybersecurity
Other cybersecurity firms are also harnessing AI to bolster security. Darktrace, a British cybersecurity company, uses AI to learn the intricacies of individual companies and detect any deviation from normal operations, signaling a potential breach. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft’s security division, uses AI to predict devices at risk and automatically enhances security.
However, the use of AI in cybersecurity is a double-edged sword. AI can facilitate hackers to write persuasive phishing emails or clone voices for fraudulent purposes. It’s a constant game of catch-up for cybersecurity experts, with George Berg, associate professor at the State University of New York at Albany, warning, “AI is a wonderful tool for defenders. But it is at least comparably effective for offenders.”
AI’s Role in Future Cyber Attacks
As cybercriminals start to employ AI, we might see an increase in the number of attacks, as Arthur Conklin, information security professor at the University of Houston, pointed out. However, AI can also automate and speed up the “boring grunt work” of hacking, making it an invaluable tool for cybercriminals.
Recognizing this, CrowdStrike has developed another AI product, a generative AI chatbot called Charlotte AI. Designed to assist both security professionals and employees with little technology experience, Charlotte AI can answer queries about individual systems and explain cybersecurity issues. Furthermore, it can gather information and perform tasks for an IT department, making it a vital tool in the fight against cybercrime.
“Charlotte will be another leg of growth for us,” said Kurtz, emphasizing the central role AI plays in the company’s growth. As the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, so too must our defenses, and AI is at the heart of this evolution.
