As modern organizations find it harder to protect themselves from the rising number of sleeker, more dangerous cyber threats, machine learning and AI are set to help them improve their security and keep their data and other assets safe and secure.
Machine learning and AI makes learning about and studying possible cyber threats in real time so much easier. Plus, they use algorithms to create behavior models, using these models to predict cyberattacks as they are exposed to new data.
These technologies are assisting organizations improve their defenses by enhancing the accuracy and speed of their cybersecurity responses. But how does this look in action?
We’ll take a look at how exactly AI and machine learning is being used in cybersecurity, as well as its benefits. But first, let’s make a comparison between AI and data analytics, and see which one is better.
Artificial Intelligence Vs. Data Analytics
AI has become somewhat of a buzzword lately, and this means it is commonly misunderstood. Many companies are searching for ways to get in on the AI craze, despite a lot of AI offerings not meeting the criteria of AI.
Although they use technologies that study data and create results that drive particular outcomes, this is not AI. True AI is concerned with recreating cognitive abilities in order to make tasks automated. AI systems are dynamic and iterative.
The more data they receive and analyze, the more intelligent they become. Therefore, they become more and more capable and autonomous as they develop.
Data analytics, meanwhile, is an unchanging process that analyzes large amounts of data sets to come to conclusions about said data by using bespoke software and systems. Unlike AI, data analytics is not self-learning or iterative.
How Can AI & Machine Learning Protect Against Cyberattacks?
As businesses become more and more digitized, cyberattacks have been increasing as well.
For example, 2021 broke records for cyberattacks inflicted in the US, with the amount of data breaches at the end of the third quarter 17% higher than in the entirety of 2020, according to the Identity Theft Research Center.
Meanwhile, ransomware attacks have also been on the rise, with the average attack costing businesses over $700,000. Ransomware attacks are believed to be happening every 11 seconds, which leads to 21 days of business downtime on average.
As hackers launch more and more sophisticated attacks to destroy corporate networks, machine learning and AI can protect businesses against these attacks. In fact, these technologies are becoming mainstream resources for cybersecurity specialists.
According to a Capgemini Research Institute report, 61% of businesses state that without AI they would be unable to discover serious threats, while 69% said that AI will be crucial in the response to cyberattacks.
Furthermore, the market for cybersecurity AI is predicted to be worth $46.3 billion by 2027. As businesses make plans to use machine learning and AI in cybersecurity, let’s take a look at three key ways this technology can be used:
- Finding anomalies: Machine learning and AI use behavioral analysis and constantly evolving parameters to uncover anomalies that might suggest an attack.
- Predicting data breaches in the future: Machine learning and AI makes processing large amounts of varied data easier to predict cyber threats before they can happen.
- Real-time responding to data breaches: Machine learning and AI can alert organizations when a cyber threat is detected or respond autonomously by creating automatic and instant defense patches.
How Can You Use AI & Machine Learning For Cybersecurity?
Although machine learning and AI isn’t totally risk-free, it is set to improve as time goes on. These technologies have already been proven to be highly effective in a variety of cases.
Let’s take a look at where AI and machine learning are being commonly used today and where they are most effective:
- Discovering fraud: Machine learning algorithms are helping many businesses protect themselves from financial fraud by predicting customer behavior that is unusual and potentially suspicious. These technologies are able to swiftly detect if customer behavior is strange, and help protect businesses from potential fraud threats before they happen, keeping their finances safe.
- Detecting malware: Machine learning and AI are helping businesses predict potential malware attacks. They do this by using patterns of older malware attacks, and allows cybersecurity specialists to predict potential malware attacks and curb the risk quicker than they could with manual processes.
- Quickly discover intrusions: Businesses also use AI to gain accurate and automatic insights into malicious activity. Using machine learning to discover, analyze, and protect against cyberattacks in real time, businesses are able to respond to attacks pretty much instantly.
- Grading network risk: Many businesses use machine learning and AI to grade the risks of compartments of their network. Machine learning is used to analyze previous cyber threat data sets to discover which parts of the network have been targeted the most. Machine learning and AI is also used to find out which parts of the network would damage the company the most if the network is compromised. A grade is given to every part of the network, and cybersecurity specialists can focus their resources on the areas with the highest risks.
What Are The Other Benefits Of Machine Learning And AI In Cybersecurity?
Businesses that use machine learning and AI in their cybersecurity efforts are seeing considerably benefits, such as:
- Boosting the effectiveness of cyber analysis: Machine learning and AI decreases the workload of cybersecurity specialists by cutting down on the time needed to manually sort through data. These technologies can tell cybersecurity specialists about a potential attack while also categorizing the kind of attack, making you more prepared for them and how to respond to them. A continuous, detailed analysis of behavior patterns makes cybersecurity specialists better prepared to deal with even the most complicated threats.
- Reduces IT costs: Machine learning and AI seriously lowers the effort needed to discover and respond to cyberattacks, and they are therefore cost-effective pieces of technology. According to the Capgemini report, the average cost reduction is believed to be 12%, but some businesses have been able to lower their costs by as much as 15%.
- Improves your security overall: Cybersecurity is strengthened by machine learning and AI over time as more data is analyzed and they continue to learn from previous patterns to become better at pinpointing suspicious or malicious activity. AI and machine learning also protect the infrastructure of your business on a huge scale and a small scale, creating more effective barriers for cyberattacks.
Final Thoughts
As cyberattacks become more sophisticated and common, machine learning and AI are amazing technologies that can better prepare organizations for potential cyberattacks.
When your business has the right tools, it can discover and respond to cyberattacks in real-time, while curbing potential threats before they become a serious problem.
They make detecting threats faster, they reduce IT costs, and improve your overall security so you can keep up with ever-growing cybersecurity risks.
We hope our article has shown you just how important artificial intelligence and machine learning is for the cybersecurity of your business. Investing in AI and machine learning is totally worth it to keep your business safe from the mounting threats of cyberattacks, malware, and ransomware!
