The Internet is a familiar thing in today’s world. Its presence can be felt in every field of life. We use it to meet our financial needs, purchase goods and services, perform our professional duties, and engage in recreational activities. However, it comes with its fair share of dangers.
Today, the number of cyber-attacks has increased at an alarming rate. Also, it is important to know that hackers always create new exploits and methods for penetrating systems! It is at this point that AI (Artificial Intelligence) makes its entrance.
In the same way we can understand that AI can develop games like the escape room Koramangala, it can also help in defending such attacks. But it also gives hackers a way to improve as criminals. It results in a continuous cycle of war in cyberspace and cyber security.
The Growing Threat of Cyber Attacks
Cyber-attacks are not new. It has been common since the inception of the internet, which has enabled different players in the business to have an online presence. But now, they have become more frequent and involve serious complications. Digital criminals can steal your cash, information, and your identity! They can even bring entire networks crashing down. Hence, in this model, every single party, from businesses up to governments and individuals, is open to being affected.
Another important factor concerning hackers and the tools they use is that they are constantly evolving. They continue to identify new vulnerabilities and exploits in software and introduce new types of malwares. This makes it difficult for people to stay safe and avoid the wrath of those who are unhappy with their success.
How AI Helps in Cyber Security
AI is strong and able to complete complex tasks at once, especially those that involve analyzing big data. So, while doing so, it can ‘pounce’ on patterns that a bare human eye may not even detect. In cyber security, this is very handy. AI can show deviation from normal patterns of activity in computer networks. It can provide advance notice to security teams before the next big attack takes place.
AI can also engage in learning, enhancing its functionality in the long run. It gets better at identifying threats. This is so because hackers themselves are ever adapting to newer and either more efficient, more deceptive, or simply different ways to penetrate a target network. Fortunately, AI does enable security systems to keep up at the same pace.
AI Tools in Cyber Security
- Intrusion Detection Systems: These systems allow you to track traffic on the networks. They use AI to identify signs of an attack.
- Behavioral Analysis: This is because AI observes how users behave in their day-to-day activities. Whenever there is an oddity of events, it might be a sign that an attack is on the way.
- Automated Responses: AI can act right away when it spots a threat. This might include blocking access or isolating parts of a network.
Hackers Using AI
The hackers are not idle, either. They are also using this AI. It assists them in developing more ingenious malware that interferes with the operations of the targeted computers or networks. It can assist them in identifying better access points to systems. It can even help them operate ‘under the radar’ unobserved by others.
For instance, AI lends itself to creating malware that evolves with time. This makes identifying it even more challenging since its origin is not immediate and can be concealed. This also lets them identify potential flaws in security systems at a relatively quicker pace.
Examples of AI in Hacking
- Deepfake Technology: One example of how hackers may use AI is if they plan on generating fake videos or voices. In this way, they can ambush people and easily get them to disclose information that is likely to be sensitive.
- Phishing Attacks: It enables one to create more realistic phishing emails. Such emails can lure a person into clicking on some links, which may have negative impacts.
- Evasion Techniques: Hackers also use AI to avoid detection by their intended targets. They can adapt their attack patterns on the spot, as is often seen in real-time strategy games.
The Arms Race
This leads to an eerie cycle where one continues to outdo the other as they engage in an arms race. When defenders develop a new technique, hackers always look for ways of evading the method created. Once hackers discover a method, protectors develop a counter-method to that method. This cycle never ends.
It is in this context that speed becomes of essence. The only way to win is if a team can act faster than their opponents and seize control of the game. It enhances the capability of the two parties so that they can process information at a faster rate. But it also increases the risk factor.
Conclusion
As much as the hackers try to penetrate the defense systems, the defenders also try their best to fortify the cybersecurity system. AI has been deployed on both sides of the field to discover a weak point. This makes it an arms race with no finish line, as businesses will keep looking for ways to out-compete each other.
Hence, threats persist because of developments in technology, a factor which contributes to the enhancement of threats. In this world, security is not guaranteed. Hence, there is a need for people to be on alert and come up with various methods of withstanding these threats.