I’m hoping by now that I’ve managed to express the theme that artificial intelligence has many applications. Of the many emerging AI applications, cybersecurity is one of the most prominent. For those of you that don’t know, cybersecurity is defined as “the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks.” Simply put, the aim is to make sure that all of these systems are secure.
Cybersecurity – Photo Credit
These systems need to be made as secure as possible to ensure the overall safety of everyone. This is due to the fact that they all house sensitive information. Ranging from your own passwords to the president’s nuclear launch codes, sensitive data exists everywhere. For the most part, this information is marketable, leading many criminals to try and access it. Because the majority of systems are connected in some manner or another there are pathways from one computer system to another. If these are not properly secured they can be exploited, allowing important data to be harvested by the wrong people. Cyber-criminals can then sell or use what the harvest. Depending on the situation this can have terrible implications for everyone.
Cyber-Attack – Photo Credit
Cyber-threats can take on many different forms. In addition to stealing data, some cyber-attacks involve taking down systems. I know the company I worked for encountered an issue along those lines last year. Essentially, someone was repeatedly making requests to their servers in an attempt to block anyone else from using it. This prevents their customs from being able to make purchases, which then leads to a loss of sales. Whoever was doing this then asked for the company to pay a ransom to make them stop. Instead they refused, increased their security, and are no longer experiencing the problem. This was just one instance of a cyber-threat. They exist everywhere. Who knows, you probably have a couple sitting in your email right now, waiting for you to give them access to your device or accounts.
As technology develops, it becomes a more powerful tool. This means that it can have many new positive effects on society. However like most things, it can be applied in a negative manner. For this reason, there is a constant need to continually update cybersecurity. The United States Government is a prime example. They spend 19 billion dollars a year to maintain and develop more effect cybersecurity systems. Of many developments in this field, the introduction of artificial intelligence is one of the most revolutionary. The goal is to develop AI-based systems that can detect threats significantly faster and more accurately than humans. However, it comes with some risk, especially early on.
AI Cybersecurity System – Photo Credit
Using artificial intelligence will allow for the systems to develop overtime. After lots of practice, AI-based systems will be able to more accurately distinguish threats, even as the threats change overtime. Because it will be based on one system, the underlying system will be vulnerable if it fails. For this reason, a system built of many diverse algorithms will be the most successful. When this is achieved, it will limit the required work of the employees and will hopefully still remain more successful.