ChatGPT and the new AI are wreaking havoc on cybersecurity in...
Generative artificial intelligence is transforming the cybersecurity landscape, aiding both attackers and defenders. While defenders are using AI to protect critical infrastructure, government organizations, and corporate networks, cybercriminals are harnessing the same technology to launch sophisticated and novel attacks at large scale.
The impact of Generative AI on Cybersecurity
Christopher Ahlberg, CEO of threat intelligence platform Recorded Future, stated that generative AI has helped bad actors innovate and develop new attack strategies, enabling them to stay one step ahead of cybersecurity defenses. AI helps cybercriminals automate attacks, scan attack surfaces, and generate content that resonates with various geographic regions and demographics, allowing them to target a broader range of potential victims across different countries.
AI-generated text is particularly useful for creating convincing phishing emails, as it helps attackers to produce highly personalized emails and text messages that are more likely to deceive targets. Ahlberg emphasizes that this is a major problem since cybercriminals can easily harness AI technology to become authors.
The role of AI in Cybersecurity Defense
On the other hand, defenders are using AI to protect systems from potential threats. Organizations are using the tech to prevent leaks and proactively find network vulnerabilities. Defenders also leverage AI technology to automate tasks such as setting up alerts for specific keywords and detecting sensitive information online. Threat hunters are using AI to identify unusual patterns and summarize large amounts of data by connecting the dots across multiple sources of information and hidden patterns.
Ahlberg believes that generative AI technology such as ChatGPT could help speed up the analysis cycle and help analysts analyze at the speed of thought. He states that this is a significant breakthrough and an exciting development.
The Future of AI in Cybersecurity
As the world becomes increasingly digital and interconnected, highly intelligent machines' ability to bend reality and shape perceptions could be exploited by malicious actors. Ahlberg highlights that these threats are not limited to nation-states, making the landscape even more complex and asymmetric.
While AI has the potential to help protect against these emerging threats, it also presents its set of risks. Machines with high processing capabilities could hack systems faster and more effectively than humans. To counter these threats, we need to ensure that AI is used defensively and with a clear understanding of who is in control.
Ensuring unbiased AI models and maintaining human involvement in decision-making will help manage ethical challenges. Collaboration between technical experts and policymakers will be crucial in navigating the future of AI in threat hunting and beyond.
Ahlberg also raised concerns about China, Russia, and economic adversaries deploying autonomous machines. These countries likely won't slow down AI development or share ethical considerations. While having the ability to "pull the plug" on such machines is a smart safeguard, he suggests that the integration of technology into society and the global economy will likely make it hard to detach. Ahlberg emphasizes the need to design products and machines with clarity about who controls them.
Conclusion
Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize cybersecurity, but it also presents its set of risks. While AI technology presents new challenges, policymakers and technical experts must work together to develop ethical AI models while maintaining human involvement in decision-making to manage these challenges.
