CSO, Australia: Senior Director at Cognizant’s Center for the Future of Work Says Cybersecurity has Gone Beyond Human Capabilities

“The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is the great story of our time, thanks to the low cost of computing, storage, and off-the-shelf machine algorithms,” writes Manish Bahl. “However, cyber criminals also have access to these resources and are able to build smarter malware. This means that the attackers of the future will be machines that think, as hackers will look for new ways to use AI to their own benefit.” Excerpts:  

“As the digital economy expands, cybersecurity threats will also grow. The challenge now is to build immunity against “bad AI”. Fighting back requires an intelligent machine that can detect threats proactively, identify stealthy malware, reconfigure network traffic to avoid attacks, inform automated software to close vulnerabilities before they are exploited, and mitigate large-scale cyberattacks with great precision.

Four proactive approaches can help companies prepare themselves for this new battle:

1. Make security automation a core element of your enterprise IT defense mechanism. The speed of response to an attack determines the scope of damage to your critical assets. An automated infrastructure blended with AI will become the new face of consumer trust.

2. Take a quantum leap into the future with Quantum Computing. Although still in the very early days, Quantum Computing will completely change our approach to cybersecurity. Quantum, combined with AI, will allow us to better understand the DNA of attacks on a mathematical basis and will run complex risk models continuously.

3. Conduct a formal risk assessment to protect critical digital assets. Since the Australian government introduced a new policy outlining that those businesses experiencing hacking must report to the government, it has become more critical than ever for organizations to safeguard customer data. Leveraging AI solutions to protect digital assets will become the new normal in the future.

4. Merge your business, digital, and security strategies into one. In today’s interconnected age, business is technology, and technology is business. The time has come for a single transformation strategy that cuts across business, IT, and security.

Cybersecurity has already gone beyond human capabilities. As data and hybrid environments continue to grow at an exponential rate, they will create more IT infrastructure complexity, making it increasingly challenging for companies to protect their brand.”

Click here to read more.