5 Reasons Why Your Firm Needs AI Security Solutions

With the increasing number of sophisticated and complex cyberattacks: 

The need for AI (Artificial Intelligence) security escalates

 

As cyberattacks are becoming more advanced and targeted specifically, and the malware used are custom made for each target, known as the ‘unknown malware’. As a result, pattern matching anti-virus software has become powerless.

On the other hand, with AI, the whole scene of security is also changing. The use of AI security tools as a new measure has spread amongst security-related companies in recent years.

 

The need for AI security tools in enterprises

 

According to the research company Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) and Webroot, companies are increasingly considering the adoption of security tools incorporating the technology.

Additionally, according to Webroot, a survey in 2019 was conducted amongst 200 executives in the corporate information system department and has found out that 75% of companies are considering increasing the number of security tools using AI.

82% of respondents believed that the introduction of AI security tools would improve the security of the organization.

On the other hand, 61% have answered that they are not very familiar with the structure and the functions of its AI and machine learning technology adopted security systems.

Currently, it seems that the people in charge of the business itself are interested, but they cannot say that they have a broad knowledge of content and performance. However, it is clear that the need for AI security tools is growing among companies.

Purpose and benefits of AI-based security tools

 

• Lack of security personnel

The ESG survey reveals 390,000 to 1,000,000 new malware variants, forcing companies to handle an average of more than 200,000 security-related events every day.  Not only does the threat became more complex, but more difficult to manage.

It is also predicted that there will be a shortage of 3.5 million cybersecurity personnel by 2021. For this reason, many companies are having a sense of crisis — therefore considering introducing tools that utilize AI and machine learning.

AI security tool malware learns in the database that records information, malware to model the characteristics and features. Monitors network traffic, data exchange, and system behavior to identify malicious patterns that should or could be investigated further. AI can easily cope with the threats that are getting more and more complex.

• Helps with threat intelligence

AI security solutions can use ‘threat intelligence’ as a data set and control foreseeable cyber threats. Therefore, Threat Intelligence is a generic term for information that can be used to prevent and detect threats.

By applying threat intelligence, it can detect the overlooked cyberattacks or correspond to cyberattacks aimed at a particular industry. Threat intelligence, which organizes and analyzes information on attackers’ intentions, capabilities, facilities, etc., works efficiently in clarifying. Therefore, machine learning and algorithm analysis by AI is very useful for attack pattern analysis.

• Zero-day attacks prediction

Before a security update program is provided to fix any vulnerabilities in software, exploiting the vulnerability is called a zero-day attack. Vulnerabilities are security issues that attackers use to steal confidential and personal information from corporate systems.

Zero-day attacks are, by their very nature, dependent on vendors and have been described as difficult-to-measure attacks. However, the attack methods used in zero-day attacks are not necessarily completely unknown.

Many have developed attacks that exploit existing vulnerabilities. Therefore, in order to prevent zero-day attacks, it is essential to update security software pattern files and apply updates. With AI security tools, security tools that use information about attacks on in-house systems and other systems on the same network are believed to increase the chances of being able to prevent zero-day attacks in advance.

• Minimize secondary damage

AI security tools are considered superior to humans and traditional anti-malware systems in terms of attack identification and mitigation. It is said to be effective not only to shut down servers or traffic against attacks but also to execute adaptive measures to minimize secondary damage.

For example, AI can determine the attacker’s traffic and harmless traffic, and only block the ones that are offensive. In addition, the backup system is activated which is necessary for recovery, such as restoring the portion that has been tampered with by the attacker.

• Flexibility

AI security tools are also good at adapting to constantly changing threats. Machine learning can not only handle conventional security measures as it does but also possible to predict the attacker’s intention and make measures flexibly.

AI Security Tool Features

 

Let’s take a look at the specific features of the AI security tool. As an example, security tools that use general AI and machine learning in monitoring in-house systems are executed in the following processes.

1) Normal learning

Detailed data on the operation status (program start, file access, network access, etc.) of the entire system such as PC and server is collected from the endpoint, analyzed by AI, and the normal status of the system is prehended. The current system state and the normal state are compared in real-time, and when it deviates from the normal state, an abnormality determination is performed.

2) Real-time error detection of the automatic system by using AI

Comprehensively monitor internal network systems such as shared subnetwork, development department subnetwork, and administrative department subnetwork. If it detects network access that is not performed under normal conditions, it determines that it is abnormal and reports it to the administrator.

3) Automatic identification and isolation of the scope of damage

Track and display a series of operations of the system in time series, and streamline analysis work for cause investigation and damage area identification. In addition to detecting anomalies, it also streamlines the process of identifying the infection source and damage area of malware and implementing countermeasures.

If you look at all the benefits of adopting AI security solutions, you’ll see that they are very effective in real-time terms. Doing this only with human resources, it will be very labor-intensive. The AI security tool learns these processes and executes them with higher accuracy.

Therefore…

It is said that it’s no longer possible to prevent attacks simply by detecting and responding to a diversified and complex cyber attack. Security measures are required to predict and prevent attackers’ attacks.

By using AI, we now know that it is possible to prevent malware attacks in advance, and it is possible to cope with newly created malicious programs every day. AI security tools will be a useful measure to meet such needs, in order to solve issues such as increased attack detection rates and more efficient manual responses.