We mentioned in the last part of this blog, the risk of getting exposed to a cyberattack is irrefutable and with the advancement in technology like Machine Learning and Artificial intelligence, cyberattacks are being more effective by the day.
As we discussed that awareness needs to be created on certain topics, our experts decided to elaborate on the issues pertaining to the offensive use of AI. Consequently, in this article, we take a closer look at the following questions –
- How can organizations defend against automated attacks?
- What kinds of AI-powered attacks are occurring in the world today?
- What machine algorithms are used to executing these attacks?
Defending against Automated attacks –
The defense against automated attacks can be mounted with the following 5 strategies.
- Organized and regular Backups – Given an automated attack could infect the systems of an organization, holding its sensitive data for ransom. To counter this, it’s necessary to have regular back up of data so the systems can be restored in case of an infection.
- Know your vulnerabilities – It is vital to know what loopholes your network has since a lot of the modern-day malware is able to exploit it with devastating effects. Sometimes the damage inflicted on the systems can be irrevocable and can’t be fixed.
- Prioritizing security efforts – To reach out to invaders’ identity, strategies and actions, organizations have to imply hazard and peril intelligence is another secure way of protecting against automated attacks. It can begin with protecting information by a sophisticated method and moving critical assets to safeguard data.
- Incident response and Time management – The highest priority has to be responding to a security incident in the nick of time. Organizations should have the capability to configure proactive solutions to produce interoperability among security systems.
- Intrusion Prevention – Competition within the IoT providing devices segment is on the rise, however not every manufacturer is safe nor does all of them use updated technologies that can render devices immune to infections. However, virtual patching can be used to patch the vulnerabilities of the IoT mechanisms.
What kinds of AI-powered attacks are occurring in the world today?
While Ransomware and Phishing attacks have been constant with their presence in the world, the last couple of years has only seen an increase in these attacks with the help of an AI. The recent times have also seen attacks of such a huge magnitude that has exposed data of billions of people, through social media and an insecure financial system.
The Algorithm bias also continued this year which lead to bias against a certain segment of people from getting proper medical help. AI also was involved in the generation of fake news across 8 million web pages and it was used to create fake news PR scam on social media.
The online gaming domain also felt the effects of the AI mode of attack, when an AI was responsible for beating most of the human minds that entered a contest with it.
And finally, we also saw the rise of Deepfakes showing the potential threats that they have when they are stopped being used in a funny context. Its true power painted the world a gruesome picture when china went on to ban them for being too troublesome.
What machine algorithms are used to executing these attacks?
Few users are aware of ML than AI, however, this technology is becoming more relevant in our lives. Machine learning requires feeding an algorithm a large set of correct answers to a problem. Most of the traditional ML algorithms, which bifurcate into Shallow Learning and Deep Learning can be weaponized by someone with great skills with algorithms and this has been displayed in the past as well.
By taking into consideration the above-mentioned points, CISO’s can create awareness about machine learning and its offensive use.
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