EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
TRIS MORGAN , MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CYBERSECURITY , BT GROUP
At BT , we ’ re embracing AI as a way of revolutionising how we look at security , from automating processes to alleviate pressure on our teams to spotting and responding to threats even quicker .
For instance , security teams are only able to review around 12,000 of the 174,000 alerts ( on average ) they receive per week . Our analysis also found that hackers scan business and personal networks at least once every 30 seconds to find potential weaknesses that act as footholds into a system . With this rate of attempted attacks , it ’ s impossible for teams to keep up with these threats alongside other areas of their roles . Which is where the focus on an intelligence automation ( IA ) strategy comes in . This is the practice of using Machine Learning to automate the basics and to complement the intelligence of humans , so they ’ re free to make more meaningful contributions .
It ’ s important to remember that AI has proven to be both a benefit and a risk , while organisations and the criminals focused on attacking them find new ways to utilise this technology . There ’ s no doubt that AI has changed the type of attacks we ’ re facing . Deepfake scams , for example , are using AI to create more realistic audio and visuals to impersonate trusted individuals and trick victims into sharing sensitive data or make payments .
that companies have the option to actively assess their security protocols rather than just having to trust their current tools to keep them safe . This also helps businesses to keep up with the latest updates and developments in the industry .
Integrating AI can provide teams with greater visibility , control and security , alongside crucial AI-powered insights that help companies to optimise digital experience , reduce risk and enable better business decisions . But AI shouldn ’ t be viewed as a solution to all cyberthreats and it ’ s important to remember the technology still has limitations . It ’ s also about culture and empowering a workforce that needs to be aware of the threats that AI can pose and what to do in the case of a deepfake scam or spear-phishing attack . AI should be integrated alongside a comprehensive security strategy and frameworks such as zero trust , requiring all users , both inside and outside an organisation to go through an authentication process . This means cyber teams can always keep track of who is in the network and therefore quickly identify and block potential threats . x
BUT AI SHOULDN ’ T BE VIEWED AS A SOLUTION TO ALL CYBERTHREATS AND IT ’ S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THE TECHNOLOGY STILL HAS LIMITATIONS .
At the same time , organisations have developed new solutions to defend against evolving attacks . For instance , our Eagle-i platform combines the latest advances in AI and automation with our unique network insight to predict , detect and neutralise security threats before they can inflict damage . The platform also suggests what kind of policies need to be implemented in a firewall to better protect against future attacks , meaning
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