AI Battles Cyber Threats With Its Own Advanced Tools

The rapid growth of the generative AI (GenAI) sector has given cybercriminals an advantage in exploiting vulnerable targets. Organizations have become more susceptible to breaches due to this swiftly evolving technology, yet many businesses are increasingly incorporating GenAI into their cybersecurity frameworks.

A recent Splunk CISO 2024 report sheds light on the current landscape of cybersecurity, highlighting differing perspectives among board members and security professionals on addressing emerging threats. Cybercriminals now have more tools at their disposal, utilizing GenAI in sophisticated ways, such as employing AI chatbots to create malware or crack passwords.

According to recent findings, GenAI has enhanced existing attacks by 32%, led to a 28% rise in overall attack frequency, and introduced 23% new forms of cyber threats into the ecosystem.

Moreover, 52% of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) expressed an interest in using comparable GenAI technologies to tackle cybersecurity challenges, while only 33% of board members shared this sentiment. Although security professionals seek innovation, many find the pace of evolving requirements challenging, with 41% indicating that demands are increasingly difficult to manage amidst the rising frequency and complexity of cyberattacks.

In terms of practical applications, 39% of CISOs reported using GenAI tools for risk identification, another 39% for threat intelligence analysis, and 35% for threat detection and prioritization.

The dual-use nature of GenAI presents a significant challenge, as the perspectives of CISOs and board members often diverge on critical issues that could jeopardize enterprise security. The report found that only 29% of CISOs believed they had sufficient budget support for effective cybersecurity measures, in contrast to 41% of board members who felt their funding was adequate. Overall, 64% of CISOs linked inadequate resources directly to the cyberattacks they’ve had to deal with.

Currently, AI-driven cyberattacks rank as the top concern for CISOs at 36%, followed by cyber extortion at 24% and data breaches at 23%. As previously noted, hackers swiftly adopted AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to refine their malware creation abilities, drawing attention from governmental agencies like the FBI. Additionally, in the wrong hands, advanced technologies like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) can be harnessed to crack passwords with alarming speed.

Security analysts from TechRadar highlight the importance of maintaining security through robust passwords, multi-factor authentication (MFA), password management solutions, cybersecurity education, and careful assessments of third-party vendor vulnerabilities to safeguard against cyber threats.