February 26, 2018
By Shane Schick 2 min read

According to recent research, cybersecurity news headlines featuring ever-more sophisticated attacks have influenced almost one-third of chief information security officers (CISOs) to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) for data security.

Cisco’s “2018 Annual Cybersecurity Report,” which examined a wide cross-section of trends and patterns in data theft, data loss, malware and other issues, found that 32 percent of security leaders are “completely reliant” on AI to safeguard sensitive corporate information.

The Rise of Encryption Drives Increased AI Adoption

AI technology encompasses a number of different tools. For instance, 34 percent of respondents to the Cisco survey said they use machine learning to detect anomalies and alert IT departments about potential vulnerabilities threatening their systems. Meanwhile, 39 percent said they were using automation to deal with the kinds of attacks that regularly make cybersecurity news.

The increase in AI usage can be explained in part by the growth of encryption, ITProPortal reported. According to the study, half of global web traffic was encrypted as of October 2017. While it is difficult for humans to distinguish legitimate threats from an overwhelming volume of false positives, an AI algorithm can be trained to look for suspicious activity, even within encrypted network communication.

Meanwhile, a recent report titled “The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation” noted that cybercriminals are eager to use AI for their own nefarious gain. For CISOs and their teams, it may be a race to see how quickly they can make better use of the technology to protect everything from supply chains to network endpoints.

Generating Positive Cybersecurity News in 2018

One of the brighter stats in the Cisco report is a big improvement in the time to detection for security issues, which went from 14 hours in 2016 to 4.6 last year. As more enterprises adopt AI to stay ahead of threat actors, here’s hoping the cybersecurity news cycle features more victories in 2018.

 |  |  |  |  |  |  | 
Shane Schick
Writer & Editor
Shane Schick is a contributor for SecurityIntelligence.

More from

Risk Management   June 2, 2023

Detecting Insider Threats: Leverage User Behavior Analytics

3 min read - Employees often play an unwitting role in many security incidents, from accidental data breaches to intentional malicious attacks. Unfortunately, most organizations don’t have the right protocols and processes to identify potential risks posed by their workforce. Based on a survey conducted by SANS Institute, 35% of respondents said they lack visibility into insider threats, while 30% said the inability to audit user access is a security blind spot in their organizations. In addition, the 2023 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index reported that…

3 min read
CISO   June 2, 2023

Poor Communication During a Data Breach Can Cost You — Here’s How to Avoid It

5 min read - No one needs to tell you that data breaches are costly. That data has been quantified and the numbers are staggering. In fact, the IBM Security Cost of a Data Breach estimates that the average cost of a data breach in 2022 was $4.35 million, with 83% of organizations experiencing one or more security incidents. But what’s talked about less often (and we think should be talked about more) is how communication — both good and bad — factors into…

5 min read
Healthcare   June 1, 2023

Increasingly Sophisticated Cyberattacks Target Healthcare

4 min read - It’s rare to see 100% agreement on a survey. But Porter Research found consensus from business leaders across the provider, payer and pharmaceutical/life sciences industries. Every single person agreed that “growing hacker sophistication” is the primary driver behind the increase in ransomware attacks. In response to the findings, the American Hospital Association told Porter Research, “Not only are cyber criminals more organized than they were in the past, but they are often more skilled and sophisticated.” Although not unanimous, the…

4 min read
CISO   June 1, 2023

Ransomware Renaissance 2023: The Definitive Guide to Stay Safer

2 min read - Ransomware is experiencing a renaissance in 2023, with some cybersecurity firms reporting over 400 attacks in the month of March alone. And it shouldn’t be a surprise: the 2023 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index found backdoor deployments — malware providing remote access — as the top attacker action in 2022, and aptly predicted 2022’s backdoor failures would become 2023’s ransomware crisis. Compounding the problem is the industrialization of the cybercrime ecosystem, enabling adversaries to complete more attacks, faster. Over the last…

2 min read
© 2023 IBM Contact Privacy Terms of use Accessibility Cookie Preferences
Sponsored by si-icon-eightbarfeature