Is artificial intelligence revolutionising cyber security or is it just another brick in the wall? Pascal Geenens, security evangelist for Radware, thinks there’s cause for caution when it comes to AI
If we’re to believe the most enthusiastic backers of AI-led cyber security, trained security specialists could soon be replaced with sci-fi like defences that will intelligently zap attacks out of cyberspace before any human could even see them coming.
On the other hand, many will say that we are still some way off being able to completely depend on AI security, and we should instead consider the advancements made elsewhere, like in machine learning, to boost defences in the near future.
One thing is for certain: AI’s role in cyber security divides opinion. And, as ever, the most likely answer lies somewhere in between these views.
Fit for purpose
My own view is that we have yet to have to see a true AI security application or system that can intelligently adapt and evolve to different situations and not just continuously perform a single, repetitive task.
And this is crucial, because with digital transformation, migration to the cloud and serverless architectures becoming the norm, many will look at AI and automated defences as a silver bullet to solving all security worries. To illustrate this point, a recent Radware survey showed that 82 percent of organisations have shifted budget towards automated security over the past two years and, on average, 37 percent of security budget is now dedicated to automated systems.
But confidence in the current state of AI may be somewhat misplaced. In fact, I’d call it a case of blurred lines as many are failing to understand the difference between AI and machine learning.