2023 is probably going to be remembered as the year of artificial intelligence.
Across 2023, artificial intelligence was adopted by security firms, marketing teams, and a wide array of other businesses around the globe.
It seems that in 2024, AI is set to be an unstoppable force and surely it can only be used for good, can’t it? Unfortunately, that is wrong. Artificial intelligence has the advantage of being quick and precise, making it the ideal tool for cybercriminals to hack secure and sensitive information.
So, how is AI being used to target businesses, and how can you protect yours from an AI-based attack? Read on to find out.
Automated Phishing
Artificial intelligence can be used to create highly personalized emails. This can give a professional appearance and it does so by looking at associated social media and online behaviour.
This results in what is known as spear phishing, which can cost your business a small fortune if you click the link in the email!
So, it is best to ensure that you have a security system set up that will also be able to access and spot AI in your emails and will then create a threat detection report, linking the associated email address to a potential malware attack.
Evasion
However, it should be noted that there are some AI-based malware programs that can adapt and change behavior, which thereby avoids detection by the majority of standard security systems.
So, when you are looking for a security system to protect your business ,you need to ensure that it is personalized and that it can spot any unusual behavior and flag it quickly before the AI has a chance to adapt.
Passwords
It stands to reason that AI can be used to detect patterns in online activity and so, it can be used by cybercriminals to learn password patterns and predict your or your staff’s password combinations. This drastically reduces the time needed by hackers to crack passwords and to get access to sensitive information. That’s not good!
There is one way around this, and that is to ensure that all of your security systems have an encryption-based password, meaning that should AI bots try to decipher it, all they will see are dots and dashes. This will keep your password safe and all of the information that the passwords are protecting.
Deepfake
Artificial intelligence also has the capacity to generate what is known as deep fakes, as you can see if you go online and type in any celebrity name.
This technology can be used to trick security systems or to even manipulate individuals to release sensitive information. Indeed, there have been reports of AI systems being used to create realistic and video impersonations of individuals, which is, to say the least, deeply unsettling!
One way around this is to ensure that all of your security systems have a multi-factor authentication so that should this occur, you will be alerted, and access will be blocked. This protects your data and will also ensure that you and your staff are aware of any potential hacks.
