3 Ways AI Is Improving Cyber Security

In the 1950s, scientists and mathematicians were hard at work exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence and the problems this technology could potentially solve. The idea was simple — humans can solve complicated issues by using previously stored data, so why can’t computers? The dream of a world where machines could “think” by processing data came true soon after.

Since that time, a lot has changed. It’s no coincidence that the extreme rise in artificial intelligence coincides with the technological boom of the early 2000s. Today, we are at a place where AI handles everything from scheduling our doctor’s appointments, booking flights, marketing to customers, processing user data universally, and much more.

One of the most practical uses of AI is cybersecurity. According to Norton, the worldwide cost to recover from an average data breach is 3.86 million US dollars. Research also shows that it takes 196 days to recover from a security breach. Business owners are taking extra precautions to avoid this financial and time sinkhole by using AI. We are going to take a look at how artificial intelligence can help developers improve the security of their website against malicious attacks.

Quickly Find Errors

AI is drastically improving how long it takes to spot suspicious behavior on your website. For example, back in 2016, Google was able to blacklist 20,000 websites for containing malware and 50,000 for phishing scams every week. It doesn’t take long to consider that this amounts to around 280,000 websites a month. Human beings are quick, but not fast enough to analyze millions of websites a month and accurately spot 280,000 malicious websites.

Developers are using similar AI to spot users with bad intentions on their website. The process is called anomaly detection, and it has many practical uses, but cybersecurity is a top contender. Depending on your AI system, the program can analyze hundreds of thousands of visitors and categorize them based on their behavior and threat level in seconds.

Provides a Variety of Solutions

The two most common forms of AI in this group are Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS). IDS systems can group the threats on a scale usually ranging from low to high, then sends the risks to the appropriate administrator so they can take action.

An IPS system can stop the scammers and phishers in their tracks by blocking their IP address, turning off access to the website, and by logging the errors for future viewing. Combine either of these systems with a high-quality security plugin, and it’s easy to see why AI is an excellent cyber security solution for developers.

Secure Authentication

If you have a website that requires readers to log in or feature forms that need input or want to add an extra layer of security on the backend of your website, AI can improve the authentication process to a shockingly accurate degree.

The first way is through physical identification. AI can use a variety of factors to determine an individual’s identity. For example, your smartphone can use facial recognition and fingerprint scanners to let you log into your phone. The process behind allowing you to log in involves the program analyzing key data points about your fingers and face to determine if the login is authentic.

On the other side of things, AI can use even more factors to determine if a user is authorized to log on to a device. The technology checks the way you type and enter keys, your error rate when spelling, and even your typing speed to determine your identity.

Conclusion

The growth of technology is expected to rise, and AI is only improving. As programmers and developers can add more data points to existing programs while creating entirely new forms of AI, it’s safe to say that the future of artificial intelligence is looking bright.

We have to be mindful that as we learn more about the uses of AI, there are going to be people who want to use this technology to hurt others. It’s essential that we all recognize the importance of cybersecurity and use every tool at our disposal to keep our work and property safe from hackers and scammers.