Simeon Tassev, Managing Director and QSA at Galix Group.

The recent hype surrounding ChatGPT has driven another layer of visibility to Artificial Intelligence (AI), bringing it firmly into the public eye. While OpenAI has many applications, the majority of them being benevolent and even helpful, AI can also have numerous potential malicious uses – cybercrime among them. The reality is that it is becoming very simple for bad actors to develop highly sophisticated exploits using AI, and cybersecurity needs to incorporate AI tools to keep pace.

Simeon Tassev, MD and QSA at Galix, underscores this point by stating: “The fusion of AI and cybercrime is introducing a new era of threats. Bad actors are harnessing AI’s capabilities to amplify the impact of their attacks, requiring cybersecurity to step up its game.”

The breadth of AI’s potential applications for cybercriminals is staggering. By employing AI algorithms to scrutinise potential victims’ behaviours and interests, cybercriminals can craft personalised messages, significantly enhancing the persuasiveness of phishing attacks. This, in turn, heightens the probability of users falling prey to malicious links and attachments. “AI-fuelled phishing attacks exploit human vulnerabilities more effectively, making the human element the weakest link,” Tassev notes.

Moreover, AI’s proficiency in analysing publicly accessible data, including social media profiles, empowers cybercriminals to concoct sophisticated social engineering schemes. These ploys manipulate users into revealing sensitive information or undertaking actions that compromise their security. The adaptive nature of AI also facilitates the creation of malware that adeptly evades detection by consistently analysing antivirus and intrusion prevention solutions, effectively outsmarting defences.

Tassev highlights that AI’s mimicry extends to voices and speech patterns, enabling fraudulent voice authentication. It can crack passwords and even circumvent two-factor authentication systems. As AI technology continues to evolve, it is likely that we will witness even more sophisticated and dangerous cyberattacks in the future.

Counteracting this growing threat demands that cybersecurity adopt the very tools that amplify the risk. Says Tassev: “AI-driven cybercrime necessitates a symmetrical response from cybersecurity. Utilising AI for both threat detection and prevention is the need of the hour.”

In threat detection, AI can be used to analyse big data in real-time and identify patterns that may indicate cyberthreats. Machine learning algorithms can be trained to recognise known patterns of attacks and detect anomalies that could indicate a new form of attack. For threat prevention, AI can analyse data and identify potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers, helping to proactively prevent cyberattacks.

AI can also be used to analyse data to identify patterns that fall outside of the norm. This can indicate an attack, an insider threat, and even fraudulent activities, by flagging suspicious behaviour as it occurs. By automating the detection and containment of cyberattacks, AI can reduce incident response times, minimise the damage caused, and help to mitigate risk.

If cybersecurity tools are not making use of AI, then businesses are leaving themselves vulnerable to a growing threat. “The evolving threat landscape demands adaptive defences. AI’s role in cybersecurity is indispensable – it empowers organisations to effectively thwart, identify, and respond to cyber threats,” Tassev says. There are already many tools available to assist. Understanding your environment, your needs and risks, and implementing the most appropriate solution is key, which is where a cybersecurity expert can prove invaluable.

For more information about Galix and its managed security services, please contact info@galix.com