The rapid recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are now beginning to enable small organizations such as start-ups and SMEs to install fully-automated highly cost-effective cybersecurity systems, which may eventually even replace high-level cybersecurity analysts.
The rapid rise in supply-chain attacks, where major organizations can be targeted via their contractors and suppliers means that, to compete for contracts with potential corporate clients, even small organizations need to prove that they have fully effective cybersecurity systems in place. But the cost of hiring cybersecurity analysts and an effective security strategy is prohibitively expensive for smaller organizations. AI, however, is coming to their rescue by automating cybersecurity to a point where it can be deployed by non-technical staff at a fraction of the cost of an in-house team.
According to Rony Zarom, serial entrepreneur and CEO founder of cybersecurity firm CyFox: “Even SMEs typically face around 200,000 system events daily that need to be analyzed and classified. Using artificial neural intelligence, trained with a genetic algorithm— a simulation of the evolutionary process — we can instantly process this vast amount of data, cross-referencing it with ongoing global cyber-attacks to deliver immediate and actionable solutions.”
Zarom also believes that AI is now reaching a point where it may even start to create intelligent bots to replace even those high-level cybersecurity analysts who work undercover on the Dark Web to discover news of new forms of incoming attacks. He claims that AI can even develop new attack vectors before criminals and predict the nature of future cyber-attacks in order to defend against them before they take place.
At the moment, this form of AI is being test-bedded with small organizations to provide highly-effective cybersecurity at a low cost. According to Zarom, it can already provide complete soup-to-nuts cybersecurity, including a Security Operating Centre (SOC) to offer around-the-clock 24/7 protection. However, Zarom believes that advances in AI are already reaching a point where it could replace traditional cybersecurity analysts in every way at a fraction of the cost with significantly enhanced efficiency.
He adds that coming advances in Artificial Genetic Intelligence (AGI) will enable AI not only to mimic human behavior but also to start to think like a human.
“I believe that we will see the first generation of commercially deployed AGI by the end of this year. But true AGI will take roughly a decade to develop. Just as the Industrial Revolution enabled machines to do the heavy physical lifting for humankind, AGI will enable all the mental heavy lifting currently done by human brains.”
But for the moment, AI is already beginning to enable small non-technological companies such as hairdressers, small retailers and others to install world-class cybersecurity at a fraction of the cost of hiring cybersecurity staff and specialist consultants.
