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A new Techopedia report highlights how AI has made its mark on the cybersecurity sector, creating new ways to boost defences while also creating larger and more effective forms of cyberattack.
AI presents some clear benefits for improving cybersecurity teams, but the risks associated with this technology mean companies face a complicated relationship.
That’s according to a recent report from Techopedia, which claims that AI in cybersecurity is becoming more important for businesses as it allows them to spot cyber-related threats quicker and more effectively. At the same time, there are concerns that threat actors are using AI to boost the scale of their cyberattacks.
The report shows that the global AI cybersecurity market was worth $24.3bn last year, and estimates that this will grow to more than $133bn by 2030.
“AI has exploded in popularity in the last year, with users employing them for everyday tasks from automating data gathering to detailed research,” said Techopedia editor Nick Francis. “Although incredibly useful, it’s clear that it can also be directed to automate expansive and expensive cyberattacks.”
These concerns mirror those raised by various experts over the past couple of years. For example, multiple individuals predicted that one of the “battlegrounds” of 2024 will be AI, as the technology will help threat actors exploit zero-day flaws at mass scale and utilise advanced social engineering attacks.
The concerns of AI
The rise of AI technology has impacted various sectors and the cybersecurity landscape is no exception. There have been various reports of AI being used by malicious actors to enhance their cyberattacks.
The rise of ChatGPT last year saw reports that the AI chatbot was being used by hackers to create malware with little coding experience required. OpenAI appeared to quickly resolve this issue, but malicious versions of AI chatbots sprang up in the following months.
Experts have also raised concerns that AI can be used to make common forms of cyberattacks more effective. Last year, Veneto Privacy Services MD Julian Hayes described the developments in AI as “huge” and said one of his clients had experienced a “very sophisticated, targeted phishing attack” that utilised AI and deepfake technology.
The Techopedia report also claims that AI can be used to boost the scale and effectiveness of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. As the capabilities of AI rose last year, DDoS attacks also witnessed a dramatic surge in power based on reports from some tech giants.
For example, in October 2023 Google said it mitigated a DDoS attack that generated 398m requests per second, while the previous year’s record was only 46m requests.
This ties back to the complicated relationship, as while AI can support organisations, Techopedia notes that it is also the same tool that is turning cyberattackers into a more dangerous threat.
“Organisations and users have to be more aware than ever before to not only the same threats, but updated versions that may be using AI to creatively customise to targets more,” Francis said. “User education, updated systems and protective programs have to be used and maintained to stand a chance against these new threats.”
The benefits of AI
But if AI is already in the hands of cyberattackers, it seems inevitable that organisations will need to use similar tools to keep up with growing threats and keep their digital landscape secure.
In this regard, there are various examples of AI already being used to support IT teams and boost cybersecurity. An IBM report from 2023 suggested that AI and automation had the biggest impact on the speed of breach identification and containment, showing the growing role this technology can play in cybersecurity.
This report claimed organisations that had an “extensive” use of AI and automation experienced a data breach lifecycle that was 108 days shorter compared to those that had not deployed these technologies.
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