Over the next few years, artificial intelligence will become more and more used across the world. It is something that is ever evolving and will become even more useful to many people. However, even if this is the case, the importance of humans can’t be erased, especially when it comes to cybersecurity and keeping information safe from bad actors. Unfortunately, even though AI may be useful, hackers and scammers can use it, too.
There are many benefits when it comes to AI, but it can’t do everything. Artificial intelligence can be taken advantage of, exploited, and programmed to do certain things when it comes to cybersecurity. A human, who can present some security risks, is often still a better choice than a program or automatic sequence. With our own eyes and understanding, we can consider outliers, make judgment calls, and thoughtfully consider a situation.
When it comes to cybersecurity, having a human control your penetration test services and various other information security services is important. AI, or artificial intelligence, only works through obtaining information that is already available. It can scrape through systems and scanners to learn how they work, but they can’t go much farther than that. Cybersecurity is mostly reactive, and as such, bad actors will usually have the upper hand against AI.
Either way you look at it, AI will be used for many of the things we do in the future. Instead of it being used alone, it will be used best with a human touch. With humans and AI working together, it will be the best line of defense against any outside threats, including other artificial intelligence-based attacks. Bad actors will continue to use AI as well, creating new tools and discovering new exploits in programs and applications.
AI will become an important part of cybersecurity, but it should never replace the humans that control or run the programs and scripts. As with most automation, it can take away key expertise that can show that something is being missed or mistaken.
One of the most important things for businesses is security awareness training. Beyond the government regulations for financial institutions, most employees can benefit from remembering what to do and what not to do when faced with a social engineering attack. The most common ones include phishing, vishing, and smishing.
Artificial intelligence exists in this space to automatically perform some testing, but these tests are typically much more effective when created by a human. AI can create basic, standard phishing emails, but can't put the human though into what would provide the best test for a specific set of employees. AI can only go so far before it sounds fake when it comes to messaging, especially phone calls. A robo-call will immediately be noticed by an employee, but a real person can do a lot more with emotion during vishing calls.
As said above, some information security firms use AI to run automated network scans and penetration tests. While this can be somewhat effective, it can easily miss things it doesn't know to look for or be fooled by experienced bad actors. Automated scanners can only go so far, and AI has the same problem – they can only do what they were programmed to do. Some of them can create new things to look for, but unless there is precedent, it is very difficult for AI to catch new things that might pop up. With an ever-changing landscape of malicious programs and advancing technology, a human-centric approach will always be better to understand and examine findings. Impersonations and stolen credentials can get by AI programs and automated scanners, so it’s crucial to have human interaction with these types of penetration testing services.
IT security audits are a review of security controls, determining how vulnerable a business is based on artifacts, or evidence, that includes policies, documents, pictures, and more. While some vulnerabilities and their controls can be observed and verified by AI, only a human touch can dig into the nuance of controls and the intent behind them. An AI is going to have a difficult time determining how effective a policy is, or how photographs show risks.
Humans are an important factor for any business or institution when it comes to security. Despite them being one of the biggest risks a company can have, nothing will ever be able to replace the expertise of a human being. While artificial intelligence has come a long way, it still has a long way to go. It should remain a tool to be used by us and shouldn’t be left to automate on its own. AI programs can only go so far without input.
There are certain things that should have a human touch, regardless of the AI. Things like security awareness training, penetration tests, and IT security audits need the experience of a human to be truly effective. Bad actors can get around AI cybersecurity with stolen credentials, impersonations, and more. It’s always better to have a human using an AI tool rather than letting an AI tool run on its own.
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