It’s simply no longer feasible for network security experts to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to cyberattacks. The number of attacks continues to increase while the malicious software deployed by criminals is evolving rapidly. In 2019 alone, researchers recorded almost 10 billion malware attacks targeting businesses, individuals, web applications, and company networks around the world. Hackers are using sophisticated attack vectors to exploit a range of vulnerabilities in modern software systems for financial gain.
While network security firms are looking for new ways to eliminate threats, one possible solution comes in the form of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The technology isn’t new, but it has matured over recent years, and developers continuously innovate the ways they can deploy AI to improve information systems.
Cyberattacks pose a significant risk to businesses, government agencies, and individuals. With the latest threats able to encrypt information systems and lock users out completely, it could lead to a company going out of business entirely. To protect company networks, the latest security solutions are using AI and Machine Learning (ML) principles to improve their defenses.
AI and ML solutions can help detect patterns, identify attack signatures, and read emails to prevent a phishing attempt from succeeding. While it may have been possible in the past for security experts to manage threats on their own, the sheer amount of attacks they experience today makes it challenging to keep up. AI is uniquely suited to scan through petabytes of information quickly and help them to identify potential threats. Once it finds a threat, the AI system can alert a network security professional.
Using the principles of ML, the AI solution will also improve over time. The longer the system monitors the network, the better it will become at detecting an attack. It can also help network security experts to retroactively scan their security logs and assist them in determining if someone already compromised their system in the past.
Of the 9.9 billion attacks recorded in 2019, almost 200 million of the exploits discovered were ransomware. This kind of cyberattack is by far the most devastating if it succeeds. Often, the attack will start with a phishing attempt. If an unsuspecting employee clicks on a link in an email or opens an attachment, hackers can install software on the workstation to monitor the device’s activity remotely.
Using this information, they’ll continue to look for vulnerabilities until they get the necessary access rights that allow them to penetrate the rest of the network. Instead of just siphoning off information like with a typical data breach, once the hackers have enough access to the network, they can deploy ransomware to encrypt all the company’s data. In these cases, the only way the company can regain access is by paying the requested ransom.
AI can help prevent this kind of cyberattack by monitoring all files on the network. If it detects a mass-encryption of files starting in a network location, it can shut down the activity and isolate the node. This capability has already helped prevent ransomware attacks from succeeding in several companies.
Companies need to remember that AI won’t become a catch-all solution for preventing cyberattacks. They should still employ the best practices for cybersecurity and educate their employees about the risks. Teaching staff to spot a fake email is the first step to preventing an attack from succeeding. It’s also essential to extend their security policies to all their connected devices.
If the company allows staff to connect personal devices to the network, they should also include them in their endpoint scans. This also applies to imaging devices like printers, copiers, and scanners.
IT systems and infrastructure management is an evolving discipline. A Managed IT service will give the business access to the latest solutions while also ensuring their system configuration follows the current best practices.
Doing Better Business provides managed print services (MPS) and document management systems (DMS) that help streamline operations and keep devices and networks secure. With DBB’s MPS solutions, the company can regain oversight and control of their print environments. As hackers regularly target these devices, maintaining printer security is also essential. DBB has worked with companies to deploy innovative technologies for more than 40 years, helping them achieve their goals and run sustainable businesses.
To improve your network security and prevent a cyberattack from succeeding, get in touch with Doing Better Business today.