AI-enabled security tools can be highly effective at combatting today’s complex threats. Rather than relying on known signatures, AI can learn to identify threats it hasn’t seen before and block them with incredible speed. These capabilities are transforming cybersecurity practices, giving organizations greater power to protect their environments.
However, AI isn’t always the best approach to cybersecurity, and there are wide variations in the capabilities of AI-enabled tools. As with any other technology, organizations should take the time to assess these tools and determine how AI can best be applied to specific problems.
AI and Signature-Based Tools: Both Are Needed
Traditional security tools use signatures or rules to detect malware or other threats. They have been programmed to recognize certain types of links or behaviors that are known to be associated with these threats. Signature-based tools are fast and highly effective but quickly become outdated as cybercriminals change their tactics.
AI-enabled tools excel at analyzing large datasets and finding new patterns and connections. For example, AI can detect suspicious activity in seemingly normal behavior patterns and learn to identify similar threats. It can also distinguish legitimate threats from “noise” and prioritize alerts so that human analysts know which ones to review.
However, AI doesn’t eliminate the need for signature-based tools. On the contrary, many AI-enabled solutions incorporate signature-based analysis to accelerate threat detection. Signatures are extremely fast and accurate at detecting threats that meet their criteria, whereas hackers can use certain techniques to evade machine learning algorithms. Some AI tools also suffer from high false-positive rates, which can quickly overwhelm IT teams.
Humans Are Still Needed, Too
Despite some problems with accuracy and precision, AI-enabled security tools deliver impressive results when it comes to detecting and blocking attacks. Furthermore, they perform these tasks much faster than humans and can easily scale to support the largest IT environments. That doesn’t mean AI will replace human security analysts, at least not anytime soon.
Humans are much more than lightning-fast probability machines. They can develop strategic insight that allows for finely tuned judgment and decision-making. They can extrapolate and understand novel situations. AI-enabled tools are best used to support IT teams, detecting incidents and handing them off to humans for analysis and remediation. AI can also automate many routine tasks, freeing up IT teams for more complex challenges.
Attempting to replace humans with AI is a recipe for disaster. Without the guidance of human insight, AI can misinterpret data, blocking legitimate activities while missing threats. Overdependence on AI can also lead to complacency among human analysts, causing them to overlook stealthy attacks.
How to Use AI-Enabled Security Tools Effectively
One of the biggest problems plaguing AI solutions is an overabundance of hype. Some vendors are using the terms “AI” and “machine learning” to describe analytics and automation techniques that don’t have the ability to learn. Some use vague promises and buzzwords but provide little substance to support their claims.
Qualified vendors will offer evidence as to the models used, the diversity of their training data and how frequently their models are updated. They will also provide the metrics they use to quantify the model’s performance. Best-in-class tools are assessed regularly by a reputable third party.
Choosing the right AI-enabled solutions begins with a simple question: Is AI the right tool for the job? The vendor should be able to explain how AI adds value to the product. In some cases, a tool that integrates signatures and AI techniques may be the best fit.
How Technologent Can Help
Technologent has practices dedicated to AI, automation and cybersecurity. Through our cross-functional approach to engagements, we can help you select and implement AI-enabled solutions where they make sense in your security environment.
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