Whether AI will bring more benefit or harm to humanity is perhaps the biggest public discourse in the history of information technology. A double-edged sword, its immense power will change all aspects of life, yet simultaneously, poses an equally high risk for danger.
IT security is thrown into immense turmoil by AI’s development. Attackers and defenders are colliding with great force. Hackers can scale the efficacy, complexity and volume of attacks in previously impossible ways. Meanwhile, security experts are equipped with more defense tools than ever before via automated threat detection and intelligent correlation of system events.
Also Read: CIO Influence Interview with Kelly Ahuja, CEO, Versa Networks
At the same time, the landscape is changing almost daily due to this competition, as different groups of states and governments are now forced to solidify comprehensive requirements, guidelines, and best practices through appropriate regulatory frameworks, particularly to strengthen critical infrastructure companies against cyberattacks. Various questions regularly require new answers: Which strategy is still relevant? Is consolidation needed or a multi-layered defense with best-of-breed solutions? Can one actually prevent the constantly changing and unpredictable tactics of cyber criminals or only react to them?
With all of these questions, the CISO or IT security manager can start to spin. However, amidst the rapid changes brought about by AI, there are also proven methods that remain almost unaffected by these changes and can help companies navigate safely through the rough seas of the AI age. Let’s look at five undisputed constants of cyber resilience and what the future will demand from companies in this area.
1. Strict Zero-Trust-Policy
In the digital world, attackers can come from outside and inside the organization. Therefore, nothing can be left to chance. A strict zero-trust policy is based on the simple principle of “Never Trust, Always Verify” – trust no one, verify everything and everyone. Every attempted access must be verified as this significantly reduces the risk of data leakage and cyber-attacks. At the same time, this requires continuous monitoring of all network activities, regardless of their origin.
AI-based attacks can be particularly sophisticated, bypassing conventional security barriers by imitating and implying normal user behavior. A strict zero-trust policy is an effective means against such threats as it does not make assumptions about trust based on position in the network. Every access attempt, even from ostensibly trustworthy sources, is verified. This continuous validation of all activities within the network is crucial to detect and block AI-driven infiltrations.
Also Read: Redefine IT Security Paradigms with Zero Trust Architecture
2. Strong Security Awareness among the Staff
Cyber resilience does not begin and end with the IT department; it is a responsibility that all employees must be aware of. Establishing a strong security culture means convincing the workforce of the need to take precautions and be vigilant in their daily work. AI-based phishing attacks and social engineering are becoming more sophisticated and authentic, making them increasingly difficult to detect. A strong security awareness among all employees helps to recognize even subtle, unusual behaviors or requests that could be generated by AI. Through continuous training and education, employees stay up to date with AI-based threat scenarios and know how to recognize and respond to them.
Regular threat awareness training plays a crucial role, but just as important are routine check-ins on employee well-being. Only dissatisfied employees can become potential insider threats and potentially sell access credentials or company secrets to cyber criminals for profit – a significant risk factor that is often overlooked.
3. Secure Encryption in the Quantum Age
Complex data encryption is a strong shield against AI attacks as it prevents data from being readable without the correct decryption information, making it unusable even if it falls into the wrong hands. Even as AI technologies are developed to break encryption mechanisms, strong encryption remains an essential barrier. This is particularly important when transmitting data over insecure networks or storing it on external media. Unbreakable cryptography preserves the confidentiality and integrity of information, even when other security measures fail.
However, in this technology segment, it is important to always stay up to date because, in the post-quantum cryptography era, cryptography is in a constant race with the growing capabilities of attackers. Only those who constantly follow the latest security standards will be able to withstand future AI-based attacks.
4. Regular Audits and Security Assessments
Regular reviews and audits of security systems and processes are as sensible as they are essential: on the one hand, they help companies continuously evaluate, adjust, and improve their defense strategies. They identify and fix vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by cyberattackers. On the other hand, security assessments are legally required, especially for critical infrastructure. In the U.S., the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework is already in use today to help businesses better understand, manage and reduce cybersecurity risks, as well as protect their networks and data.
AI-based threats are just a stress test, not a knockout blow: audits show whether existing IT measures can keep up with current attack methods. They help identify vulnerabilities that AI systems might exploit and enable dynamic adjustment of security strategies. As AI systems can learn and adapt, a company’s emergency plans must remain flexible and responsive.
Also Read: Building Security from Scratch: Key Steps in Implementing Zero Trust Architecture
5. First-Class Data Backup following the 3-2-1-1-0 Rule
It is the gold standard for data security and disaster recovery: the 3-2-1-1-0 rule. It states that companies should have three copies of their data on two different types of media, with one copy stored off-site and another offline, with thorough data integrity validation through rigorous testing. This approach protects against data loss and enables quick recovery in the event of a cyber-attack or physical damage – the optimal disaster recovery.
How does it help with AI-based attacks? AI-driven attacks can quickly and unpredictably damage or compromise large amounts of data. The 3-2-1-1-0 rule ensures that there are multiple independent copies of data, minimizing the likelihood of complete data destruction by fully automated attacks orchestrated by hackers using AI. The presence of offline data backups prevents AI-based attacks from reaching all data copies simultaneously. When valuable data is stored offline, it doesn’t matter whether AI or a human tries to access it: access is simply not possible, and the data remains secure.
Five Pillars of Strength
Trust no one, educate and protect your workforce, strongly encrypt data, regularly audit IT security and implement multiple, watertight data backups. In short, these are the five pillars of strength in the age of AI-based cyber threats. However, CISOs and IT security managers should always keep up to date with what technologies can still withstand modern cyber-attacks.
Crisis-tested, multi-layered contingency plans with foresight are the best preparation and also provide the best protection against acute threats such as ransomware or insider attacks. Incorporating these five methods into your IT security strategy and planning for disaster recovery with orchestrated recovery measures and clean backups will prevent disruptions to business continuity and the consequences of AI-generated cyber-attacks.
[To share your insights with us as part of editorial or sponsored content, please write to psen@itechseries.com]
