Written by Tim Deakin

2nd May 2023

• Cyber Security

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Artificial Intelligence is a huge cross-industry talking point right now. But how serious are the risks involved in protecting your data and securing systems?

Technology is evolving at breakneck speed, and businesses are feeling the pressure to stay up to date. The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years has brought about both excitement and concern, with businesses both curious about the potential benefits of AI and cautious about the risks involved.

AI has been sold as a way for businesses to boost productivity, outsource monotonous tasks to machine learning and reach a wider audience. Yet some experts fear that AI has the potential to pose risks to our business and personal security – concerns that are being overlooked in the name of technological progress.

Before investing in AI for your organisation, it’s important to know more about the potential benefits and risks involved. Furthermore, it’s essential to understand how threat actors may be using the technology in order to bypass security and cause an incident.

The cybersecurity risks of AI: how bad are they?

In order to accurately mimic human action, AI requires personal data, and lots of it. AI systems collect and process vast amounts of data, and this leads to risks that said data could be mishandled, whether through accidental leaks or malicious breaches. When sensitive information falls into the wrong hands, identity theft, financial fraud and more all become possibilities.

AI systems can be hacked and manipulated. Earlier this month, AI chatbot ChatGPT experienced security breaches that lead to users’ payment information being exposed. The complexity and autonomy of AI opens it up to cyberattacks, allowing malicious actors to take control of systems and manipulate them without business owners realising.

There are also ethical questions surrounding AI. By processing vast amounts of data, AI has the potential to make biased or discriminatory decisions, leading to exclusion or unfair treatment of certain groups. AI bias in training data, algorithm design and interpretation of results can all harm cybersecurity in the long run, damaging the reputation of an organisation.

Can AI support data protection?

Despite its potential shortcomings, many AI systems are created with the purpose of boosting cybersecurity for organisations, helping business owners and users detect, prevent and respond to cyber threats with greater speed and accuracy.

AI systems can analyse data to detect patterns and anomalies that may indicate a data breach, highlighting suspicious network traffic, malware, vulnerable systems and more. They can also automatically respond to cyberthreats by shutting down compromised systems or quarantining malicious files.

In order for AI to help rather than hinder cybersecurity, it should be developed with a strong framework of privacy and security principles in place, including measures to protect personal data such as secure data storage and encryption. AI systems must be accountable and transparent in their decision making, with mechanisms in place to address and detect bias.

Final thoughts

There are certainly cybersecurity risks involved in the use of AI in business, and the risks are not to be ignored. However, this doesn’t mean businesses should be discouraged from ever introducing AI systems into their infrastructure. By safeguarding AI systems with encryption, data protection and anti-bias measures, AI can actually support business security rather than hindering it.

Continuously monitoring and auditing AI systems is essential in identifying and mitigating any potential security issues which may arise.

The bad news…

Hackers are also benefitting from advancements in AI to get past organisations’ defences. For example, machine learning algorithms are enabling cybercriminals to more effectively analyse the behaviours and preferences of phishing attack targets – resulting in personalised phishing emails that are better crafted and more likely to fool individuals.

AI is also playing a role in enabling passwords to be cracked and to evade antivirus software. Similarly, hackers are using AI to identify specific vulnerabilities in target systems, enabling them to develop and execute attacks that have an increased likelihood of success.

All this means that paying attention to your cybersecurity and working hard to maintain resilience as an organisation has never been more important. So, if you are scratching your head and wondering how to begin mitigating risk, it could be time to bring in the expertise of an experienced cyber security consultant.

Get in touch with the SRM team to find out how we can help you bolster your business defences and give you the peace of mind you’re looking for.