Keeping Up With The Pace of AI Innovation
With the release of OpenAI’s O1, its first model featuring ‘reasoning’ abilities and enhanced code-writing and problem-solving capabilities, the barriers to entry for malicious coders have been significantly lowered. This model not only makes it easier for them to improve their coding skills but also to refine their attack methods. Though currently only a ‘preview’ release, this marks the beginning of a new and potentially more dangerous phase of AI-generated and AI-assisted attack code
AI vs. Artificial AI
This is yet another reminder of the importance of ensuring that your cyber-defenses are not only equipped to handle current threats but are also future-proofed, adaptable, and AI-ready at their core. Simply layering ‘AI’ capabilities onto traditional cyber-defense perimeters, or piecemealing AI-like features, will only get you so far—likely only protecting against yesterday’s attacks. To effectively address this ever-evolving attack surface, a security solution must be built with a forward-looking perspective and foundational pillars that are AI-oriented.
Let's explore two key elements that should guide your evaluation of an AI-driven security solution.
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Adaptability: We all know that one of the key advantages—and sometimes challenges—of AI is its constant evolution. To keep up with the rapid advancements in AI, cyber solutions must be equally adaptable. It's not enough to have a solution capable of overcoming the latest AI-driven attacks; it must also keep pace with the ongoing innovation.
You shouldn’t settle for a solution that was effective against yesterday’s threats; instead, you need one that can evolve and defend against tomorrow’s exploits. This means leveraging AI capabilities to combat AI-driven threats. For example, defending against a zero-day AI-driven attack requires a behavior-based solution. If a hacker attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in your third-party supply chain, your AI-based cross-correlation engine could have already anticipated the exploit and implemented a rule to counter it.
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Holistic Defense: Combining AI with ‘classic’ algorithms to create a comprehensive defense strategy can be considered as both an art and a science. Successfully merging these two realms to maximize protection is no easy feat. However, when key pillars are orchestrated and integrated, they can form an effective solution.
As you might expect, very few companies possess both the AI expertise and the deep knowledge of cyber-defense. Many have some components, but only a few have them all. Moreover, to truly make this work, blending these realms requires deep technical expertise, a technology-first approach, and years of experience. It also demands the ability to integrate and orchestrate these capabilities to create a truly AI-driven, AI-focused solution.
Of course, when evaluating a cybersecurity solution, you’ll likely consider various criteria. Nonetheless, when investing in a long-term, comprehensive, and ever-evolving solution capable of defending against both traditional and AI-driven attacks, these guiding principles should take precedence. Don't settle for less.
By now, you’ve likely realized that not all AI-based solutions are created equal. So, which solution will you choose?
This blog is the first in a series aimed at making it easier to choose the right cybersecurity solutions in the AI era and an ever-evolving threat landscape.