We are increasingly relying on digital tools and platforms – 50% of companies are using AI in some way. As a result, cyber security for business is no longer optional—it’s essential. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), there’s a new layer of complexity to navigate. Let’s break down how AI impacts cyber security for businesses and what it means for the future.

The rising benefits of AI

As AI becomes more deeply rooted in cyber security, we are seeing multiple benefits arise. Three key factors we have identified are:

1. Swift responses: With AI, businesses can detect and respond to threats faster than ever before. This speed is crucial, especially when every second can count in preventing a major breach.
2. Anticipating threats: Instead of just reacting to threats, AI helps businesses predict and counteract them. It’s about staying one step ahead, which can make a big difference in safeguarding data and assets.
3. Analysing digital patterns: AI lets businesses analyse vast amounts of data to detect unusual patterns. This isn’t just about finding threats—it’s also about understanding user behaviour and ensuring systems work effectively.

Challenges with AI in cyber security for business

The problem we’re seeing is that AI doesn’t just provide benefits. It’s a double-edged tool that threatens us just as much as it builds us up. Here are three challenges we are seeing:

1. Advanced phishing attacks: Cyber criminals are using AI too. They’re crafting more convincing fake messages and scams, making it harder for employees and systems to spot them. Further, these attacks at a much larger scale than ever – with increased efficiency also. Their whole process is now easier, faster, and cheaper.
2. Double-edged sword of finding weaknesses: AI can help businesses find weak spots in their systems, but attackers can use it in the same way. It’s a race to see who acts on these vulnerabilities first.
3. Regulatory and compliance impediments: AI systems introduce intricacies regarding compliance, especially in regulated sectors like the financial industry. Traditional expectations around risk management, liability, and intellectual property are beginning to become challenged by the innovative and constantly evolving patterns of AI, but further, the responsibility of the tool becomes difficult to place. Businesses must ensure their AI implementations align with both current legal guidelines and emerging regulations.

Embrace proactivity

AI isn’t just about flagging potential issues. It’s a tool that can help businesses understand the broader context of their cyber security, offering actionable insights for better decision-making. With AI, businesses can move from a defensive stance to a proactive one, identifying potential issues before they become genuine threats.
They key to this is embracing company-wide cyber security ‘hygiene’. It’s no longer the IT departments task to ensure the business is secure. We all play a part in ensuring our workplace is secure.

On the 5th October, CyberHive joined the panel during a London Stock Exchange Group Webinar. We discussed the challenges of emerging AI, as well as the benefits and threats that come with them.

CyberHive: Secure by Design

Our ethos of “Secure by Design” means we look at problems at a foundational level, thinking outside the box, without compromise. With proactivity and innovation at our core, we look for threats and challenges before they exist. Get in touch, and shield your data from the threats of the future.