New-age technologies create a defence against cyber threats

As dimensions of cyber threats take different proportions, new age technologies’ advancements are readied for defence. A case in point is the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for the rescue and protection of IoT devices.

In the digital landscape, the use of IoT is growing by leaps and bounds, and today it has become a ‘must-have’ technology for businesses to grow. With increasing internet connectivity, the number of connected devices will go up to approximately 20 billion in the current year and a fair percentage of it will be used by enterprises.

The rapid adoption of IoT devices has made companies vulnerable to risks, and the incidents of data breaches have escalated in recent years. Moreover, the threat to the devices has been a concern as most are operating on open codes/ open systems, and it becomes difficult to prevent cyberattacks. Recent examples of hacks show that the threat is real, and manufacturers understand the need for security as well.

A majority of the present day’s smart appliances, for example, Samsung Family Hub refrigerator, have the same functionality and computing power of a modern tablet. This means they can be hijacked and turned into email servers. The investigation by the information security research firm Proofpoint, in 2014, uncovered a smart refrigerator, which was used to send thousands of email spam messages without its owners being aware of the problem. Not only this, there are many IoT devices, which can be used to join malicious botnets for conducting distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Hackers have targeted baby monitors, streaming boxes, webcams, and even printers to carry out massive DDoS attacks that have crippled domain name system servers.

Maximum of the IoT devices are known to have vulnerabilities that allow attackers to remotely access or control them from the internet, with many having weak passwords that can’t be changed. In many cases, devices may have both. This can potentially provide hackers with an easy way into other devices connected to the network.

However, the manufacturers cannot do much as the device becomes vulnerable once connected to the internet. To protect IoT devices, technology upgrades to security solutions based on AI and ML are required. The use of AI and ML involves less human intervention in identifying and investigating abnormal activities; this would reduce the downtime and enhances operational work. This has shifted the focus of many established players to the advanced security mechanisms with many companies merging cybersecurity and AI to make the virtual world safer.

Logrhythm: Based out of Colorado, the company has mastered the art of detecting and responding to security threats. The company uses machine learning to profile and detect threats, compromised accounts, privilege abuse, and other anomalies. A user interface allows security teams to more easily and quickly respond to threats. Early detection of threat, coupled with predictive analytics and accurate risk assessment, helps in averting security problems.

Versive: The company helps businesses and organisations identify crucial threats, assisting teams to save time that might be used in investigating alerts that don’t require immediate attention. The company uses artificial intelligence to separate critical risks from routine network activity, identifying chains of activities that result in attacks and helping security teams to tackle the threats.

Detection and real-time response to an incident should take precedence over traditional protection mechanisms. By introducing technologies such as AI and ML, organisations can effectively and efficiently prevent sophisticated cyberattacks.

Cybereason: It is a cybersecurity company that provides threat monitoring, hunting and analysis. It offers greater visibility to organisations within their security environment as well as the ability to get ahead of threats. The company’s AI-powered hunting technology helps organisations in determining whether or not an organisation is under attack. Cybereason automates the job of threat hunting with a well-established team.

SparkCognition: SparkCognition provides AI-enabled services to various companies. The platform identifies ransomware, malware and trojans and used ML-powered products to stop cyber viruses from entry and attack.

Cylance: The technology developed by Cylance is based on its analysis of billions of file samples. It’s an AI platform that prevents threats by predicting attacks and preventing them beforehand. They have created defences against file-less stacks, malware and zero-day payload execution.

Conclusion

Amid rapid technological advances, innovations and increased connectivity, IoT providers are exploring markets to expand their businesses. Next-generation connectivity businesses are looking for solutions that can integrate with the network infrastructure of different players. Many global players are investing in AI-driven IoT security and upgrading their legacy security solutions. The key factor for security providers will be their ability to innovate, adapt to market conditions, and provide a secure solution without compromising on user experience. The ecosystem for innovating AI-based solutions for securing IoT devices is taking shape.

By Prabir Chetia, Director – Business Research and Advisory, Aranca