In a previous Journal article, I wrote about artificial intelligence (AI) and talked about the massive amount of digital data that are being accumulated, how new digitally oriented technology is affecting us, the sources of online data (e.g., personal, private), how data are used and how a career in AI can be useful to those interested in developing the skills to use AI.
In my most recent Journal article, I look at AI from an information security and privacy perspective. The article outlines AI concerns, threats and risk factors as a way of understanding AI as a cyberthreat. Once we have an understanding of the threat, we discuss ways to protect the cyberdata (and personal privacy). Preventive measures, protective controls, and detective practices and tools are presented to help understand how to manage the threat by using AI and other countermeasures.
The intent of this article is twofold. The first aim is to enlighten the security and privacy community that we need to use AI for good, and the article also aims to provide ideas and advice to those who have the means to use AI. By not using the speed of AI as a monitoring and protective tool, computing devices on the Internet (both directly connected and wireless) are becoming targets of exploitation by extremely fast and self-directed bots and botnets.
AI can be programmed as a defensive tool that can respond in real-time to find and prevent ransomware, find malware and stop cyberattacks, find the originating location of cyberthreats (and software), compile evidence of criminal intent (and implementation) for use by courts of law, and more. We need a tool that can stop malware from infecting the computing devices connected to the Internet, and in turn deprive the criminals a source of income.
I encourage you to read the article and share any insights, knowledge and ideas you may have on using AI to combat cyberthreats to security and privacy, and malicious and criminal activities.
Read Larry G. Wlosinski’s recent Journal article:
“Understanding and Managing the Artificial Intelligence Threat,” ISACA Journal, volume 1, 2020.