pctechguide.com

  • Home
  • Guides
  • Tutorials
  • Articles
  • Reviews
  • Glossary
  • Contact

The Double-Edged Sword of Machine Learning in Cybersecurity

Today’s most damaging threats, from phishing to ransomware, will use machine learning to analyze vast amounts of information about their victims and design more sophisticated attacks. Artificial intelligence could become the basis for more personalized and effective malware. However, these algorithms could also be the foundation for the future fight against cybercrime: predicting attacks before they occur based on suspicious behavior.

Determining what MDR is, why you need it, and which offering is right for you may seem like a lot to figure out. Fortunately, there are many great resources to help you do just that, like the 2020 market guide for managed detection and response services.

Here is a real world example where machine learning could be used to launch a malware attack. A few weeks before your company’s Christmas dinner, you receive an email from the person who is organizing it. He uses his usual language and tone and sends you a couple of files saying that these are the menus of the two possible restaurants you could go to, so that you can vote for your favorite. When you open the first one, the file has hidden ‘malware’ that is downloaded to your computer.

In reality, that email, received at a time and in a way that was not suspicious, is written by a malicious tool that has imitated the behavior of the person who supposedly wrote it to trick you into getting a virus on your computer.

Although this scenario still sounds a bit like science fiction, experts point out that it is unfortunately the future of cybercrime: hostile programs that are able to learn to inflict as much damage as possible thanks to the data collected. “We are already beginning to see intelligent ‘malware’ that uses advanced techniques, including artificial intelligence, to carry out slow, quiet attacks,” Emily Orton, product manager for Darktrace, a cyber security company that seeks to use artificial intelligence to address computer threats, told HojaDeRouter.com.

Over time, the tools used by criminals will be able to store and analyze information about user behavior and, as a result, emulate them to gain access to the Internet at different times. “They will also be able to create highly personalized attacks against specific individuals, because they will understand their interests, their habits and their social groups,” he adds.

In fact, it is already possible to teach different artificial intelligence programs how to imitate writing styles: from attempts by Guardian publishers – with a lack of content, of course – to newspaper articles that provide the key information in circumstances where data – from the stock market or a sporting event, for example – can form the basis of information.

Many companies hire ethical hackers with a background in machine learning

Artificial intelligence will also lay the foundations for the future fight against cybercrime

As these systems evolve and are able to fine-tune their literary output and understand users’ tastes and movements at a deeper level, intelligent malware will be used to develop more elaborate versions of different scams, such as the famous boss email. In this scam, the impersonator pretends to be a company executive using an almost identical email address. In the message, he requests that a money transfer be made, which is not uncommon if the impersonator is a senior manager in the company. According to FBI estimates, this type of attack has already cost the affected businesses a whopping $23 billion (about 20 billion euros), and yet there is still a human hand behind them, without an artificial intelligence to facilitate the process.

This will not be the only attack that will increase their effectiveness. The sadly popular ‘ransomware’ (which hijacks some of the information from the infected system and demands a ransom in exchange for lifting the restriction) could also take advantage of the development of artificial intelligence to fine-tune its targets, choosing more precisely the data it must capture to force payment.

“Cybercriminals will be able to take advantage of artificial intelligence and machine learning to make their malware smarter, which means cyber security will always be one step ahead,” Nitesh Chawla, a professor and member of the research team that created AI2, a system that predicts cyberattacks through machine learning, told HojaDeRouter.com.

While artificial intelligence could become the basis for more personalized and effective malware, these algorithms may also be the foundation for the future fight against cybercrime.

Filed Under: Articles

Latest Articles

IEEE 1394 Interfaces

Also widely referred to as FireWire, IEEE 1394 was approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 1995. Originally conceived by Apple, who currently receives $1 royalty per port, several leading IT companies - … [Read More...]

Moore’s Law in IT Architecture

According to Moore's Law formulated in 1965 by Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel), the number of transistors per integrated circuit would double every 18 months. Moore predicted that this trend would hold for the next ten years. In fact, … [Read More...]

Our Review of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Free

EaseUS is one of the most reliable data recovery, data backup and data partitioning software publishers on the market. They created a free data recovery program that is widely supported by many other users. They asked us to review it and offered a 50% discount to our readers. You can claim the … [Read More...]

Streamline Startup Operations with Virtual Data Rooms

Modern startup projects that we see in the business cluster today are more than just a brilliant idea of a potentially successful project at the … [Read More...]

The Importance of Data Security in Retail IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the retail industry by connecting physical stores with digital platforms, enabling smart inventory … [Read More...]

Review of Temu From Purchaser and Affiliate

Temu is a relatively new online shopping platform that has quickly gained popularity, especially among Gen Z shoppers. It is known for its ultra-cheap … [Read More...]

Avoid Data Breaches Caused by Weak Passwords

Weak passwords are a common cause of data breaches and security vulnerabilities. Weak passwords make it easier for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized … [Read More...]

20 Cool Pictures of Silicon Valley You’re Sure to Love

Silicon Valley, a name synonymous with innovation and technological prowess, is a place where dreams and ideas come to life. Nestled in the heart of … [Read More...]

13 Funky Images of Laptops

In our digital age, laptops have become our faithful companions, indispensable tools for work, leisure, and everything in between. They've evolved … [Read More...]

Guides

  • Computer Communications
  • Mobile Computing
  • PC Components
  • PC Data Storage
  • PC Input-Output
  • PC Multimedia
  • Processors (CPUs)

Recent Posts

Keep Your Browsers Private With These Extensions

Privacy is a big concern for people online these days. Everyday we seem to be hearing about some new invasion of privacy centered around the Internet. … [Read More...]

Memory Presence Detection

When a computer system boots up, it must detect the configuration of the memory modules in order to run properly. For a … [Read More...]

Flashing the BIOS

The traditional procedure for flashing your BIOS from within DOS using a floppy disk is similar for all motherboard manufacturers. It starts by … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 About | Privacy | Contact Information | Wrtie For Us | Disclaimer | Copyright License | Authors