The impact of AI in cybersecurity: Enterprise best practices to follow in 2023

Over time, AI has proved critical for many cybersecurity use cases, including log management, vulnerability management, threat detection, anomaly detection, and more. Unfortunately, it has been equally destructive in the hands of cybercriminals, who use it to launch sophisticated attacks involving phishing, ransomware, malicious code executions, and advanced persistent threats (APTs). With the advent of applications like ChatGPT, the initial barrier of needing expertise in AI and ML to execute an attack has ceased to exist. The elimination of this barrier will mean an increase in the number of AI-based attacks in 2023 and beyond.

Enterprise best practices to follow in 2023

Here are a few best practices all organizations can follow to ensure they prepare themselves for AI-based attacks.

1. Use AI to beat AI. All cybersecurity products are moving towards AI and ML-based capabilities. Investing in the right AI-based security technology can help organizations collectively address this shift, reducing the amount of resources and time spent in addressing potential AI-based threats. Take ManageEngine's SIEM solution, Log360. It comes with enhanced UEBA functionalities, powered by machine learning algorithms, that help monitor user behavior and detect anomalies. For instance, through risk scoring, users who are more likely to click on phishing emails can be observed closely, given proper training, and less access privileges. AI can also be used to suggest policy changes for a user based on their risk score.

2. Monitor everything. AI can be used to scan the network for potential points of entry. Cybercriminals can use AI-based tools like ChatGPT to generate malicious scripts that can be executed through these endpoints. But with continuous monitoring of endpoints, no malcode execution or infiltration can go undetected. Security solutions equipped to collect and analyze event logs from a wide range of network devices can help consistently monitor for such malicious executions.

3. Adopt Zero Trust. The Zero Trust security model is all the rage, and for good reason. With applications like ChatGPT on the scene, it's impossible to predict where your next attack may come from. Adopting Zero Trust helps address insider threats and secure your systems from within.

4. Take regulatory standards seriously. Hefty compliance penalties have forced organizations to view regulatory standards from the singular perspective of fulfilling audit requirements. But there is a need to take security controls more seriously—to keep your enterprise secure, not just complaint.

To learn more about how a comprehensive SIEM solution like ManageEngine Log360 can help protect your organization against impending AI-based attacks, sign up for a free, 45-day trial or a personalized demo with our product experts.