AI Can’t Carry the Cybersecurity Torch by Itself

March 5, 2018

Artificial intelligence and machine learning undoubtedly have an indispensable role to play in the future of cybersecurity. How deep their contributions go, however, is a matter of some debate. While there are those who envision a highly automated future, where bots carry much of the workload, the prevailing stance is one that sees technologies supplementing human efforts, in a capacity much more akin to a digital assistant.

In a recent post for CSO Online, contributor Paul Shomo makes a case against relying too heavily on artificial intelligence and machine learning, pointing to a number of fundamental shortcomings with a machine-first approach. These include:

A high number of false positives and lacking detail can lead to increased workload. At present, AI solutions are still producing a high number of false-positive alerts, in large part because of overly sensitive statistical modeling. The alerts they produce also can be short on details, requiring researchers to fill in the gaps.
Lacking depth of knowledge in comparison to skilled forensic practitioners. AI tools are only scratching the surface in the level of information they bring to bear.
Machines can’t change the problem of poor security practices. If employees are failing to take important precautions, such as clicking on phishing email, no artificial intelligence is going to keep them from making those mistakes. It falls to all individuals to be an active practitioner in proper cybersecurity.
Human researchers will always need to close gaps against hackers. Cyber protections will ultimately fail when hackers learn to outsmart the tech. This is when human intelligence will always be required to push solutions forward.

If you have been counting on the promise of artificial intelligence and machine learning to carry your organization’s cyber protection forward, take a step back and make sure you haven’t forgotten the fundamentals of a solid defense. Human-mediated security operations are available to organizations of any size through managed security programs.

At Lunarline, our managed security services employ leading experts in forensics and operates from several state-of-the-art facilities, with 24/7 availability. For more information on these programs, contact us online today.