Rising AI-attacks are a significant concern as top security executives focus on safeguarding AI-related vulnerabilities
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The cybersecurity landscape is evolving rapidly, with artificial intelligence (AI) playing an increasingly significant role in security operations centers (SOCs). A recent report by cybersecurity firm Team8 highlights several key trends and challenges in this area.
According to the report, nearly eight in 10 companies are either currently using or planning to deploy AI agents in their SOCs. These agents are being deployed to automate tasks, with 77% of CISOs expecting AI to replace some SOC tasks.
However, this widespread adoption of AI brings new challenges. One of the main concerns is securing AI agents themselves, with 37% of CISOs expressing worries about potential vulnerabilities or attack vectors introduced by these tools.
Another concern is ensuring employee use of AI tools complies with security and privacy policies. About 36% of respondents expressed worries about this issue, highlighting governance and policy challenges related to "shadow AI" usage.
The report also indicates that AI threats have become top priorities for security chiefs, outranking traditional concerns such as vulnerability management, data loss prevention, and third-party risks.
Boards are pushing aggressively for enterprise-wide AI adoption, placing CISOs "in the hot seat" to enable AI adoption securely without blocking innovation, despite limited controls and understanding in this rapidly evolving domain.
One of the benefits of AI-enabled cybersecurity is improved detection, response time, and reduced analyst workload by automating duties under human supervision. However, adversaries also use AI/ML to probe and evade security frameworks with techniques like AI-powered phishing and self-modifying malware.
The report suggests that the true number of companies targeted by AI-powered attacks may be higher due to the difficulty in detecting such threats. In the areas of penetration testing and threat modeling, AI agents could "unlock expert-level capabilities across a broader surface area".
Despite the challenges, CISOs are eager to incorporate AI into their own operations. However, nearly half of companies still require employees to get permission to use particular AI tools, an approach that could cause friction with non-security executives.
The report does not provide details about the specific unintended security consequences of AI usage that CISOs are worried about. It does state that AI risks are now a top priority for CISOs and that nearly half of those CISOs said that reducing their employee count was a major factor in their experimentation with AI-powered SOCs.
In conclusion, Team8's report reveals a growing integration of AI in SOCs that brings significant operational benefits but also introduces novel attack vectors, governance challenges, and security risks that CISOs must urgently address. The rapid pace of AI adoption combined with immature controls and sophisticated AI-powered adversaries creates a complex risk environment demanding new techniques and policies.
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