Intelligent CISO Issue 03 | Page 33

 PREDI C TI VE I NTEL L I GE NC E How AI-based machine learning will affect IT security The continued advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have impacted almost every industry, with some concerns over its potential impact on the human workforce. However, it is possible that AI can be leveraged to positively address challenges being faced by cybersecurity professionals, as Rabih Itani, Regional Business Development Manager – Security, Middle East and Turkey at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, outlines here. A rtificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic of discussion in many industries for a while now, with healthcare, retail and hospitality (to name but a few) starting to speculate on the massive opportunities its development could bring to how their business is run and how customers interact with those businesses. Many articles are already predicting the demise of human workers as a result of AI making inroads into our lives because we are on the verge of true artificial intelligence. But when it comes to the biggest challenges facing business, these technologies are yet to have their big breakthrough. www.intelligentciso.com | Issue 03 This may all change as we progress into this information age and, for me, the first proof point will be IT security. Having grown into one of our biggest international threats of 2018 with attacks spanning the globe and affecting every country including those in Middle East, a new defence is being developed that will allow companies to tackle the latest threats as soon as they appear on the network. How does machine learning improve security? This new defence is based on machine learning, a key component of a security framework that can move as quickly as those who are looking to breach the network. Machine learning is a fundamental part of an AI system. Machine learning enables AI to detect patterns in all sorts of data sources and create behaviours based on recognised patterns. As is clear nowadays, security is number one on the agenda for CIOs around the world as they move to protect their organisations against the malevolent attackers who are looking to breach the network and, typically, steal personal data. IT teams today are faced with a moving security target. From the devices used by employees to do work, to the locations we work in and the people we send data to, our activities change day by day. It is important to understand, keep up with and protect against these moving goalposts. This can be a tall order for most IT staff that cannot predict the subtle changes 33