In the space of a few years we have moved from talking about artificial intelligence to experiencing it daily, almost without realizing it. This is precisely the detail that makes a technology disruptive: the fact that it is able to change lives without almost noticing its presence.
" From the self-regulating thermostats, to spam filtering in emails, to the algorithms of Netflix's recommendation system to virtual assistants like Alexa, the adoption of artificial intelligence is growing rapidly and technology is making enormous progress " - Mariana Pereira tells us , Director of Darktrace - "Thanks to the recent wave of technological innovations, our daily lives will soon be further improved by the AI. The smart coffee machine prepares cappuccino for me even before I wake up, intelligent street lighting along the way will show us the most suitable sections to perform to optimize energy in the various time slots to go to work. In the near future, artificial intelligence could also help us process data from steps and direct kinetic energy to provide street lighting exactly where it is needed. Interacting daily with artificial intelligence may still seem futuristic; however, in this age characterized by a fierce race for cybersecurity weapons,millions of us, even if unknowingly, already come into contact with artificial intelligence every day in their working life ".
Artificial intelligence in the world of cybersecurity
When Mariana cites examples of AI with which we are dealing every day, she refers to the most recent IT security solutions, which are based on machine learning algorithms capable of identifying malware before they can manifest in response to emerging threats. their effects. Judging by the current scenario, this type of solution will be increasingly widespread, if only because hackers were among the first to understand the importance of artificial intelligence and to exploit it for their own purposes .
" In the field of computer security, significant developments in AI have been catalyzed by a constantly expanding panorama of threats " - continues Mariana - " Today, cyber criminals are starting to use AI technologies to infiltrate infrastructures IT, but also for sneaking into target networks without being discovered for months or even years, and to counter this unsettling perspective, thousands of organizations are committed to strengthening their defenses with cyber AI to be a step forward. spear phishing , which is the practice of infecting systems with malware transmitted via email,it is an attack technique that will probably become even more difficult to counter . Through social media, cyber criminals are already obtaining valuable information about us, enough to cause us to click on malicious links without raising suspicion and being able to infiltrate our computers. "
How cyber attacks evolve
"The aggressor of the future will be able to take another step forward, taking advantage of automation , which is capable of causing much more damage and even more efficiently" - continued Mariana - "They will not only learn the style of writing of each of us, but how this differs depending on our interlocutor. Thanks to these notions, they will be able to imitate our conversations and deceive the recipient into believing that they are interacting with us . referring to shared experiences, future phishing e-mails will be practically indistinguishable from authentic communication ".
These are solutions that are currently accessible only to companies with very high security budgets that will inevitably spread, also because they are the only real barrier against the most sophisticated attacks.
" Now that cybercriminals have included artificial intelligence in their arsenal, it may seem impossible to find a way to defeat them. However, there is a positive side: if the attacks have become increasingly sophisticated, the same is true of cyber defense standards . the AI is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of cyber resilience; and it already is in some of the largest companies and government organizations in the world. The cyber IA, in fact, collects network data and uses them to detect and combat threats in real time, before irreparable damage is caused. This allows companies to remain protected even in view of more sophisticated attacks, even those that have already infiltrated their borders. Numerous theories exist in this regard, but the future impact of AI on our lives remains uncertain. However, one thing is certain "- concludes Mariana -" if artificial intelligence has become a common tool in the digital arsenal of a hacker, the cyber defense fed by the