A report of Funkyadjunct says that The 2024 RSA Conference brought together some of the best minds and innovative companies in the cybersecurity industry. What became clear was that artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing cybersecurity, making defense mechanisms more efficient and robust. I had the opportunity to speak with many vendors and experts to learn about their products and services, as well as what the future holds. The most important theme was AI.
AI is not new
AI is getting mainstream attention thanks to ChatGPT and other generative AI models and tools that have taken the world by storm in the past year and a half, but AI is not new to cybersecurity. AI and ML (machine learning) have been a hot topic in the industry even before generative AI came on the scene according to Seotoolskit.
It has been said for years that manual human effort alone is not enough to keep up with the sheer volume of data and events. We all agree that there are certain routine tasks that are easy to automate and occur in huge volumes. This makes AI and ML part of the fundamental requirement of cybersecurity.
What has changed is that generative AI has democratized access to cybersecurity. It allows non-security experts to understand the security landscape of their companies and helps security experts find the needle in the sea of data.
Companies strengthening cybersecurity with AI
・Trend Micro: AI for security and security for AI
Rachel Jin , vice president of product management at Trend Micro , emphasized the dual approach of “AI for security” and “security for AI.”
She explained that Trend Micro uses AI to improve risk management outcomes, reduce detection and response times, and improve overall security through automation and richer insights. Their AI-driven efforts aim to transform user experience, streamline workflows, and move from reactive to proactive AI. Jin said, ”
Our strategy is focused on using AI to make security better and easier, providing users with better insights and automated workflows.”
Normalyze: Protect your data with AI
Normalyze CEO and co-founder Amer Diva said AI is essential to the company’s mission to protect data across cloud and on-premise environments, highlighting that Normalyze uses AI to understand where sensitive data is located, who has access to it, and the associated risks.
“By connecting all information from the environment regarding configuration, vulnerabilities, access, and data sensitivity with a powerful patented, AI-driven backend, we intelligently connect these pieces of information together to help understand the unique attack vectors of sensitive data that could lead to data breaches or leaks,” Diva explained. This comprehensive approach ensures that sensitive data is secured throughout its entire lifecycle, from feeding it into large-scale language models (LLMs) to managing it within various data environments.
Torq: Hyper-automation in the Security Operations Center
Torq co-founder and CTO Leonid Belkind introduced the company’s new service, HyperSOC , which integrates hyperautomation into enterprise security operations centers (SOCs) . Belkind explained that the company’s solution addresses the unique needs of each SOC, automating repetitive tasks, reducing alert overload, and increasing the efficiency of human analysts. He said,
“The advances in generative AI over the past two years have not passed by the security industry. Today, we are augmenting human analysts with AI analysts. The aim is not only to use advanced technology, but also to address more security signals.” Belkind
also noted that employing AI to augment HyperSOC and human security analysts will multiply the productivity gains of security teams. According to Belkind, this approach not only reduces response times, but also ensures that human ingenuity is applied where it is most needed, effectively expanding the capabilities of existing security teams.
Proofpoint: AI-driven email threat detection
An interview with Proofpoint CEO Sumit Dhawan and CSO Ryan Keilmer highlighted the integration of AI into threat detection systems, with Keilmer explaining that AI can help identify and mitigate threats faster than traditional methods.
They explained how Proofpoint uses AI to protect the entire email delivery chain. Dhawan explained that companies typically choose to detect email threats either pre-delivery or after the email is delivered.
“We’re the only company that offers pre-delivery, post-delivery and time-of-click protection,” Dhawan said.
The Competitive Advantage of AI in Cybersecurity
The role of AI in cybersecurity is no longer just a competitive advantage, but is quickly becoming a necessity. The expanding and increasingly complex threat landscape requires advanced tools to keep pace with new threats. As highlighted by various leaders at RSA 2024, AI will enable organizations to more effectively manage and mitigate risk, providing a level of automation and insight that is not possible with traditional methods.
Generative AI: The new frontier
Generative AI, in particular, has garnered attention due to its ability to build advanced defenses and simulate potential attack vectors. This capability allows organizations to predict and prepare for a wider range of threats. The integration of generative AI into cybersecurity tools is seen as a game changer, providing an additional layer of intelligence that enhances the overall security strategy.
Complementing human analysts, not replacing them
Despite advances in AI, experts agree that AI cannot replace human security analysts; rather, it augments their capabilities, enabling them to more effectively deal with an ever-growing and complex threat landscape.
Torq’s Leonid Belkind sums it up nicely: “No one should be afraid of losing their job to AI, but everyone should be afraid of losing their job to humans who can do this job better, using AI.”
Cybersecurity and AI are inseparable
The 2024 RSA Conference highlighted the transformative impact that AI will have on cybersecurity. From enhancing threat detection and data security to automating SOC operations, AI is at the forefront of the industry’s evolution. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, the
integration of AI into cybersecurity practices will not only provide a competitive advantage but will be essential to achieving a robust and resilient defense. The future of cybersecurity is not simply about adopting AI, but about leveraging AI to augment human expertise to achieve better security outcomes.
