GenAI can help cos fight cyber threats – ET CISO
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As a majority of cybersecurity breaches are due to human errors, advanced tools such as Generative AI (GenAI) can help organisations thwart such threats, according a report by NASSCOM and Data Security Council of India (DSCI). The report has pegged breaches because of human errors to a massive 88%.
The report, “Reimagining Security: A New Era Powered by Generative AI”, said that GenAI, a form of artificial intelligence (AI) capable of creating solutions on its own, has better ability to detect, prevent and respond to threats in real time.
Also, GenAI can help fill a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals as currently over 4 million skilled workers are required, it said.
“GenAI can set and achieve complex security goals on its own, adapt to changing threats and learn from past incidents. It focuses on accuracy, works seamlessly with existing systems, and builds trust by being transparent about its processes,” the report said. Analysing data and generating insights, automating cybersecurity tasks, and improving customer service are the top three uses of GenAI globally, it said.
“Companies are increasing their cybersecurity budgets and exploring how GenAI can enhance productivity. This presents a unique opportunity to use AI to bridge the skills gap and strengthen cybersecurity,” the report said. While advocating GenAI, the report highlighted the associated risks such as new opportunities for cyberattacks and data privacy. Organisations are conducting regular audits, testing AI models, anonymising sensitive data, it said.
To train GenAI effectively, experts emphasised on having large datasets. “For building strong security systems, GenAI needs access to a lot of data,” said Y Kiran Chandra, who is working on a GenAI startup. Cybersecurity experts, however, also stressed on the need to follow safety rules. “There have been many breaches in the past. Organisations are aware of them. But there is no proper mechanism to ensure these breaches do not happen again. So, more than deciding the technology, it is important to have safety protocols and ensure that everyone follows them,” according to cybersecurity expert Srinivas Kodali.