AI is the future of Cybersecurity

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a key component of cybersecurity. AI is the most disruptive technologies of our time. AI can be used to automate tasks, identify threats, and respond to incidents more quickly and effectively than humans can.

Cyberattacks are on the rise across sectors and the attacks have become more sophisticated. Recently, healthcare organizations have increasingly being targeted. AI is still a relatively new technology in cybersecurity, but it has the potential to revolutionize the field. By automating tasks and improving threat detection and response, AI can help organizations to protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated attacks.

AI can analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns, anomalies, and indicators of potential cyber threats. Machine learning algorithms can continuously learn from new data and adapt their detection capabilities, enabling faster and more accurate identification of potential security breaches.

Hospitals have a vast trove of highly-sensitive personally identifiable information that may get stolen in a breach. And such information - which includes things like health care records - can be sold for hundreds and thousands of rupees on the dark web. Beyond financial gain, hackers may also use the information for espionage or ideological reasons.

Cybersecurity has always been a cat-and-mouse game, and attackers try to beat defenders at it by staying ahead. In the case of hospitals, it's easy to do. The healthcare industry, in general, struggles with legacy medical applications and devices that rely on outdated software and hardware infrastructure. And when you add the fact that they are short-staffed and under-resourced, they simply can’t keep pace with hackers who have access to an unlimited budget, time, and sophisticated military-grade and nation-state tools.

AI can identify threats more accurately than human analysts can. This is because AI can analyze large amounts of data and identify patterns that human analysts might miss.

Going forward, AI has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of cybersecurity by automating tasks, improving accuracy, and providing insights. However, it is important to note that AI is a complex technology and can be difficult to implement and manage. Organizations should carefully consider the benefits and challenges of AI before making a decision about whether to implement it.

Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, President & CEO, VARINDIA