An article created following the CSC Cyber-Security Forum Event – Business and Finance, Business security in the cyber-space

The New Weapon Against Cyber-Crimes

The emergence of artificial intelligence and the implementation of the innovative iSOC, enables Experis Cyber to lead the upgrade of existing security concepts.

by: Eli Cohen, CEO, Experis Cyber

The online hacking and fraud industry in the cyber space is thriving more than ever before, no institution or individual are immune to it. Just recently, we experienced a world-wide attack, affecting hundreds of states and organizations, and disrupting critical systems, such as hospitals. Every day, citizens around the world pay ransom money to hackers who hacked incapacitate their private computers.

Security experts estimate that every day, no less than 1 million new threats are created online – fraud sites, spyware, viruses, ransom demands, etc. The World Economic Forum estimates global damages from cyber-crimes at more than $445 billion a year, and the security firm McAfee names similar numbers ($375-575 billion a year) – Roughly 0.8% of the global GDP.

The current security concepts, devised in the 1990’s, seek to enclose the organization behind a protected wall, where everything inside the enclosure is deemed credible, and everything outside it – a threat.

However, organizations are not working in a , fully controlled, closed universe but rather, their systems are communicating with other organizations, their computers connected to the internet, and their employees are exposed to attacks, even when browsing from mobile devices or their home computer.

The “Good Guys” are taking control

In other words, the combination between the way we use computer systems, and modern methods used by attackers, render the current security concepts obsolete and vulnerable.

A new model, which uses artificial intelligence (AI), may tip the scales in favor of the defenders, and for the first time in the history of the internet, let  the “good guys” take control.

Experis Cyber, one of the most novel companies in the cyber-security industry, has been able to identify this trend, and created a new model of the traditional Security Operating Center ( SOC). Facing infinite streams of information of and the amount and sophistication of emerging threats, Experis Cyber made use of emerging technology and integrated an artificial intelligence system into a new model : the iSOC, i.e. the intelligent SOC

The AI technology has learning and analysis capabilities, which shortens and enhances the work of analysts manning the control center (iSOC).

Rather than research hundreds of information sources in an attempt to understand the type of attack and the required incident response, the AI system analyzes the information using big data sources round the world, presenting within minutes a full report of the attack and possible responses to the analyst.

The best protection, 24/7

Moreover, the system can also learn previous activity patterns of users within the organization, and indicate weaknesses. It can monitor the startup and shutdown patterns of organizational workstations, and map potential threats based on anomalies in the organization workstations’ usage patterns.

For instance, if a certain employee is attempting to log in to the organizational network in unusual hours, a real-time alert will be triggered in the iSOC and promptly handled by the analysts and Response Team. The Artificial intelligence technology can also analyze voice patterns, detecting elements of fear or excitement, and can even analyze the typing pattern on the keyboard and compare with previous patterns in the database, to detect anomalies.

It is no less than a revolution in terms of our conception of information security strategies. The use of artificial intelligence technologies eliminates the need of system compartmentalization. In fact, as more organizations continue to share information, and increase their connectivity, so the AI capabilities will continue to improve, and the system will be able to detect more threats in real-time.

In a world where the workday continues after hours, requiring us to connect from any place at any time, including from mobile devices and personal computers, every organization is opened to  many vulnerabilities which may be exploited. The iSOC, with the integrated artificial intelligence technology, provides the best possible protection, 24/7.

Artificial intelligence is changing our lives in many areas – our economy, how we trade, the way we move around and the way we acquire consumer goods, It is high time that we integrate it into our security strategies as well.