Patrick Hayes – Third Wave’s Chief Strategy and Product Officer recently provided some thoughts in AIs for insideBIGDATA’s “Heard on the Street” round-up column!

Artificial intelligence is hailed by many as a cure-all for everything that ails us, including preventing and addressing cyberattacks. But, as security professionals home in on AI tools to address this growing threat, caution is required, especially as bad actors deploy AI themselves.

Just as we’re using AI to fix grammar in our emails, AI tools are helping hackers refine their phishing emails or vishing phone calls to better lure victims. In fact, hackers with just a “basic grasp of English language” can now easily and realistically impersonate people with ChatGPT, according to a report from Europol, a European police agency.

And while businesses may be using Large Language Models, or LLMs, to write code or better support customers, attackers are manipulating LLMs to distribute misinformation to various data sources.

In this battle for digital data, cybercriminals have huge incentives to fully embrace AI and stay far ahead of the rest of us. The impact of cybercrime will likely total $9.5 trillion in 2024, Cybersecurity Ventures predicts. That’s a big payday for bad actors In response, organizations must get on the offensive. Technology, including AI tools, play a role in proactive efforts to thwart cyberattacks. But tech solutions aren’t the only answer — or even the main one.

Humans, not bots, offer the critical-thinking skills required to use AI in the right way and deploy it to solve and prevent cyberattacks. What’s more, we bring an added layer of intuition and adaptability to flag something that doesn’t feel right and quickly respond to it.

So, as we plow forward into this uncertain future amid ever-evolving cyberattacks, balance and discretion is advised. The best offense and defense must include leveraging the insights and pragmatism of real people to protect against the very real threat of cyberattacks.”