Hype around artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is deceiving three in four IT decision makers (75pc) into believing those technologies are the silver bullet to solving their cybersecurity challenges, according to a cybersecurity firm. The hype, ESET says, is causing confusion among IT teams and could be putting organisations at greater risk of falling victim to cybercrime. ESET surveyed 900 IT decision makers across the US, UK and Germany on their opinions and attitudes to AI and ML in response to this growing hype.
US IT decision makers are most likely to consider the technologies as a panacea to solve cyber security, compared to their European counterparts – 82pc compared to 67pc in the UK and 66pc in Germany. The majority of respondents said that AI and ML would help their organisation detect and respond to threats faster (79pc) and help solve a skills shortage (77pc).
Juraj Malcho, chief technology officer at ESET says, “It is worrying to see that the hype around AI and ML is causing so many IT decision makers – particularly in the US – to regard the technologies as ‘the silver bullet’ to cybersecurity challenges. If the past decade has taught us anything, it’s that some things do not have an easy solution – especially in cyberspace where the playing field can shift in a matter of minutes. In today’s business environment, it would be unwise to rely solely on one technology to build a robust cyber defence. However, it is also interesting to see such a gap between the US and European respondents. The concern is that overhyping this technology may be causing technology leaders in the UK and Germany to tune out. It’s crucial that IT decision makers recognise that, while ML is without a doubt an important tool in the fight against cybercrime, it must be just one part of an organization’s overall cyber security strategy.”
The reality is that the majority of respondents have actually already put into us ML in their cybersecurity; with 89pc of German respondents, 87pc of US respondents and 78pc of UK respondents saying their endpoint protection product uses ML to protect their organisation from malicious attacks. Many respondents stated that there is confusion over what the terms ‘AI’ and ‘ML’ mean, with a bare half, 53pc of IT decision makers saying their company fully understands the differences between the two.
Malcho adds: “Sadly, when it comes to AI and ML, the terminology used in some marketing materials can be misleading and IT decision makers across the world aren’t sure what to believe. The reality of cyber security is that true AI does not yet exist, while the hype around novelty of ML is completely misleading, it has been around for a long time. As the threat landscape becomes even more complex, we cannot afford to make things more confusing for businesses. There needs to be greater clarity as the hype is muddling the message for those making key decisions on how best to secure their company’s networks and data. We’ve been using machine learning as part of our weaponry against cyber criminals since 1995 – and it’s simply not enough on its own. By educating themselves of ML’s limitations, businesses can take a more strategic approach to building a robust defence. Multi-layered solutions, combined with talented and skilled people, will be the only way to stay step ahead of the hackers as the threat landscape continues to evolve.”
