There’s been a continuous increase in the use of Machine Learning but, despite the recent hype, the technology is not new. While researchers have been playing with artificial neural networks from as early as the 1950s, machine learning is not new even in the context of cybersecurity.
Demand for cybersecurity experts will increase and become a priority for enterprises, leading to an estimated need for over 1 million cybersecurity professionals in India by 2020 and over 500,000 in the US. The US currently employs 780,000 specialists in cybersecurity, while 350,000 posts are still unfilled, reports CyberSeek, project supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The terms “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning” are often used interchangeably, but there’s a huge technical difference between them. While the first is used by Hollywood when depicting self-aware machines, the latter is comprised of finely tuned single-task algorithms that are nowhere near self-aware.
Following years of active research and progress, artificial intelligence and machine learning have gained traction, becoming integrated in all cybersecurity layers to boost the efficiency of unknown malware detection, spam detection, URL filtering and network anomalies. Still, the industry has only reached the tip of the iceberg, with many opportunities still to be explored in the future.
GDPR, a new legal framework, was approved in the European Union in April 2016, after a seven-year journey from idea to implementation. The regulation addresses consumer rights and data privacy in relation to business conducted in EU member states.
The education sector is one of the most targeted by cybercriminals, partly because it often overlooks compliance with government regulations on security and data protection. Unlike other industries, education is not as well-trained on security guidelines, has little device protection in place, and unwittingly encourages a bring-your-own-device environment.
Some $86.4 billion has been spent globally on information security so far in 2017 alone, a 7 percent increase from 2016, according to Gartner. The forecast for 2018 is that the spending will reach $93 billion, making the Chief Information Security Officer a fundamental role in any organization.
When WannaCry ransomware hit in May, the world was bewildered. Who would have thought a Windows SMB protocol exploit would be used in a historical cyberattack that would cripple over 200,000 Windows computers from 150 countries, including 48 NHS hospitals and medical devices in the UK and similar facilities in the US.
The energy sector is vital for our industrial society to function properly. Fuel, electricity and petroleum sustain key industries, including agriculture and transportation. Should the world’s top 10 economies be concerned that cyber criminals could go after their critical infrastructure?
Most data breaches, unsurprisingly, are easily avoidable. So why don’t more businesses focus on improving security? Misdirected emails, weak security, lack of employee training on the basics of online behavior and social engineering scams, all could be easily resolved and it would cost far less than fixing their entire computer network.
The WannaCry ransomware family took only 24 hours to infect 200,000 computers in over 100 countries last month, affecting companies such as Renault, Nissan, Telefonica Spain, FedEx and more than 40 hospitals in the UK. Researchers around the world were surprised how fast the malware spread without user interaction as a result of outdated Windows versions and inefficient security solutions.
