There's no shortage of concern about AI helping cybercriminals with much bigger and better crimes. Well, it's time for a look at the high hopes that AI can assist in the fight against the bad guys. At the very least we citizens of Gotham should ask "is AI destined to be our Cybersecurity Superhero?"

How AI Helps Cybersecurity

Hopes are indeed high for using the very same AI tools hackers use, only this time to fight against them. At this point though, no one is abandoning the traditional ways of targeting cyber threats. Responses to cybercrime are in the works and using generative AI (GenAI) is a chief tool among them. With human input, GenAI creates assistants helping the good guys detect and respond to crimes in real-time. It's kind of like ChatGPT, only for security purposes, with Microsoft and Google already on board initiating their own versions. So, POW! Take THAT cybercriminals!

There are other ways AI can help make Gotham City more cybersecure. Taking the history of what's known about cyberattacks and feeding it into AI models is one step. By doing so, it can help developers build more secure software, build attack simulators, and create more secure ways to design for security.

There are areas where some see issues with AI. One of those is zero-day attacks, where new threats are found and exploited by hackers and are otherwise unknown and for which there is no immediate fix. These attacks may not be discovered for weeks, months, and sometimes years. Building a defense may be impossible until the zero-day is known to security professionals. The possibility of false positives also exists when AI tools are not yet accurate enough.

With these developments and more on the horizon, the future of AI helping cybersecurity is optimistic. However, in the meantime, you’ll need your own 1-2 punch to combat the cyber threats.

• Keep your X-ray vision set to identify phishing in all its forms: phishing in email, by text, and via voice methods.

• Keep your systems updated at all times. This goes for your work and personal devices of all shapes and sizes.

• PUNCH! Have a code word or phrase in your arsenal and be ready to deploy if you suspect an AI voice phishing attack may be forming. This is especially important if you are asked to transfer money somewhere. If you don’t have a code word, ask a question that only the person claiming to be on the line will know the answer to or give them a call back on a phone number you know already.

Although there will be bumps along the way, residents of Gotham can sleep better knowing the AI Cybersecurity Superhero is on it