Security Breach: This Is the Way ... to Beat Hackers

One of the good guys shares some AI tricks that can slow down and defeat threat actors.

There are two common elements of a hacker’s strategy that show up regardless of whether it’s a ransomware attack on a local healthcare system or a malware drop on a global automotive manufacturer. 

The first is speed. Once an exploit is detected by the bad guys, they will work as quickly as possible to take advantage of it, hopefully beating the deployment of any patches. The second element is manipulation. Most commonly, hackers take advantage of well-established systems that have unextraordinary access points, legacy connections or human management dynamics that are easily manipulated by altering software code, stealing login data or introducing malware. 

Based on these fundamental dynamics, it would seem that hackers could benefit greatly from a tool that reduces a human being’s grunt work and utilizes algorithms and automation to produce the text for a phishing email, to re-write software code, or to develop data mining protocols to obtain logins and personal information.

That tool is obviously artificial intelligence, and the hackers are all too familiar on how to use AI platforms for their nefarious purposes.

Fortunately, the good guys have also become well-schooled in the art of AI, and one example is Gary Southwell, the VP and General Manager at ARIA Cybersecurity. He joins us to share some AI tricks that can slow down and defeat threat actors.

We’re excited to announce that Palo Alto Networks is sponsoring this episode. For more information on zero trust security for all OT environments and simplified operations, go to www.paloaltonetworks.com/network-security

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.netIEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast. And if you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at [email protected].

To download our latest report on industrial cybersecurity,  The Industrial Sector’s New Battlefield, click here.

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