Artificial intelligence is lowering the barrier for cybercriminals and speeding up their attacks, experts said at a cybersecurity symposium. The same technology is also helping companies defend against them.<\/p>\n
Speakers said AI allows hackers to move faster than ever with far less skill. Attacks that once required real expertise can now be carried out by almost anyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything that hackers are doing now is at a speed that we\u2019ve never seen before,\u201d said Jake Carroll, vice president of partner enablement at Inforcer. \u201cSo our ability as small businesses and as technology providers to react to what\u2019s happening, we\u2019re on our back foot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fake videos and cloned voices can now be made cheaply with AI, experts said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor $5, I can create a deepfake video of anyone, anyone from the CEO to the president of the United States,\u201d said Tyler Wrightson, founder of Leet Cyber Security.<\/p>\n
Hackers are not only targeting businesses, Wrightson said. They are also going after everyday people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re getting phone calls from relatives saying, \u2018I\u2019m stuck on the side of the road, I need $1,000. I need $10,000 to get out of jail,\u2019\u201d Wrightson said. \u201cThey may get a phone call from somebody that sounds exactly like them and that\u2019s what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FBI says many criminals are after money, and AI is helping them get it faster. The agency\u2019s advice for avoiding fraud starts with skepticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing I find myself telling people the most is just don\u2019t trust people you\u2019ve never met in person or had the opportunity to interact with face to face,\u201d said Kyle Neuberger, a supervisory special agent with the FBI.<\/p>\n
Beyond that, Neuberger said, the basics still matter at work and at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking sure that you have a strong alphanumeric password and utilizing multi-factor authentication,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cybersecurity companies are also turning to AI, and it is already helping them and their clients, said Dustin Sitton, CEO of Insight Automation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can help because it\u2019s great at detecting anomalies, right? So you can find problems faster,\u201d Sitton said.<\/p>\n
For businesses without a cybersecurity company watching their backs, Wrightson said the most important step is training employees.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number one thing that organizations can do right now is to train everyone,\u201d he said. \u201cIt starts with education. Everyone needs to be aware, this is now easy and it\u2019s happening now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts said the trend is not going away anytime soon, because attackers and defenders will both keep using AI to stay one step ahead.<\/p>\n