In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the area of IT security, driven primarily by the rapid development and introduction of artificial intelligence (AI). This technological advancement brings many benefits, but has also ushered in a new era of cyber threats that are more complex, more deceptive and difficult to combat.
One of the most pressing issues in this new threat landscape is the increasing sophistication of ransomware attacks as AI technologies become more accessible and advanced, which hackers can exploit to their advantage. They are using generative AI, i.e. tools like ChatGPT, as their tools to develop attacks that can not only be carried out more frequently, but are more complicated and difficult to detect. This is reflected in the frightening statistic that in the first three quarters of 2023, one out of 34 companies faced a ransomware attack, an increase of 4 percent year-on-year. The financial impact of these attacks is frightening, with ransom demands sometimes exceeding five million US dollars (around 4,55 million euros).
Deepfakes and disinformation
Another worrying trend is the use of deepfakes and other AI-generated fakes for phishing and disinformation campaigns. These methods significantly increase the plausibility and effectiveness of cyber attacks, which has led to a more than 37 percent increase in ransomware attacks over the past year. By creating realistic impersonations using deepfake videos, images, or even voice calls, attackers can deceive or abuse specific individuals and organizations, resulting in the theft of sensitive information or the spread of lies. A current example from Germany: an artist collective has published a deceptively real deepfake video of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In the video, Scholz appeared to justify banning a political party. The video, which appeared to have been created using AI, caused considerable confusion and criticism from the federal government because it was difficult to distinguish between real and fake and such fakes can be used to influence public opinion.
All of this underlines the need for proactive IT defense including a well-thought-out strategy. The traditional, reactive approach is no longer sufficient. Instead, a preventative strategy incorporating AI and real-time threat detection is critical. Additionally, the emphasis on multi-factor authentication and zero trust models represents a shift toward more rigorous checks before granting access. IT security is no longer just a technical issue, but has become an essential part of corporate strategy and management. Therefore, managers must not avoid the topic, but must deal with it and establish a guideline in their company. They also need to understand that the intersection of IT security and AI is one of the most important areas of construction and realize that AI can be used not only by hackers, but also by security guards to build a modern, consolidated IT security architecture.
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About check point Check Point Software Technologies GmbH (www.checkpoint.com/de) is a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions for public administrations and companies worldwide. The solutions protect customers from cyberattacks with an industry leading detection rate for malware, ransomware and other types of attacks. Check Point offers a multi-level security architecture that protects company information in cloud environments, networks and on mobile devices, as well as the most comprehensive and intuitive “one point of control” security management system. Check Point protects over 100.000 businesses of all sizes.
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