Mar/Apr 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

The Cyber Arms Race The issue, of course, is that many businesses are far behind in their cybersecurity strategies. Many aren’t even using basic cybersecurity tools such as private networks, making them sitting ducks for cyberattacks. Companies in this position will not stand a chance against the next gen- eration of AI-enabled malware. Now more than ever, it’s imperative to have a modern, comprehensive and layered cybersecurity strategy that provides safeguards across every area of the network. Marc Stoecklin, principal research scientist and manager of the Cogni- tive Cybersecurity Intelligence (CCSI) group at the IBM T.J. Watson Re- search Center, likens cybersecurity to an arms race. Every new era of computing, he said in a recent post, has given attackers new capabilities to exploit vulnerabilities. The next era will be much more intense. “In the PC era, we witnessed mal- ware threats emerging from viruses and worms, and the security industry responded with antivirus software,” Stoecklin says. “In the web era, at- tacks such as cross-site request forgery (CSRF) and cross-site script- ing (XSS) were challenging web ap- plications. Now, we are in the cloud, analytics, mobile and social (CAMS) era – and advanced persistent threats (APTs) have been on the top of CIOs’ and CSOs’ minds. “But we are on the cusp of a new era,” Stoecklin continues. “The shift to machine learning and AI is the next major progression in IT. Howev- er, cybercriminals are also studying AI to use it to their advantage – and weaponize it.” IBM Research has developed DeepLocker, what Stoecklin refers to as a new breed of AI-enabled malware that contains highly targeted and eva- sive attack tools. DeepLocker is capable of avoid- ing detection until the exact moment that it recognizes a target using a variety of tools including biometrics and geolocation. “This AI-powered malware is partic- ularly dangerous because, like nation- state malware, it could infect millions of systems without being detected,” Stoecklin says. “But, unlike nation- state malware, it is feasible in the civil- ian and commercial realms.” According to Stoeckler, AI-powered threats like this will arrive very soon. IBM Research, after all, built DeepLock- er by combining open-source AI tools with basic evasion techniques – a tech- nique that cybercriminals will almost certainly be using in the near future. The upshot is the next wave of cy- bercrime will be much more dangerous, and costlier, than ever before. Business- es must start planning now for this next phase of smart cybercrime or risk falling victim to devastating cyberattacks. o Cyber Patrol Acquire leads, drive visitors to your sites and social media, convert buyers with ChannelVision’s email marketing platform. Performance stats are available. P LUS B RONZE S ILVER G OLD P LATINUM ADDITIONAL BEKA SERVICES CHANNEL VISION EMAIL BLAST WITH PROVEN 33,000+ ROI RATES 3 Blasts $700ea $2,100 6 Blasts $500ea $3,000 12 Blasts $350ea $4,200 24 Blasts $300ea $7,200 52 Blasts $225ea $11,700 P LUS P LATINUM G OLD S ILVER B RONZE channelvision@bekapublishing.com 480-503-0770 Flip Book & Digital > ChannelVision Magazine / Print, > Webinars > Lead Gen > Blogs / Content Writing > Company Profiles / Q&A > Sponsorships: Newsletters, Playbooks & Digital Books > CVx Shows > VSA Awards > Online Banners > White Papers > Show Dailies & Show Guides (WISPA & INCOMPAS) > CV-TV 83 March - April, 2019 | Channel Vision