2023 turned out to be a monumental year in cybersecurity, with generative AI at the forefront. New standards for AI safety and security established through President Biden’s Executive Order on AI, marked a new phase of the technology’s evolution.
As we look ahead to 2024, Brian Roche, Chief Product Officer at Veracode shares his top cybersecurity predictions that organizations should be prepared for as we enter the new year.
AI-Assisted Offense Will Help Offset Attacks
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are revolutionizing the cybersecurity landscape, empowering security operations with unprecedented capabilities. AI and ML-powered solutions are automating mundane tasks, detecting anomalies with remarkable accuracy, and providing actionable insights to security teams. This evolution is leading to a new era of cybersecurity, where automated AI defense systems will confront automated AI attacks.
Attackers are increasingly using AI and ML to develop more sophisticated attacks, but AI can also be used to counter these attacks. AI-powered offensive security tools can be used to identify vulnerabilities, exploit systems, and test the effectiveness of security controls. This arms race between AI-driven defense and AI-assisted offense will drive innovation in the cybersecurity industry, resulting in ever more advanced security solutions.
AI-powered security solutions are already being used to identify and prioritize threats, automate incident response, and personalize security controls. In the future, these solutions will become even more sophisticated, learning from experience, and adapting to new threats in real-time. This will enable AI-driven cyber defense systems to proactively identify and neutralize automated attacks fueled by AI before they cause damage.
In this evolving cybersecurity landscape, organizations need to embrace AI and ML to stay ahead of the curve. By integrating AI and ML into their security strategies, organizations can automate tasks, improve detection rates, and gain a deeper understanding of their security posture. This will enable them to effectively manage their cybersecurity risks and protect their valuable data and systems.
Zero-Trust Architecture Will Gain Traction
Traditional perimeter-based security models, which rely on the assumption that users and devices within the network are trustworthy, are increasingly proving to be inadequate in the face of sophisticated cyberattacks. Insider threats and supply chain attacks have highlighted the need for a more comprehensive and granular approach to security.
Enter Zero-Trust Architecture (ZTA), a security model that challenges the traditional notion of trust and assumes that no user or device is inherently trustworthy, regardless of whether it is inside or outside the network. ZTA is based on the principle of "never trust, always verify," which requires continuous authentication and authorization for every request for access to resources, regardless of the user or device making the request.
ZTA is rapidly gaining traction among organizations of all sizes as they seek to address the challenges of modern cyberattacks. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has also published guidance on ZTA, further solidifying its position as a leading security framework. It represents a paradigm shift in cybersecurity, moving away from the traditional perimeter-based model to a more dynamic and granular approach. As organizations continue to face sophisticated cyberattacks, ZTA is poised to play an increasingly important role in protecting valuable data and systems.
Cybersecurity Skills Shortage Will Persist, But AI-Powered Platforms Will Free Up Time
The demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals far exceeds the supply, creating a talent shortage that is expected to continue in 2024 and beyond. The current cybersecurity workforce is simply not able to keep up with the pace of change. Many organizations are struggling to find and retain qualified cybersecurity professionals, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks. This skills shortage is further exacerbated by the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, with new threats and attack vectors emerging constantly.
Organizations need to find ways to automate tasks and processes to free up their limited cybersecurity resources to focus on more strategic activities. This is where AI-powered security solutions can play a critical role. AI-powered security solutions can automate many of the mundane tasks that are currently performed by cybersecurity professionals, such as threat detection, incident response, and security patching. This frees up valuable time for cybersecurity professionals to focus on more complex tasks, such as vulnerability management, risk assessment, and security architecture design.
To effectively address the cybersecurity skills shortage, organizations need to invest in an AI-powered security platform that can provide them with the following capabilities:
Automated threat detection and prioritization: The platform should be able to detect and prioritize threats in real time, without the need for human intervention.
Automated incident response: The platform should be able to automate the response to incidents, such as containment and remediation.
Automated security patching: The platform should be able to automate the patching of vulnerabilities, ensuring that systems are always up to date.
Actionable insights: The platform should provide actionable insights that can help organizations improve their overall security posture.
2024 brings great promise to the cybersecurity industry. With new vulnerabilities on the horizon, the growth of AI-powered attacks and a shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, there has never been a more crucial time to embrace cybersecurity best practices. The landscape is ripe for innovation, and with organizations racing to incorporate generative AI, we expect to see major changes on the horizon, particularly in software security.