Artificial Intelligence and Safeguarding the Future
The advancements made in technology are staggering. Consider this for a moment: We carry smartphones in our pockets that have considerably more computing power than was housed in entire buildings in the 1960s. Furthermore, our pocket-sized phones are mobile computing platforms with the power to not only make and receive worldwide calls wirelessly, they can browse the internet, stream music, take and edit high-resolution photographs and videos, and they have the capability to display this information on screens of impressive resolutions.
Perhaps most unique, is their reliance on artificial intelligence to aid in the completion of increasingly more complex tasks. Yet, the smartphones of today will look dated within half-a-decade, if not sooner. The progression of technology marches on and society quickly learns to adapt to each iteration. Smartphone upgrading is a relatively easy process, for we benefit from the advancements made that help us be more productive on the go while better connecting with those around us. In short, we welcome this change because this change is painless.
Several decades ago, anti-virus updates were mailed straight to the home on 3.5-inch floppy disks. One by one, you would install these updated definitions and be protected until the next batch was created by the company and delivered by the mail carrier. As technology advanced, and dial-up internet was replaced by high-speed internet, negating the considerations we gave to how long an update would take. Concurrently, anti-virus software evolved further to begin using heuristic analysis so threats could be blocked on a zero-day basis. What is over the next horizon?
The future is yet to be written, but it is reasonable to assume that given the advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence, the viruses of the future could be ever-evolving, based on an artificial intelligence that outpaces the scanning engines embedded in today’s software. The question becomes: Are we adapting fast enough? This sort of change would not be welcomed and could be quite painful if such viruses spread rapidly and began to take control of critical infrastructure.
The two technological advancements detailed above represent a utopia and a dystopia — but they are two sides of the same coin. We cannot appreciate the use of machine learning that automatically color-balances our photos or suggests texting a friend that we are running late, without recognizing that this technology can also have a downside with malicious usage that can hold a network or our data hostage with mutating code that outpaces our ability to control or counter the threat. What is the remedy?
Short of predicting the future, the optimal remedy is, and always has been, strict adherences to best practices. This approach holds true with threats that have already come to pass. The POODLE attack in October 2014 exploited a vulnerability that was in place because the desire for interoperability outweighed the need for strong security. Anytime adherences to best practices are sacrificed for interoperability or convenience, it makes safeguarding data and the future more difficult.
The experts at BizzSecure are poised to tackle the security challenges of today while planning for tomorrow’s challenges. We can ensure your organization complies with the latest security frameworks to help your business compete in the marketplace and achieve the necessary certifications that your clients expect. Give us a call on your pocket-sized computer today!