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Online Security
CISOs Cyber Security Data Privacy Digital Literacy Generative AI IP addresses Online Security

What Are The Risks of Generative AI?

 




We are all drowning in information in this digital world and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly commonplace within various spheres of business. However, this technological evolution has brought about the emergence of generative AI, presenting a myriad of cybersecurity concerns that weigh heavily on the minds of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). Let's synthesise this issue and see the intricacies from a microscopic light.

Model Training and Attack Surface Vulnerabilities:

Generative AI collects and stores data from various sources within an organisation, often in insecure environments. This poses a significant risk of data access and manipulation, as well as potential biases in AI-generated content.


Data Privacy Concerns:

The lack of robust frameworks around data collection and input into generative AI models raises concerns about data privacy. Without enforceable policies, there's a risk of models inadvertently replicating and exposing sensitive corporate information, leading to data breaches.


Corporate Intellectual Property (IP) Exposure:

The absence of strategic policies around generative AI and corporate data privacy can result in models being trained on proprietary codebases. This exposes valuable corporate IP, including API keys and other confidential information, to potential threats.


Generative AI Jailbreaks and Backdoors:

Despite the implementation of guardrails to prevent AI models from producing harmful or biased content, researchers have found ways to circumvent these safeguards. Known as "jailbreaks," these exploits enable attackers to manipulate AI models for malicious purposes, such as generating deceptive content or launching targeted attacks.


Cybersecurity Best Practices:

To mitigate these risks, organisations must adopt cybersecurity best practices tailored to generative AI usage:

1. Implement AI Governance: Establishing governance frameworks to regulate the deployment and usage of AI tools within the organisation is crucial. This includes transparency, accountability, and ongoing monitoring to ensure responsible AI practices.

2. Employee Training: Educating employees on the nuances of generative AI and the importance of data privacy is essential. Creating a culture of AI knowledge and providing continuous learning opportunities can help mitigate risks associated with misuse.

3. Data Discovery and Classification: Properly classifying data helps control access and minimise the risk of unauthorised exposure. Organisations should prioritise data discovery and classification processes to effectively manage sensitive information.

4. Utilise Data Governance and Security Tools: Employing data governance and security tools, such as Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and threat intelligence platforms, can enhance data security and enforcement of AI governance policies.


Various cybersecurity vendors provide solutions tailored to address the unique challenges associated with generative AI. Here's a closer look at some of these promising offerings:

1. Google Cloud Security AI Workbench: This solution, powered by advanced AI capabilities, assesses, summarizes, and prioritizes threat data from both proprietary and public sources. It incorporates threat intelligence from reputable sources like Google, Mandiant, and VirusTotal, offering enterprise-grade security and compliance support.

2. Microsoft Copilot for Security: Integrated with Microsoft's robust security ecosystem, Copilot leverages AI to proactively detect cyber threats, enhance threat intelligence, and automate incident response. It simplifies security operations and empowers users with step-by-step guidance, making it accessible even to junior staff members.

3. CrowdStrike Charlotte AI: Built on the Falcon platform, Charlotte AI utilizes conversational AI and natural language processing (NLP) capabilities to help security teams respond swiftly to threats. It enables users to ask questions, receive answers, and take action efficiently, reducing workload and improving overall efficiency.

4. Howso (formerly Diveplane): Howso focuses on advancing trustworthy AI by providing AI solutions that prioritize transparency, auditability, and accountability. Their Howso Engine offers exact data attribution, ensuring traceability and accountability of influence, while the Howso Synthesizer generates synthetic data that can be trusted for various use cases.

5. Cisco Security Cloud: Built on zero-trust principles, Cisco Security Cloud is an open and integrated security platform designed for multicloud environments. It integrates generative AI to enhance threat detection, streamline policy management, and simplify security operations with advanced AI analytics.

6. SecurityScorecard: SecurityScorecard offers solutions for supply chain cyber risk, external security, and risk operations, along with forward-looking threat intelligence. Their AI-driven platform provides detailed security ratings that offer actionable insights to organizations, aiding in understanding and improving their overall security posture.

7. Synthesis AI: Synthesis AI offers Synthesis Humans and Synthesis Scenarios, leveraging a combination of generative AI and cinematic digital general intelligence (DGI) pipelines. Their platform programmatically generates labelled images for machine learning models and provides realistic security simulation for cybersecurity training purposes.

These solutions represent a diverse array of offerings aimed at addressing the complex cybersecurity challenges posed by generative AI, providing organizations with the tools needed to safeguard their digital assets effectively.

While the adoption of generative AI presents immense opportunities for innovation, it also brings forth significant cybersecurity challenges. By implementing robust governance frameworks, educating employees, and leveraging advanced security solutions, organisations can navigate these risks and harness the transformative power of AI responsibly.

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Technology
CIO CISO CISOs Cyber Security IT Companies Technology

The Convergence of CIO and CISO Roles in the Digital Age

 


As businesses embrace the cloud, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and remote work, a million-dollar question arises: How will these roles evolve? The answer seems as complex as the myriad factors influencing it – company size, industry, culture, existing organizational charts, and future digital transformation plans, to name a few. Some advocate maintaining the status quo, while others propose a more specialized split between a business-oriented executive focused on risk management and compliance, and a technical executive honing in on threat prevention and response.

Regardless of the path chosen, the crux of the matter remains – the imperative need for collaboration and alignment between CIOs and CISOs. In a world where successful digital transformation is contingent upon the delicate relation between innovation and security, these IT leaders find themselves at the forefront, shaping the future of businesses large and small. The article will delve into the intricacies of this new development, shedding light on the collaborative journey of CIOs and CISOs as they navigate the ever-changing currents of technology and cybersecurity.

About two decades ago, CIOs primarily focused on managing an organization's IT infrastructure and applications. However, with the rise of digital transformation, cloud computing, and remote work, their role has shifted. Today, CIOs act as brokers of IT services, concentrating on how technology can drive innovation and effectively managing resources.

Concurrently, the profile of CISOs has been on the rise, fueled by compliance mandates, data breaches, and emerging cybersecurity threats. Compliance requirements such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, and SOC 2 have played a dual role – increasing the visibility and budgets for cybersecurity teams but often falling short in addressing sophisticated threats like phishing and ransomware.

The growing importance of digital security at the board level has prompted CIOs, traditionally the voice of digital matters, to delve deeper into understanding cybersecurity. This trend blurs the lines between the roles of CIOs and CISOs.

Enter digital transformation, offering an opportunity to enhance cybersecurity. Despite some skepticism about its promises, digital transformation has necessitated closer collaboration between CIOs and CISOs. While CIOs continue to guide the ship, CISOs have become proactive partners, deeply involved in operational decision-making from the outset.

As companies embrace the cloud, software-as-a-service (SaaS), and remote work, the question arises – how will these roles evolve? The answer is not straightforward and depends on various factors like company size, industry, culture, and existing IT setup. Some suggest maintaining the status quo, while others propose splitting the roles into a business-oriented executive focusing on risk management and compliance, and a more technical executive concentrating on threat prevention and response.

Regardless of the direction these roles take, the overarching theme is the critical need for collaboration and alignment between CIOs and CISOs for successful digital transformation. This synergy is essential not only during the transformation process but also for navigating the evolving cybersecurity landscape.

In essence, the traditional boundaries between CIOs and CISOs are fading, giving way to a collaborative approach that acknowledges the intertwined nature of technology and cybersecurity. As companies navigate this evolution, the success of their digital transformation hinges on the ability of these IT leaders to work hand-in-hand, ensuring a secure and innovative future for businesses of all sizes.

This transformative shift emphasises the importance of simplifying and strengthening the relationship between CIOs and CISOs, creating a united front against the ever-growing challenges of the digital age.


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UAE CISO
CISOs Cyber Security Cyberattacks security leaders UAE UAE CISO

UAE CISOs Highlights their Rampant Gaps in Cybersecurity


A majority of security leader based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are convinced that their firms require improvements – in terms of how their teams, processes and technology operates – to mitigate any potential cyberattack.

To provide insight into the challenges faced by CISOs following a breach, cybersecurity firm Trellix surveyed over 500 security executives globally, revealing strategic analysis, eye-opening data, and practical viewpoints. 

In their analysis, the Trellix researchers revealed that 96% of CISOs (who have suffered at least one security incident) believe in the need for improvements. However, 52% of the respondents claim that their organizations have meagre to no technical knowledge on how to tackle challenging security incidents. 

Reliance on Manual Processes

According to the aforementioned survey, 48% of security leaders believe that their organizations are majorly based on manual processes, which eventually makes it more difficult to identify and fix cyberattacks quickly.

Moreover, 44% of respondents attribute the inability to tackle cybercrime to inadequately documented and executed procedures, while 44% caution that disjointed security controls result in a deficiency of context.

According to Jake Moore, global cybersecurity adviser at ESET, better investment in security is significantly crucial for companies, taking into account the increased sophistication in cyber activities.

"Furthermore, now with the introduction of AI threats we are seeing cyberattacks become even more relentless and powerful[…]Companies need to bear in mind that the cost of recovery from an attack usually outweighs the cost of preventive security measures,” he says.

Mind the Gaps

Organizations find it challenging to identify and address cybersecurity problems due to a lack of technological resources, but it can also be challenging when security professionals are overworked or underequipped. More than half of those surveyed (52%) said that their organization's security problems were caused by vulnerabilities in their security capabilities.

However, nearly half of the respondents that they had not properly enabled their detection policies or configured their IT stacks. Forty percent more claimed that their security and IT systems do not provide "adequate visibility" of occurrences.

Moore further warns, "Neglecting cybersecurity in terms of the people and process can leave a business dangerously exposed to preventable or mitigable attacks with potentially severe consequences."  

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threat report
Business Security CISOs Cyber Security Data Safety threat report

CISOs in the Firing Line as Cybercriminals Continue to Target Firms

 

Businesses are feeling the effects of cyberattacks hard; a staggering 90% of CISOs report that their organisation has experienced one during the past year. 

In the latest research from Splunk, 83% of CISOs who responded to a poll stated they have paid out, with more than half paying more than $100,000. 

They fear that generative AI will become more prevalent and provide attackers an advantage. However, companies are testing out such tools in their cyber defences, with 93% of their processes utilising automation either moderately or intensively. 

Splunk claims that the so-called "tool sprawl" issue, which is "likely compounding existing visibility issues," is another issue that is now emerging. A whopping 88% of CISOs seek to stop the expansion using tools like security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) and security information and event management (SIEM). 

By using solutions like these, they seek to reduce the number of tools required and simplify defence through automation.

Nearly half of the CISOs who responded to the survey also stated that they now directly report to their CEO, with CISOs being increasingly in charge of directing cybersecurity strategy. They frequently take part in board meetings across all sectors. Additionally, 90% of CISOs reported that their board is now more concerned about cybersecurity than it was two years ago. 

As a result, 93% of CISOs anticipate an increase in their cybersecurity budget over the next year, whereas 83% anticipate decreases in other areas of the organisation. 80% of CISOs say their organisation has encountered additional dangers as the economy has deteriorated. 

Greater collaboration has also happened across the organisation, with 92% of CISOs reporting that cybersecurity collaboration between teams has increased moderately or significantly as a result of digital transformation projects and cloud native adoption. Although 42% of respondents felt there was room for improvement in terms of results, 77% reported that IT and development teams worked together to identify the underlying causes of issues. 

Splunk CISO Jason Lee stated that, "the C-Suite and board of directors are increasingly relying on CISOs for guidance across a sophisticated threat landscape and changing market conditions," further stating, "these relationships provide CISOs the opportunity to become champions who strengthen an organization's security culture and lead teams to become more cross-collaborative and resilient." 

"By communicating key security metrics, CISOs can also guide boards on adopting emerging technologies, such as generative AI, to help improve cyber defense management and prepare for the future," Lee concluded.
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Security Data
Accountability CISOs Cyber Security Data Lakes Security Data

The Power of Security Data lakes: How CISOs can drive accountability


How CISOs can use security data lakes to drive accountability

In today’s digital age, data is the new oil. It is the lifeblood of businesses and organizations, and its protection is paramount. Cybersecurity threats are rising, and CISOs are under immense pressure to ensure their organization’s security posture is robust. Security data lakes are emerging as a powerful tool that can help CISOs and other security leaders drive accountability.

What are security data lakes?

Security data lakes are an architecture that lets security leaders consolidate security data regardless of quantity and variety, making it possible to drive real accountability across their organization. Security data lakes help achieve this in two ways:

Separate storage from computing, which makes it cost-effective to store security data at scale and for longer periods.

Make security data part of a company’s general-purpose analytics platform, which allows for additional context and delivering insights via standard reporting tools.

How can CISOs use security data lakes to drive accountability?

CISOs employing security data lakes should think about accountability, a powerful way to improve their overall security posture. Here are three examples of how security data lakes help CISOs and other security leaders drive accountability:

Evaluate vendors with cold, hard data

Most companies select and evaluate security vendors based on simple criteria, like whether they support certain data sources and applications. A lack of information keeps decision-makers from evaluating vendors on more meaningful factors like threat detection performance or vulnerability prioritization accuracy. 

Security data lakes let teams identify gaps between the insights vendors provide and what an organization actually experiences. Analyzing data from a ticketing system, for instance, lets the team see how many threats detected by a vendor were false positives or how many vulnerability findings are irrelevant. 

A security product may work great in one company’s environment but less well at another firm. If the team can measure performance across the metrics that matter to the company, it can work with the vendor to help them improve — or determine that the company needs a better tool.

Illuminate flawed processes

If remediation teams don’t address vulnerabilities quickly enough on a consistent basis, access to historical data helps uncover those problems and identify processes that may need updating to help them work more effectively.

Identify the root cause of incidents

Security data lakes can hold teams more accountable by consolidating security data regardless of quantity and variety, making it possible to drive real accountability across an organization. 

By analyzing historical incident response data, teams can identify patterns in attack vectors or vulnerabilities that led to incidents. This information can be used to improve incident response processes or identify areas where additional training is needed. 

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