As AI adoption continues to grow, securing AI infrastructure is becoming increasingly critical, says Sharda Tickoo, Country Manager for India and SAARC at Trend Micro. In an exclusive interview with Express Computer, Tickoo delves into the transformative impact of AI on cybersecurity. She emphasizes the potential of AI in automating tasks and reducing alert fatigue through a unified platform-based approach, citing the use of AI in Trend Micro’s flagship platform, Trend Vision One, for diverse hybrid IT environments. Tickoo highlights the challenges of securing AI systems themselves and stresses the need for a holistic approach encompassing basic hygiene, responsible AI use, and rigorous testing.

The Growing Role of AI in Cybersecurity

AI is rapidly being adopted in businesses, significantly enhancing cybersecurity efforts. It can automate tasks, prioritize alerts, understand an organization’s risk profile, and identify areas needing remediation. At Trend Micro, AI and machine learning have been leveraged since 2005. Their flagship product, Trend Vision One, is a unified cybersecurity platform that utilizes AI to automate tasks traditionally performed by analysts, such as managing chatbots and decision-making processes.

Overall, AI enhances real-time anomaly detection, automates incident response, and provides comprehensive threat intelligence. It reduces human error, scales to handle vast data volumes, and adapts to emerging threats through continuous learning. This ensures quicker, more accurate responses and a balanced approach to security, alleviating the burden on SecOps teams while providing valuable insights and enhanced visibility.

A study by McKinsey & Company projects that AI will add $13 trillion to the global economy by 2030, underscoring its transformative potential. In cybersecurity, AI-driven solutions are expected to detect and respond to threats 60% faster than traditional methods.

Challenges in Securing AI Systems

As AI adoption continues to grow, securing AI infrastructure is becoming increasingly critical. AI systems face various challenges, including data poisoning, AI hallucinations, and adversarial attacks. A holistic approach is essential to tackle these challenges, as there isn’t a single product that can address all AI security needs.

Securing AI systems involves securing training data, preventing inputs that could compromise the model, ensuring responsible AI use, and guarding against jailbreaking attempts. Additionally, organizations must monitor AI outputs to prevent data leaks and maintain compliance. According to a report by Gartner, by 2025, 30% of AI cyberattacks will target training data, leading to significant security breaches if not properly managed.

Data poisoning, where attackers introduce corrupt data into training datasets, is a significant threat. This can lead to AI models making incorrect predictions or classifications. Ensuring the integrity of training data through rigorous validation and monitoring is crucial. Furthermore, adversarial attacks, where attackers subtly manipulate input data to deceive AI systems, highlight the need for robust defenses.

Emerging Cybersecurity Trends

Over the next 12 months, the cybersecurity landscape will evolve significantly, driven by several key trends. AI usage will continue to rise, presenting new challenges such as increased AI-driven cyberattacks, including sophisticated business email compromises and deepfakes. Ransomware attacks are expected to become more advanced, with Linux systems becoming a prime target. Additionally, data will be weaponized against cloud-based machine learning models, compromising their integrity and reliability.

A report by Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that global ransomware damages will cost $20 billion in 2021, highlighting the urgency of addressing these threats. Blockchain is likely to emerge as a new battleground for extortion schemes, leveraging its perceived security to exploit vulnerabilities. These trends highlight the need for proactive and adaptive cybersecurity strategies.

Consequently, CISOs will need to prioritize understanding and securing AI adoption, enhancing visibility, and consolidating security technologies within their organizations. The integration of AI-driven security measures is essential for staying ahead of these evolving threats.

Generative AI: Revolutionizing Cybersecurity

Leveraging generative AI in cybersecurity offers substantial benefits. It enhances cybersecurity effectiveness by mitigating alert fatigue, automating repetitive tasks, and enabling deeper analytical insights. Moreover, it supports proactive defense strategies through advanced threat hunting and vulnerability assessments, thereby pre-emptively addressing potential cyber threats.

However, there are inherent challenges to consider. AI models may generate false positives or negatives, potentially causing unnecessary responses or overlooking genuine threats. Over-reliance on AI systems poses a risk of reducing human oversight and critical decision-making capabilities. Furthermore, AI technologies themselves are susceptible to adversarial attacks, which could exploit vulnerabilities and compromise cybersecurity measures.

Given these considerations, the responsible adoption and management of AI are paramount to mitigating security risks such as AI-driven attacks and data breaches. Organizations must implement robust strategies that balance the benefits of AI with rigorous safeguards to maintain cybersecurity resilience.

Education: Fostering a Culture of Cybersecurity

Ensuring cybersecurity awareness is crucial, with a strong emphasis on educating employees to identify phishing emails, deepfakes, and other emerging threats. Initiatives such as phishing simulation campaigns play a pivotal role in assessing and enhancing employee awareness within organizations. At Trend Micro, internal training sessions tailored to educate staff effectively are prioritized.

Integrating cybersecurity awareness seamlessly into all technology solutions cultivates a culture of cyber vigilance across the organization. This proactive approach not only fortifies defenses but also empowers employees to confidently navigate today’s digital landscape. A report by the World Economic Forum emphasizes that human error is responsible for 95% of cybersecurity breaches, underscoring the importance of comprehensive training programs.

Innovation in the Crowded Security Market

With over 35 years of experience in cybersecurity, Trend Micro stands out as a stable and trusted organization with a strong legacy in cybersecurity. Despite the changes in the industry landscape over time, they have consistently upheld their position as a trusted leader. One of their key differentiators has been their pioneering work in driving conversations around XDR when the industry was primarily focused on EDR and also integrating their XDR solution into their flagship platform, Trend Vision One.

Embracing cutting-edge technologies like generative AI through their security assistant, Companion, consolidates and provides comprehensive visibility across the entire attack surface, enabling organizations to proactively detect and respond to threats. Moreover, they specialize in tailor-made security solutions for emerging companies, ensuring that organizations across sectors benefit from their expertise in securing AI systems and staying ahead of industry trends.

A study by MarketsandMarkets projects the global AI in cybersecurity market to grow from $8.8 billion in 2019 to $38.2 billion by 2026, reflecting the increasing reliance on AI-driven solutions.

Sectoral Opportunities for Trend Micro

As organizations, irrespective of sector, move to digital, cybersecurity is becoming increasingly critical, and the need is substantial. In India, Trend Micro has built a strong presence in both private and government organizations and is serving a diverse range of industries, including IT, ITES, BFSI, defense, manufacturing, and digital-native companies (DNE). Significant growth is observed in DNEs since they are inherently cloud-native and ready to function within the SaaS framework. They are agile and swift in adopting new technologies and cloud security measures, growing rapidly, indicating that their security needs are also growing with scale.

BFSI, defense, and government organizations are demonstrating substantial investments in cybersecurity, with industries such as oil and gas and power utilities increasingly prioritizing cybersecurity due to the integration of IT and operational technology (OT).

In India, hybrid deployment is popular, as several large customers are opting for a phased approach and are still cautious about moving to SaaS. Trend Micro offers multiple deployment options to cater to the distinct needs of these diverse systems and enables them to deploy their solutions according to their needs and timelines. Their objective is to address immediate business needs and raise awareness of the continuously evolving threat landscape.

Future Plans and Technological Priorities

In the India and SAARC markets, Trend Micro’s strategic focus revolves around the seamless transition of all their customers to Trend Vision One, their flagship platform. The aim is to streamline security consolidation efforts and provide a unified view of security posture. As part of this initiative, complimentary access to Trend Vision One Essential Access is offered to all customers, allowing them to experience the platform’s benefits and recognize its value in enhancing security operations.

Additionally, advancing AI capabilities for cybersecurity remains a priority. Recognizing its importance in combating evolving threats, Trend Micro is dedicated to ensuring secure AI tool usage and promoting responsible practices.

Trend Micro remains steadfast in its mission to continuously innovate, adapt to emerging cybersecurity trends, and meet the evolving needs of its valued customers. A report by PwC highlights that 67% of Indian businesses plan to increase their cybersecurity spending in the coming year, reflecting the growing importance of robust security measures.

Conclusion

The transformative impact of AI on cybersecurity cannot be overstated. As AI adoption continues to grow, securing AI infrastructure becomes increasingly critical. Organizations must embrace a holistic approach to tackle the unique challenges posed by AI systems, ensuring comprehensive security measures are in place.

The evolving cybersecurity landscape demands proactive and adaptive strategies to counter emerging threats such as AI-driven cyberattacks, ransomware, and deepfakes. Leveraging AI offers substantial benefits, but responsible adoption and management are paramount to maintaining cybersecurity resilience.

Education plays a crucial role in fostering a culture of cybersecurity, empowering employees to navigate the digital landscape confidently. In a crowded security market, innovation and a commitment to addressing diverse client needs are key differentiators for companies like Trend Micro.

As the digital transformation journey continues, organizations must prioritize cybersecurity to safeguard their digital assets, ensure compliance, and maintain a competitive edge. The future of cybersecurity lies in the seamless integration of AI-driven solutions, proactive threat management, and a culture of continuous improvement.