Data Poisoning

Data poisoning is dubbed as the next “big thing” when it comes to cybersecurity threats. Data poisoning can occur if hackers gain access to a model’s private training data, or relies on user feedback to learn. Increasing adoption of disruptive technologies like AI, the global market for AI cybersecurity is expected to triple by 2028 to $35 bn. AI and ML are leading towards data poisoning.

The role of AI and machine learning (ML) have become critical technologies in information security, as they are able to quickly analyse millions of events and identify many different types of threats – from malware exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities to identifying risky behaviour that might lead to a phishing attack or download of malicious code.

Like any other tech, AI is a two-sided coin. Threat actors are also turning to AI and ML to launch their attacks. Machine learning is believed to be a subset of artificial intelligence.

Data poisoning targets the Machine Learning aspect of the process. It is a form of manipulation that involves corrupting the information used to train machines. Simply put, data poisoning exploits training data to mislead ML algorithms.

These technologies learn over time, drawing from the past to identify new types of attacks now. Histories of behaviour build profiles on users, assets, and networks, allowing AI to detect and respond to deviations from established norms. AI is ideally suited to solve some of our most difficult problems, and cybersecurity certainly falls into that category.

With today’s ever evolving cyber-attacks and proliferation of devices, machine learning and AI can be used to “keep up with the bad guys,” automating threat detection and responding more efficiently than traditional software-driven approaches.

The enterprise attack surface is massive, and continues to grow and evolve rapidly. Depending on the size of your enterprise, there are up to several hundred billion time-varying signals that need to be analyzed to accurately calculate risk.

Under the deepfake umbrella are videos, images, and voice recordings that are altered in ways that regular humans can’t identify them, bad actors have started using the techniques for blackmailing, harassment or corporate espionage. Fake news and disinformation can also fall under the category of data poisoning.