Google is pushing AI as the technology that will shift the balance of power from cyberattackers to security professionals and is launching a new project to make that a reality.
The various patches that are issued, preventative measures taken, and public awareness campaigns launched only address the threats underway by bad actors and state-sponsored groups, but not the threats that are coming down the road, according to Phil Venables, Google Cloud's CISO, and Royal Hansen, vice president of engineering for privacy, safety, and security at Google.
This is where the AI Cyber Defense initiative comes in, informed by Google's capabilities for deploying AI at scale through Google Cloud and with the promise that the technology can reverse the long-standing dynamic that favored the attackers over the defenders.
Google isn't the only established IT player using AI to bolster cyber-defenses.
Microsoft in November 2023 unveiled Microsoft Security Copilot and last week talked about the threat of AI in the hands of cybercriminals and the ways that AI is helping security pros.
Vendors like Amazon, IBM, and Meta are making similar strides in using AI to push back against cyberthreats.
Venables and Hansen outlined steps Google already has taken to address AI and security.
That includes the release last year of its Secure AI Framework, part of a larger industry driven by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to mix security into the development of software, including AI software.
Google is continuing to spend on its security and AI-ready data centers around the world, including spending more than $5 billion in European data centers between 2019 and the end of this year to bolster their security, and created an AI for Cybersecurity program under its Google for Startups Growth Academy's AI security program.
It will include 17 startups from the United States, UK, and European Union.
Google also is expanding its $15 million Cybersecurity Seminars Program - which includes AI-focused modules and is designed to support universities in offering cybersecurity training - to include all of Europe, and is open sourcing Magika, an AI-powered tool that helps defenders with identifying file types, which is an important part of detecting malware.
The company also rolled out $2 million in research grants and partnerships to strengthen cybersecurity research programs using AI, such as enhancing code verification, the understanding of AI's role in offensive cybersecurity and countermeasure efforts, and creating LLMs that are more resistant to cyberthreats.
AI is helping companies detect threats and lift some of the burden from defenders, many of whom are suffering from burnout from the rising numbers and sophistication of attacks, according to the authors of Google's 26-page report about its AI Cyber Defense initiative.
This Cyber News was published on securityboulevard.com. Publication date: Mon, 19 Feb 2024 15:43:04 +0000