Using next-generation AI solutions to counter attacks that are evolving with AI

The rapid rise of generative AI must have been the most closely watched trend in the IT industry in 2023. The potential for abuse of AI in cyberattacks also did not go unnoticed. The concern is that AI, with its ability to quickly analyze huge amounts of data and learn the patterns, carries the risk of spawning attacks that conventional security measures cannot readily stop. As Takumi Ikeda of BlackBerry Japan explained, “Malware making use of AI can autonomously alter code or features and encrypt itself. That’s why it cannot be dealt with by existing malware detection tools.”

Attack methods are expected to evolve further, becoming able to evade detection by conventional solutions such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP), and resulting in an increase in encryption-less ransomware, and resulting data theft and demands for ransom payments in return for not destroying or leaking it. Mr. Ikeda stressed the need for using AI on the defensive side as well for resisting the new AI-utilizing attack methods.

As one solution for countering the evolving attacks, BlackBerry provides CylanceGUARD, a managed detection and response (MDR)-type cybersecurity service offering comprehensive support, from advanced threat protection to investigation of intrusion routes. CylanceGUARD is a service based on BlackBerry’s proprietary next-generation AI antivirus function CylancePROTECT and its EDR function CylanceOPTICS. It protects devices not only from known malware but from unknown threats and variants as well.

All the support personnel for this solution are certified in malware analysis and reverse engineering, and provide 24/7/365 monitoring. Mr. Ikeda closed by noting that “Managing EDR, EPP, or AI solutions in house comes with high human resource costs. I urge you to make use of CylanceGUARD as a way also of making efficient use of limited resources and easing the burden on your company’s personnel.”