Transforming cybersecurity operation by using generative AI to automate incident response

Naruki Morita of ServiceNow Japan pointed out that the emergence of generative AI technology, while on the one hand helping to make corporations more competitive, has also worked to the benefit of cyberattackers, creating a state of constant vulnerability to risks.

He warned that those responsible for cybersecurity administration in an organization are faced with difficulties every day. Expressing concern about the current situation, he noted that “because of the lack of security personnel and necessary skills, it takes far too much time to solve an incident, from investigation to analysis and response.”

To solve such problems and let security organizations focus on the kind of administration they were set up to perform, Morita stressed the need for automating incident response and using generative AI.

Toward this end, he proposed using ServiceNow’s cloud platform, for digitally transforming operations across various departments in an organization, to introduce a digital workflow into their incident-response process. This enables generative AI functions to be incorporated throughout the workflow—consisting of data integration with security products, automatic prioritizing of security incident response, effective utilization of threat information, deciding appropriate response actions, prompt recovery from threats, and review of post-incident reports—while also accelerating innovation.

For example, generative AI can automatically summarize the details of an incident, enabling an analyst to understand the context in a matter of seconds. Since the recommended action is also indicated, productivity is improved for time-consuming surveys and the like. While it takes time to present a summary for protracted incidents, with generative AI, consistent resolution notes can be created, accelerating the reform of security tasks such as by raising the quality of records and improving processes.

Morita argued that by incorporating generative AI in digital workflow, “not only can incident response processes be made more efficient, but the overall organization can be continuously improved.”