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Artificial intelligences are already part of our daily lives. You probably carry one of them in your pocket, on your smartphone. When saying “ok, Google” or “hey, Siri” a virtual assistant is activated to help users to perform some tasks through their mobile devices.
All of this is only possible because artificial intelligences have a learning capacity, called “machine learning”.
Below, we will explain better how machine learning works, its particularities and, mainly, how this technology can be a great ally in protecting against virtual attacks and increasing companies’ digital security.
After all, what is machine learning?
Machine Learning (ML) is a data analysis method that automates the construction of analytical models. It is a branch of artificial intelligence based on the idea that systems can learn from data, identify patterns and make decisions with minimal human intervention.
In short, ML is the ability to collect data, understand patterns and learn from them. Several software is equipped with this type of artificial intelligence and are already part of our daily lives.
When users watch Netflix, for example, there is an artificial intelligence with machine learning that identifies the content consumption profile to suggest other series, videos, documentaries that can be adhered to the users’ taste.
How can ML be used for virtual attacks?
In the same way that reputable companies use machine learning to create protection solutions against threats, crackers use this knowledge to try to circumvent applications and make money on innocent companies and people.
Malware, for example, previously required the action of cybercriminals, who wrote scripts to create viruses and computer Trojans and leverage rootkits and other tools to help distribute and execute these malicious codes.
Today, artificial intelligence itself can use machine learning to trick protection systems, as security firm Endgame demonstrated at the DEFCON conference. They created custom malware using Elon Musk’s OpenAI framework.
Endgame’s research was based on the creation of malicious binaries that, after being modified, became considered benign and reliable for anti-virus mechanisms.
And this is just one of several examples of threats created with the objective of breaking into systems, hijacking data and obtaining money illegally in the digital world.
How to use Machine Learning to increase online security?
Artificial intelligence machines and systems have enormous advantages that we humans are not able to overcome: they can analyze an immense amount of data, find patterns and make a systematic analysis of this information.
Firewall or antivirus systems are able to use ML to identify usage patterns in conventional activities so that, when checking a nonstandard action, it can cross the data and conclude that this can pose a threat.
Thus, with each crossed data, each pattern found, each threat verified, the machine learns and assimilates more and more information, improving its analysis and decision-making capacity.
Thus, using artificial intelligence software, companies can raise their digital security standards, building greater barriers against virtual threats. Machine Learning will be increasingly present in the security arsenal of companies, having applications in solutions to control internet use, corporate antispam, identification and prevention of virtual threats, antivirus, among others.
The forms of protection and the tools that can be used to increase the digital security of companies are constantly evolving, as are the technologies used to promote virtual attacks. And that is why the challenges are increasing every day.
Therefore, it is very important to seek specialized support when building a security strategy that is really effective at a time when technology is changing very quickly and needs to be monitored to ensure protection for corporate results.
Therefore, before starting a digital security project, consider making contact with specialized companies, this will certainly give more efficiency to your project and guarantees for technology professionals and companies.
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