GenAI in Cybersecurity — Threats and Defenses

In the Unit 42 Threat Frontier: Prepare for Emerging AI Risks report, we aim to strengthen your grasp of how generative AI (GenAI) is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. We explore how attackers are leveraging GenAI to support their efforts, and how you can formulate appropriate guardrails and protections for your organization.

With this knowledge, you'll be better equipped to fully leverage this powerful technology without creating unnecessary risk. As GenAI adoption outpaces previous enterprise technologies, understanding these developments is crucial for protecting your assets and maintaining your competitive edge. This overview will provide you with key insights to lead your company safely through the AI revolution in cybersecurity, ensuring you're not just keeping pace, but staying ahead of emerging threats.

The Evolving Threat Landscape

GenAI is rapidly reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. Defenders and attackers alike are harnessing this technology to boost their capabilities. This report will help you grasp how attackers use GenAI and how to defend against these evolving threats.

Attackers have already started using GenAI to speed up and enhance their operations. We've witnessed threat actors extracting massive data volumes in record time. The Muddled Libra group has even deployed AI-generated deepfakes in their intrusions. While significant, these changes represent an evolution rather than a revolution in attack techniques.

Offensive Security with GenAI

Our offensive security team now incorporates GenAI into red team engagements. We use it to bypass defenses, automate reconnaissance, generate authentic-looking content and create convincing deepfakes. These techniques showcase the potential capabilities of AI-equipped attackers.

Defensive Strategies in the AI Era

Defending in the AI era demands both conventional and new approaches. Zero Trust architecture, rapid patching and other foundational security practices remain crucial. However, you must also adopt AI-specific defenses to outpace attackers.

Secure AI by design from the start. Monitor external AI usage, secure the AI application development lifecycle, and map the data pathways in your AI systems. Adopt AI safely by tracking AI application usage, scanning for sensitive data and implementing granular access control.

Addressing Shadow AI

Prepare for Shadow AI. Your organization likely uses AI tools already, whether you know it or not. Establish governance and rules of engagement for AI tool usage, tailored to your existing data security requirements.

Leveraging AI for Defense

Use AI to empower your defense team. Deploy AI and machine learning to uncover patterns in your logs, detections and other records. This will help your SOC scale up to match the increasing speed and volume of attacks.

GenAI and Malware Creation

Our research into GenAI and malware creation shows that while AI can't yet generate novel malware from scratch, it can accelerate attackers' activities. AI serves as a capable co-pilot for less skilled attackers and can regenerate or impersonate certain existing types of malware.

Action Steps for Executives

To stay ahead of these threats, take the following steps:

1. Follow our CISO's AI Journey Checklist to guide your organization's AI adoption.
2. Engage Unit 42 for an AI Security Assessment to secure employee use of GenAI and harden AI-enabled application development.
3. Implement our AI-driven security products, such as Cortex XSIAM, AI Runtime Security and AI Access Security.
4. Study our Unit 42 Incident Response Report for insights from hundreds of engagements.
5. Apply our recommendations to mitigate ransomware and extortion risks.
6. Set up a Unit 42 Retainer for proactive and reactive consulting engagements.

Remember, GenAI adoption outpaces any previous enterprise technology. By understanding these threats and implementing appropriate defenses now, you can harness AI's power while minimizing risks to your organization.

Learn more about GenAI and security, access the Unit 42 Threat Frontier: Prepare for Emerging AI Risks report.

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