A study on cybersecurity asserts that cybercrime as a whole has increased by 600% since the beginning of the pandemic.
This means that businesses will want to strengthen their cybersecurity ecosystem to a greater extent in 2022.
So what can they do to increase their security? Well, automation is one such solution. Automation means reducing the amount of work a human has to do.
For example, we replaced a human with a dishwasher to save our time and effort. Automation can also be used to power up our cybersecurity ecosystem in the same way.
Another way of increasing your cyber security is using proxies for data browsing. With the current pandemic looming over our heads, businesses shifted to a “work from home” environment overnight.
The threat of working on a network that can be hacked easily has increased. Proxies offer a great solution to this. They act as a firewall to keep the internal network connection private.
They also safeguard user privacy. Companies like Blazing SEO proxies are helping businesses keep their shared network connections private.
However, in this article, we are talking about the first solution. Automation in cybersecurity. Let’s first try to understand what automation is, in the context of cybersecurity.
What is Automation in Cyber Security?
Cybersecurity is a very broad term. It includes various technologies and processes that are used to protect your data and networks.
This work is mainly done by very talented system engineers. However, the rate of data generation has increased tremendously. It has become quite difficult to keep an eye on data generation 24/7.
A solution to this is to have machines, that can keep a watch on this data to prevent cybercrimes. Meanwhile, your system engineers can do more productive jobs like product innovations.
By automation we mean, minimizing the human input that goes into preventing cyber attacks.
Automated tools like machine learning and artificial intelligence can help in repetitive data analysis. This data analysis helps to strengthen the cyber security network.
Automation In Cybersecurity in 2022
The level of sophistication in the technology space has increased over the years. Along with this sophistication, came many threats.
Viruses and malware attacks are some of these threats. A study by Deep Instinct reported that the malware risks increased by 358% and ransomware threats by 435% in 2020, as compared to 2019.
This is the reason companies want to shift their focus toward automating their security infrastructure. Some of the benefits that automation offers in securing our systems are mentioned in the next subsection.
Benefits of Automation in Cybersecurity:
To understand why automation in cybersecurity will gain popularity in 2022, we must first understand what benefits it offers to companies.
1. Decreasing the Workload of Cybersecurity Experts:
As mentioned above, system engineers are unavailable to monitor your cyber security network 24/7.
Machines can automate this process to monitor the entire security ecosystem for threat detection. They can then notify the engineers, who can handle it effectively.
The skill gaps are also a reason why automation is needed on a large scale. Experienced cybersecurity professionals who can handle such tough jobs are hard to find.
2. Data Management Becomes Easier:
With the increase in the use of technology, data generation is increasing at a rapid phase.
Automated tools like AI and machine learning can be used to manage this large amount of data. This will also help in detecting and preventing data misuse at an earlier stage.
3. More Efficient and Cost-Effective:
Data gathering, management, and surveillance become timely, uniform, and cost-effective with automation.
This is because an automated system can do more work than humans. They also take less time to do the same work as a human.
The errors that could be made by humans are also eliminated. Automated tools also find defects and make corrective changes in case of any discrepancies.
4. Early Detection of Cybersecurity Risks:
Cybersecurity threats come from both identified and unidentified sources. Automated software is fast in detecting both types of threats.
Cyberattacks like crypto-jacking, malware attacks, and cross-site scripting can be easily detected at the initial stage by these systems to prevent them on time.
Limitations of Automation in Cybersecurity:
There are tremendous benefits in utilizing automation in cybersecurity. However, there are a few drawbacks associated with it as well.
1. Automation is Misused by Hackers:
Automation can be used as a double-edged sword.
The same technology that helps us prevent malware and phishing attacks is also being used by cybercriminals to hack systems. Ransomware attacks are a good example of this.
2. Automation Requires Constant Rebuilding:
The automated system requires machines to be kept optimized, managed and configured at all times.
This work can only be done by experienced professionals. So, the cost reduction gets neutralized by hiring engineers to manage such complicated machinery.
3. Breach of Privacy:
AI and ML machines save and manage a lot of customer data. If they are hacked or damaged, our personal information or a company’s data can be at the risk of being hacked.
For example, suppose a fintech company has a slight error in its security system. This can compromise the financial data of many of its customers.
Will 2022 See a Complete Automation in Cybersecurity?
The answer to this question is no. There will always be some human insight needed even after a high volume of automation. A better solution for the coming years will be the AI-human combination.
Machines will help humans detect security issues faster and at an earlier stage. Then the experts can work in combination with automated tools to safeguard your system against it.
Humans are also needed to monitor the working of these machines. It is to make sure that machines are working for your business and not against it.
To understand this better, let’s take an example of an automated security system. This system gives users entry into their accounts by a fingerprint scan. In case of a malfunction, users won’t be able to access their accounts.
An expert human will be needed to solve the issue as soon as possible. This malfunction may also cause users to lose the data saved on their private accounts.
This is detrimental to the business as customers won’t be happy with such an experience.
That is why a combination of human intelligence and machine learning is essential to drive a growing security atmosphere around us.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity automation can solve many problems in the digital space. They provide for faster detection of cyberattacks and regular monitoring of your security ecosystem.
They are also a well-managed data collection tool. However, full automation has its limitations. That is why the human touch is needed in combination with automated tools.
Cyber security is the only area where one single mistake can compromise the entire data of your company.
That is why in 2022 or the future, it is very important to use all the resources and manpower you have at your disposal to address the cyberspace issues.
