“Security is always excessive until it’s not enough.” In today’s at-risk computing landscape, those words from cybersecurity and risk management expert Robbie Sinclair succinctly describe current AI cyber threats.

As enterprise cybersecurity and resilience advancements compete with increasingly capable attackers and expanding threat vectors, the urgency for resilient and adaptive security measures has never been more critical.

“The chaos caused by [the] content update by CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. shows that even the most successful cybersecurity firms with great management, award-winning products and a growing business, are exposed to unexpected events,” said Dave Vellante, theCUBE Research’s chief analyst, in a recent Breaking Analysis segment. “What’s even more important is that it underscores the fragility of our connected world and the critical infrastructure that makes it run.”

One of the factors changing the landscape across all sides is artificial intelligence. With more capable computers and digital tools, how can enterprises equip themselves to face tomorrow’s intricate threats?

The upcoming Black Hat USA event will see analysts, experts and business leaders discuss insights on modern open-source trends for countering modern, AI-savvy threats. Join theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, on August 6-7 to learn best practices, noteworthy stats and breaking announcements on cybersecurity and resilience. (* Disclosure below.)

State-sponsored AI cyber threats complicate the security landscape

This year’s Black Hat USA event is set amid a security landscape in which AI’s promise is a paradigm where processes can be automated to run independently, with the computer capable enough to exercise discretion and decision-making where needed. This promise is opening up new threat vectors and cyber-defense capabilities in equal measure.

One recent cautionary tale is LabRat, a sophisticated, subscription-based phishing kit uncovered by Europol in the recent LabHost takedown. Using the tool, users could create and distribute malicious emails mimicking the online properties of existing organizations.

Tools such as LabRat only scratch the surface of AI cyber threats. With nation-states now weaponizing cyber breaches to serve a variety of end goals, the implementation of AI in the ongoing cyberwar is reaching a fever pitch. Recently, Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI jointly released research on the current status of state-backed hacking employing AI models. Both companies cited hacker groups such as Russia’s Forest Blizzard, noting their use of AI to research cutting-edge technologies, such as radar imaging and satellite communication protocols. The attackers also supported their script development operations using AI, tasking the technology to assist in data selection and file manipulation.

Generative AI is being applied across a wide spectrum of operations. The study noted malicious actors applying it in the areas of app development, social engineering, vulnerability research, payload crafting and security feature bypass.

“Cybercrime groups, nation-state threat actors and other adversaries are exploring and testing different AI technologies as they emerge in an attempt to understand potential value to their operations and the security controls they may need to circumvent,” Microsoft noted in its blog post. “On the defender side, hardening these same security controls from attacks and implementing equally sophisticated monitoring that anticipates and blocks malicious activity is vital.”

Equipping teams at an organizational scale to tackle intricate AI cyber threats is crucial to staying ahead in today’s cybersecurity landscape. To support this effort, Black Hat USA offers training sessions designed to provide certifications in Black Hat Machine Learning, Advanced Malware Traffic Analysis, and the Adversarial Approach for cybersecurity teams. Stay tuned for theCUBE’s extensive coverage of the event, as we talk with cybersecurity professionals about the latest advancements and address the most pressing challenges in the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity.

TheCUBE event livestream

Don’t miss theCUBE’s coverage of the Black Hat USA event, from August 6 to 7. Plus, you can watch theCUBE’s event coverage on-demand after the live event.

How to watch theCUBE interviews

We offer you various ways to watch theCUBE’s coverage of Black Hat USA event, including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s events on SiliconANGLE.

TheCUBE Insights podcast

SiliconANGLE also has podcasts available of archived interview sessions, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify, which you can enjoy while on the go.

SiliconANGLE also has analyst deep dives in our Breaking Analysis podcast, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify.

Guests

During the Black Hat USA event, theCUBE analysts will talk with industry professionals about the emerging strategies for combating today’s AI-savvy threat landscape, including advancements in specialized data protection and recovery techniques.

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Supermicro Open Storage Summit event. The sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage do not have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Image: SiliconANGLE