AI Boosts Security and Operational Capability

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a potentially potent ingredient for cyber criminals’ exploits and malware attacks. On the other hand, AI is also becoming key to defending against those new threats and expanding agency capabilities.

Emerging natural language AI applications, such as ChatGPT-4, leverage artificial intelligence, deep learning, and big data to generate all manner of apps, articles, and other information-based content, as well as writing and debugging computer coding, without human intervention.

Hackers are figuring out how to leverage all those capabilities.

AI, deployed comprehensively and coherently across federal agency enterprises, can support the next-step data analytics capabilities, and foster more secure algorithms that can become integral pieces of strong cybersecurity plans, as well as more human-oriented operations.

Secured Data Is AI Key

“The cybersecurity threat from ChatGPT is just emerging, as are a host of AI-driven enterprise applications”, said Jon S. Kim, SVP of Solutions and Services at Presidio Federal, a provider of secure mission-critical custom IT products and services to the federal government. Unsecured data sources could spur federal agencies to move more securely along on their AI paths, according to Chris Maestas, Chief Executive Architect at IBM, a pioneer of AI technologies and services. IBM’s reach with AI-powered services and capabilities is long and wide, providing AI-enhanced storage, processing, and process automation.

Today, Maestas notes, the triage of incoming data has become a crucial part of using big data to run applications and secure operations. “Doing an initial scan of incoming data can reveal something that could wake up and surprise us,” said Maestas.

AI, with its digital processes including machine learning and natural language processing, can help agency security teams procure threat intelligence from millions of sources and sort through that intelligence quickly and efficiently.

According to Maestas, efficient processing sets secure data foundations that applications draw from. Data at agencies is being generated from all manner of sources, from drones to high-speed cameras and a myriad of other devices. The data captured in those devices is placed in transient storage and tagged, then passed on to AI and other systems that use big data. Drawing data from archives can also have some security issues if it’s used to power an AI system. AI can help ensure that data is secured before it is drawn into applications.

Operationalize AI for Security

Using AI to look at incoming data consistently and automatically over long periods can turn up potential data irregularities and help secure IT operations, according to Maestas and Kim. “In security, AI can look at very long data baselines for even very minor changes, that humans can’t do,” said Kim. “AI can look for things that might go unnoticed in the big data lakes that cybersecurity needs to work from.”

That kind of application of AI capabilities is sometimes referred to as AIOps. AIOps can sharpen data, data analysis and reporting. AI can help aggregate oceans of data generated by IT infrastructure components, applications, performance monitoring tools and service ticketing systems. 

“AIOps can help personnel deal with the increasing volumes of data security, including false positives” that analysis turns up, said Maestas.

AI can also help diagnose root causes of problems and automatically report them to IT and DevOps for rapid response and remediation, and even automatically resolve them without human intervention. 

“Ideally,” said Maestas, “AI could help cybersecurity departments do ‘on the fly’ patching that would immediately provide protection from quickly evolving cyberthreats in an increasingly dynamic cybersecurity environment.”

Improve Everyday Processes and Services

“There are less dramatic areas where AI can help make major improvements,” said Kim. IT help desk functions and even employee training programs can leverage AI.

For instance, virtual help desk assistants using the natural language comprehension and processing capabilities inherent in AI, can tackle everyday IT questions and duties for employees, allowing them to get to other, more important tasks. “Help desks powered by AI”, said Kim, “can help sort through support tickets and even suggest or implement solutions.”

Enterprise network engineers can also tap into it to perform everyday tasks such as monitoring, support, as well as everyday manual processes, he said.

Comprehensive Platform Solutions Solve Problems

A comprehensive global data platform that harnesses AI can help make sense of data coming into enterprises and agencies, as well as secure it, according to Maestas. For example, AI incorporated into IBM’s Storage Scale platform powers its data handling capabilities for high-performance and next-generation data services. IBM Storage Scale’s high performance unstructured data management solution can connect endpoint technologies, audit incoming data and encrypt it. It can then be coupled with a data cataloging service that can do metadata tagging and deep inspection in real time, which can then be turned over to any other analytics that are necessary, according to Maestas.

This content is made possible by our sponsor. The editorial staff was not involved in its preparation.

NEXT STORY: Advancing Zero Trust Readiness: What Federal Agencies Can Do to Move the Needle on Internal Practices

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.