5 Awesome Benefits and 5 Scary Risks of Using Artificial Intelligence for Cybersecurity
Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity – Friend or Foe?
In today’s world, cybersecurity is a high priority for businesses of all shapes and sizes, including those who are local to the Grand Strand and Myrtle Beach. As cyber threats continue to change, grow, and evolve; companies are turning to artificial intelligence as a possible solution to protect their networks and data. While AI has its benefits, it can also pose certain risks to a business.
AI, Cybersecurity and Your Smarthome Systems!
Smart home technology has become increasingly popular in recent years, allowing homeowners to automate various tasks and control their homes remotely.
However, this convenience comes with cybersecurity risks. Smart home devices, such as cameras, thermostats, and speakers, can be vulnerable to hacking, putting both the homeowner’s privacy and security at risk. Hackers can use these devices to access personal information, spy on occupants, and even control the physical functions of the home.
Therefore, it is essential for homeowners to take cybersecurity measures seriously, such as regularly updating device firmware, using strong passwords, and monitoring network activity. By being vigilant, homeowners can enjoy the benefits of smart home technology without compromising their security.
In this article, we will dive into the five benefits and five risks of using artificial intelligence for cybersecurity.
5 Benefits of artificial intelligence for Cybersecurity
1. Rapid Threat Detection: artificial intelligence can quickly and efficiently find patterns in data and identify behavioral outliers that could indicate a cyber attack. This can allow security teams to respond as quickly as possible to potential threats.
2. Improved Accuracy: artificial intelligence algorithms can analyze massive volumes of data with far more accuracy than humans, mitigating the risk of false positives and false negatives.
3. Predictive Analytics: artificial intelligence can use machine learning to see potential cyber security threats before they happen. This is likely to help security teams address and remove weaknesses in their systems.
4. Enhanced Automation: artificial intelligence is able to automate certain routine tasks, such as vulnerability assessments and patching allowing security teams to better focus on more complicated threats.
5. Cost-Effective: By automating arduous and repetitive tasks, artificial intelligence can reduce the workload on security teams and reduce staffing costs.
5 Risks of artificial intelligence for Cybersecurity
1. Bias: artificial intelligence algorithms can be biased if they are trained on incomplete data. This can create false predictions and vulnerabilities in security.
2. Lack of Transparency: artificial intelligence algorithms can be quite hard to interpret, making it difficult to find and fix errors.
3. Cybercriminals: Cybercriminals can use artificial intelligence to create automated attacks and avoid detection. This might lead to much more sophisticated and less detectable cyber attacks.
4. Dependency: too much dependence on artificial intelligence could potentially lead to complacent security teams, limiting their ability to identify and diffuse new threats.
5. Data Privacy: artificial intelligence requires massive amounts of data to function in an effective way, which could lead to privacy risks if that data is mishandled or ends up in the wrong hands.
The Power of Artificial Intelligence over Cybersecurity
Artificial intelligence has incredible potential to forever alter the world of cybersecurity by improving threat detection, accuracy, and automation. Alternatively, it can also pose risks, such as bias, lack of transparency, and dependency. To fully take advantage of the benefits of AI, businesses must be conscious of these risks and take the correct steps to mitigate them. This includes investing in artificial intelligence training data, introducing and implementing transparent algorithms, and introducing human oversight of artificial intelligence systems. By providing balance to the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence, businesses are able to not only improve their cybersecurity but also protect their networks and data from the newest threats.
The AI benefits trump the potential risks in Cybersecurity
The use of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity can offer numerous benefits, such as enhanced threat detection and faster incident response times. However, it is crucial to consider the potential risks, such as AI’s susceptibility to bias and the possibility of attackers using AI for their malicious purposes. As with any new technology, it is important to approach AI in cybersecurity with caution, constantly evaluate its effectiveness, and continually adapt to emerging threats. Ultimately, by using AI responsibly and ethically, we can create a safer digital world for everyone.
Do you have questions or concerns about AI, Cybersecurity, and your home or commercial security system? Talk to us. We answer the phone!
How To Talk To Your Child About Online and In-Person Stranger Danger
While we as parents should be talking with our kids often about stranger-danger, it’s a subject that is often overlooked or dismissed as scary or as a difficult conversation to have.
Many parents rely on the school system to help educate their kids about imminent danger, both online and offline. Professionals encourage parents to keep the lines of communication open and talk with their children often about the dangers of befriending new people in-person and online.
This article provides tips on how to get this most important conversation started. Don’t stop there. Make it a topic of conversation often. Don’t think kids will know it all the first time the subject of stranger danger comes up.
How To Talk To Your Child About Online and In-Person Stranger Danger
Let’s start with the beginning.
Ask the School What They are Teaching and When
Know what the schools are teaching your child about sex, human trafficking, cyber security, human trafficking, abuse, self defense and more. Be aware what they are teaching, at what age, and what might be missing from this line up.
If you know your child has sex ed for a semester, lean in on that and have your own talk with your child. If the school is offering a self-defense class during PE, aks your child to demonstrate some moves and ask them when they should use self defense. Build upon what your child already knows about stranger danger and online danger to star the conversation.
Be Clear, Honest to the Point
Don’t go into too many details when talking about difficult subject. Be clear, honest and get to the point quickly.
Use Easy to Understand Words
At the same time, use easy to understand words and a vocabulary that matches their age. Don’t use hard to understand words unless you are willing to repeat yourself over and over. Explain things in simple ways.
Encourage The Kids To Ask Questions
Take time to listen: Once you’ve explained something about stranger-danger or cyber security, stop to listen. Ask the kids if they have any questions!
Make It an Ongoing Conversation
Talking about stranger danger and online predators is not a one-and-done conversation! Use news stories are a catalyst to bring it back up and to continue the conversation. Let your children read news stories that talk about cyber security, human trafficking, especially if the cases are about kids meeting strangers online. Talk about what went wrong.
Use Examples of What Can Go Wrong
Use real life examples to talk to kids about what can go wrong. Being abducted, opening the door for strangers, meeting someone online who is not who they say they are. Trusting strangers. Don’t ever lay the blame with the kids: always make sure your child knows to come to you with concerns for themselves or a friend.
Talk Not Just About What to Do, But Also About What NOT to Do
It’s easy to say “do this, do that”, but be sure to emphasize what NOT to do! Especially if you talk about using technology to keep kids safe: talk about using security cameras, an alarm system and the importance of phone tracking and being in touch with family members at all times.
Be in the Non-Judgement Zone
No matter what stories you read online about kids being kidnaped, hurt or deceived, don’t judge them in front of your child. Your child needs to know they can come to you even if they’ve made a mistake!
Keep Your Door Open For Follow up Questions
Last but not least – always, always, always keep your door open for follow up questions! Kids are curious and might need clarification. Stranger danger and the danger online predators pose won’t disappear just because you’ve mentioned them to your child. As your child grows into their teenage years, continue education them about these topics.
Arm your child with knowledge, confidence and self-defense tactics!
Heather of Strand Security teaches self-defense classes to kids, teens and adults on the Grand Strand. Email heather@strandsecurity.com for details, and check out Myrtle Beach Self Defense today!
Don’t Be Fooled: 3 Cyber Security Tips to Prevent Crime
Don’t Be Fooled While You Cruise the Internet!
As we spend more time online, Cyber Security continues to be a threat to our security, our finances and even our personal well-being.
We can easily be fooled, and you don’t have to be a teenager of senior citizen to fall for online scams or phishing attempt. It can happen to anybody, at any time!
In today’s article, we will outline several of the most common ways criminals fool folks like you and me!
1 Social Media Business Imposters
One of the most common scams is imposters pretending to be someone they are not.
One example is when a well-known brand is running a giveaway or contest. An imposter duplicates this brand, even going as far as creating a landing page for the fake contest! Next, they start messaging the followers of the real brand, telling those followers that ‘they won’, and asking them to log in, or click a link.
Don’t fall for fake social media accounts! Don’t engage with them, click a link or give out your password.
Instead, take a good look at the account that’s messaging you:
- are they set to public? (if it’s set to private, it’s fake)
- do they have followers?
- What other content are they sharing?
When in doubt, don’t click! It’s fairly easy to spot a fake once you are on the lookout and you are aware!
2 Social Media Fake Accounts
There are also plenty of people pretending to be one thing and then really not being that person. There are bots and fake accounts all over the internet.
You can spot fake personal accounts by checking the date they joined that platform, who their friends are, and if their settings are set to the point you can’t find out anything about them. If that’s the case, most likely they are hiding something
The main purpose of fake social media accounts is to get close to you to try to influence your decisions and gain access to accounts and financial information, or to reach someone else who is in your circle of friends.
Make a rule not to friend anyone you don’t know or haven’t met in real life, or anyone who has just a few friends.
If someone you’ve just met starts messaging you and you don’t like it, block them and cut ties with that person or bot immediately.
3 Phishing Attempts
A phishing attempt looks like the following: an official-looking email comes to your inbox, stating that your bank, your Facebook, your credit card… need to be reverified. That they lost information. That you need to re-enter your password, or your social security number, or you need to log in. Never, ever, ever click on email like that.
Instead, go to the source on the internet. Go to your BROWSER and log in to your bank, your credit card account or Facebook to see if there are any messages or warnings there. If not, it was a phishing attempt!
4 Online Grooming
Be aware of those with bad intentions. While someone might seems ok, it’s easy to create false accounts and pretend to be someone you are not.
If you have teenagers and elderly parents, talk to them about the signs of online grooming by experienced criminals to get control over you, your financials and your life. They might gain access to an important accounts, eventually blackmailing you into giving them access to everything.
It might seem that this person loves you, but in reality they are just a criminal trying to take advantage of you.
Signs to look for when suspecting online grooming happening to you or a loved one:
- Send you lots of messages.
- Ask you to keep your conversations secret.
- Try to find out more.
- Start sending you sexual messages.
- Get you to share personal information.
- Try to blackmail you.
5 Account Hacking
Last but not least, secure all your accounts with 2 factor authentication aka 2FA.
It’s offered to prevent hacking. Online giants such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, banks and most other financial institutions urge you to use 2FA to prevent hacking.
Set up 2FA on all accounts. Use it. Encourage others in your household to do the same.
It can save you from losing your account, money and access to important account.
Questions or Concerns?
Strand Security is here to help you! If you are worried about your Wifi security, home security or cyber safety, come to us with your questions or concerns. We have years of experience and will be happy to answer any questions you have.
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