AI Takes Hacking To Another Level

The nightmare scenario for computer security - artificial intelligence programs that can learn how to evade even the best defenses - may already have arrived.

That warning from security researchers is driven home by a team from IBM Corp. (IBM.N) who have used the artificial intelligence technique known as machine learning to build hacking programs that could slip past top-tier defensive measures.

State-of-the-art defenses generally rely on examining what the attack software is doing, rather than the more commonplace technique of analyzing software code for danger signs. But the new genre of AI-driven programs can be trained to stay dormant until they reach a very specific target, making them exceptionally hard to stop.

No one has yet boasted of catching any malicious software that clearly relied on machine learning or other variants of artificial intelligence, but that may just be because the attack programs are too good to be caught.

Researchers say that, at best, it’s only a matter of time. Free artificial intelligence building blocks for training programs are readily available from Alphabet Inc’s Google (GOOGL.O) and others, and the ideas work all too well in practice.

“I absolutely do believe we’re going there,” said Jon DiMaggio, a senior threat analyst at cyber security firm Symantec Corp. “It’s going to make it a lot harder to detect.”

The most advanced nation-state hackers have already shown that they can build attack programs that activate only when they have reached a target. The best-known example is Stuxnet, which was deployed by U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies against a uranium enrichment facility in Iran.

The IBM effort, named DeepLocker, showed that a similar level of precision can be available to those with far fewer resources than a national government.

In a demonstration using publicly available photos of a sample target, the team used a hacked version of videoconferencing software that swung into action only when it detected the face of a target.

“We have a lot of reason to believe this is the next big thing,” said lead IBM researcher Marc Ph. Stoecklin. “This may have happened already, and we will see it two or three years from now.”

At a recent New York conference, Hackers on Planet Earth, defense researcher Kevin Hodges showed off an “entry-level” automated program he made with open-source training tools that tried multiple attack approaches in succession.

“We need to start looking at this stuff now,” said Hodges. “Whoever you personally consider evil is already working on this.”

Reuters:

You Might Also Read:

What is Machine Learning?

« Cybersecurity Training For High School Students
A Guided Tour Of The Asian Dark Web »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Jooble

Jooble

Jooble is a job search aggregator operating in 71 countries worldwide. We simplify the job search process by displaying active job ads from major job boards and career sites across the internet.

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC - the first, easy-to-use, enterprise-grade information security solution for compliance and risk management - offers businesses efficient control tracking, testing, and enforcement.

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout enables cyber security professionals to reduce cyber risk to their organization with proactive security solutions, providing immediate improvement in security posture and ROI.

CSO

CSO

CSO serves enterprise security decision-makers and users with the critical information they need to stay ahead of evolving threats and defend against criminal cyberattacks.

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) - Norway

National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) - Norway

NCSC is part of the Norwegian Security Authority, and is Norway's national cyber security hub and the national CERT.

Onapsis

Onapsis

Onapsis is a pioneer in cybersecurity and compliance solutions for cloud and on-premise ERP and business-critical applications.

Onspring

Onspring

Onspring is the cloud-based platform of choice for governance, risk and compliance (GRC) teams and business operations experts across multiple industries.

Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC)

Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC)

The Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity is developing and shaping cybersecurity research and practice based on a long-term vision of the internet and its future.

Information Systems Security Partners (ISSP)

Information Systems Security Partners (ISSP)

ISSP is a specialized system integrator focused on the information security needs of its corporate clients and providing best in class products and services for securing organizational information.

Next47

Next47

Next47 is a global venture firm, backed by Siemens, committed to turning today's impossible ideas into tomorrow's indispensable industries.

Cyber Security Cloud (CSC)

Cyber Security Cloud (CSC)

Cyber Security Cloud provides web application security services worldwide using world's leading cyber threat intelligence and AI technology.

Rhino Security Labs

Rhino Security Labs

Rhino Security Labs is a top penetration testing and security assessment firm, with a focus on cloud pentesting, network pentesting, web application pentesting, and phishing.

Partners in Regulatory Compliance (PIRC)

Partners in Regulatory Compliance (PIRC)

Partners in Regulatory Compliance provides an array of cybersecurity services including cybersecurity policy management, risk assessments and regulatory compliance consulting.

Talon Cyber Security

Talon Cyber Security

Talon delivers the leading enterprise browser designed to bring security to managed and unmanaged devices, regardless of location, device type or operating system.

NWN Corp

NWN Corp

NWN Corporation is a leading Cloud Communications Service Provider (CCSP) focused on transforming the customer and workspace experience for commercial, enterprise and public sector organizations.

Oxford Internet Institute - University of Oxford

Oxford Internet Institute - University of Oxford

The Oxford Internet Institute is a multidisciplinary research and teaching department of the University of Oxford, dedicated to the social science of the Internet.

Seccuri

Seccuri

Seccuri is a unique global cybersecurity talent tech platform. Use our specialized AI algorithm to grow and improve the cybersecurity workforce.

Unified Solutions

Unified Solutions

Unified Solutions provide a full continuum of cyber security services, compliance, and technology solutions.

Memcyco

Memcyco

Memcyco is a provider of cutting-edge digital trust technologies to empower brands in combating online brand impersonation fraud, and preventing fraud damages to businesses and their clients.