Cybersecurity professionals pessimistic about AI

A new report reveals that 54 percent of cybersecurity professionals believe cybercriminals will benefit more from AI than the security industry.

The report by The Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec), based on a survey of over 300 cybersecurity professionals, finds 51 percent) of those surveyed believe that AI and machine learning will be the most influential technology in the cybersecurity industry over the coming year.

Zero trust and cybersecurity hygiene basics are the next closest technologies/principles cited, both with just seven percent.

While 89 percent say AI will benefit attackers, only 84 percent say it will benefit the cybersecurity industry itself. Unskilled workers (26 percent) and older people (39 percent) will benefit the least, and less than half (48 percent) think AI will benefit society as a whole.

Almost half of security professionals (44 percent) believe their organization is unaware of the risks of AI and doesn't have policies in place to ensure safe use. Despite this, 85 percent are at least considering the use of AI in their role.

"Whilst the AI revolution will undoubtedly benefit many business functions, it's presenting more questions than answers for cybersecurity professionals. There's a huge risk of both cybercriminals weaponizing the technology, and employees with a lack of risk awareness inadvertently leaving their organization vulnerable when using it," says Amanda Finch, CEO of CIISec. "The security industry needs to build knowledge of the threats posed by AI -- particularly GenAI -- whilst it's still in its relative infancy. Educating people just entering the industry and those looking to start a career in cyber will be particularly vital, as they'll be defending against AI attacks for decades to come. This will help to inform security practices and help cybersecurity professionals to educate the wider business about risk and safety."

The report also looks at other cybersecurity trends, it finds that although wages in the sector have risen 22 percent of cybersecurity professionals say they're overworked and 55 percent are kept awake at night by the stress of the job.

While 56 percent believe that the industry is doing better at defending against and dealing with breaches, this isn't sustainable, as 80 percent believe security budgets are rising too slowly, flatlining, or declining. Just 11 percent think budgets are rising in line with threat levels and a record number (19 percent) believing the industry will stagnate over the next three years.

There will be a webinar to discuss the findings on November 15th at 11:30 GMT (06:30ET).

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