The article emphasizes the potential of generative AI to revolutionize cybersecurity, but also highlights the risks of unchecked AI development. It suggests that businesses can mitigate the risk of an AI-based attack by having a plan in place in case of a social engineering scam, encouraging employees to attend security awareness trainings, employing multifactor authentication, requiring strong passwords, and updating security patches promptly. The article concludes by stating that defending against AI-based attacks will be a constantly evolving battle for security practitioners and engineers.
Key takeaways:
- The Biden administration has issued a set of voluntary safeguards for the research and development of AI in the technology industry, with seven leading AI companies agreeing to these standards.
- The safeguards aim to prevent misuse of AI technology, but will not hinder progress in developing generative AI to compete with overseas adversaries.
- Companies committed to these standards, including Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI, will engage in independent security testing and information sharing about their products to mitigate risks for all users.
- Despite these safeguards, businesses should still have a plan in place for potential AI-based attacks, including maintaining a cyber insurance policy, an up-to-date incident response plan, and regular security awareness trainings for employees.