As the deployment of Artificial Intelligence continues to stir the socio-economic activities of individuals, organisations and governments, the issue of cyber threats in AI era is what has become an evolving challenge.
This was part of the highlights during a virtual Microsoft Africa AI Journalist Academy held early this week.
The changing threat landscape, and evolution of AI means that we need to think about cybersecurity differently.
Emphasizing the priority of security above all else- starting from within an organization, Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, amplified this to Microsoft employees of the need for broad and well-secured ecosystem in the AI era.
According to him, “Last November, Microsoft launched the Secure Future Initiative (SFI) to prepare for the increasing scale and high stakes of cyberattacks. SFI brings together every part of Microsoft to advance cybersecurity protection across our company and products.
Speaking on Microsoft Digital Defense Report – 2024, Nadella said: In the last year, the cyber threat landscape continued to become more dangerous and complex. The malign actors of the world are becoming better resourced and better prepared, with increasingly sophisticated tactics, techniques, and tools that challenge even the world’s best cybersecurity defenders.
“Even Microsoft has been the victim of well-orchestrated attacks by determined and well-resourced adversaries, and our customers face more than 600 million cybercriminal and nation-state attacks every day, ranging from ransomware to phishing to identity attacks.
The company acknowledged that the cybersecurity landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the relentless evolution of technology and the increasing sophistication of cyber threats.
In this dynamic environment, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a pivotal ally in the fight against cybercrime.
Explaining the crucial role of cybersecurity in the era of AI, Colin Baumgart, CTO and Commercial Solutions Area Director at Microsoft South Africa said: “AI’s ability to analyse vast amounts of data at lightning speeds enables the identification of patterns and anomalies that may indicate a security breach, often before it occurs. This proactive stance is crucial in a time when reactive measures are no longer sufficient.
“But, in an era where digital threats are escalating in complexity and scale, we cannot just think about defending against cyber threats, we need to be advancing the way we design, build, test and operate our technology to meet the highest standards of security. It is why, we have created The Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multi-year undertaking to safeguard our digital ecosystem.”
SFI creation is an approach that is anchored in three fundamental principles: secure by design, secure by default, and secure operations, ensuring that security is not an afterthought but a foundational element of everything we create.
Speaking further, Baumgart added: “This commitment to cybersecurity extends beyond our own products. Through collaborations and partnerships, we are contributing to a broader security ecosystem, sharing threat intelligence and best practices. This collaborative effort is vital because cyber threats do not recognise boundaries and can ripple through networks, affecting countless users.”
Recent cyber threats have shown a marked increase in both sophistication and frequency, posing significant challenges to cybersecurity defences worldwide. A notable trend is the surge in mobile, Internet of Things (IoT), and operational technology (OT) cyberattacks, which underscores the expanding threat landscape beyond traditional computing environments.
In Microsoft’s 2024 Digital Defense Report, it highlighted an alarming rise in attacks, with incidents targeting customers globally, doubling to 600 million per day, revealing the growing collaboration between nation-state actors and cybercriminals. Over 78 trillion security signals per day from the cloud, endpoints, software tools and our partner ecosystem inform our insights, and help us to understand and protect against digital threats and criminal cyberactivity.
At the Microsoft Africa AI Journalist Academy event held Tuesday, October 22, 2024, a team of experts, comprising, Lee-Anne James, Chief Data Officer, Microsoft Africa; Wessel Pieterse, Chief Security Officer, Microsoft Africa; Dean Erasmus, Chief Data Officer, Microsoft South Africa, and Colin Baumgart, CTO and Commercial Solutions Area Director at Microsoft South Africa, explored Microsoft Digital Defense Report – 2024.
Dean Erasmus, Chief Data Officer for Microsoft South Africa gave insights to AI’s rapid advancement and its impact on our world.
“The pace of innovation in AI is astonishing. The demand from customers and governments for AI capabilities is skyrocketing. Use cases that were once priorities are now standard SaaS offerings. Additionally, the cost of AI infrastructure has plummeted, making it more accessible than ever.
“Microsoft prioritizes AI safety. We’ve developed a framework based on our experiences in North America and Europe, where regulations are more established. This framework focuses on fairness, reliability, inclusivity, standards, and accountability.
“Fairness ensures that AI systems allocate opportunities and resources equitably. Reliability guarantees that AI systems are reliable from both a data and architectural perspective. Inclusivity is crucial to avoid excluding large segments of the population, especially in regions where English is not the primary language. Standards and practices are essential for accountability and transparency, which in turn drive innovation.
Erasmus noted that there challenges in the new technology era, citing ethical implications as one them on AI use. “As AI becomes more sophisticated, there is a growing risk of bias, discrimination, and privacy violations. It’s essential to develop and implement ethical guidelines to mitigate these risks,” he said.
Despite these challenges, the opportunities presented by AI are immense. AI can be used to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and drive innovation across a wide range of industries. For example, AI can be used to automate tasks, personalize customer experiences, and develop new products and services.
Source: How Microsoft Is Pushing To Transform AI, Broaden Security Ecosystem With SFI
