Osterman Research

For every topic, key enemies are hype and bluster. Hype is overinflated expectations or advocacy for something that can’t live up to what is said about it. Bluster is the aggressive and noisy positioning of something without the depth of character or capability to follow through. As a researcher, breaking through hype and disabusing bluster are core to our work.

If you’ve read any of our reports – and there’s quite a collection of them across a wide range of topics – you’ll notice that [1] they aren’t short, and [2] we try to dig into the details. Our latest report is no exception … with a hype-busting and bluster-disabusing examination into the role of AI in enhancing defensive cybersecurity. You can get a copy from our portfolio.

To gather the data, we surveyed organizations in the United States on the front lines of cybersecurity attacks. To take the survey, the respondent had to work at an organization with at least 500 employees and/or at least 50 people on their security team. We wanted to get a sense of what they were seeing in terms of changing dynamics with cybersecurity attacks, particularly the impact of offensive AI. And equally, we wanted to get a read on how they were responding to these changing attack dynamics.

We reached four key conclusions in the research:

• Attackers have the early advantage in generative AI and GANs
  Generative AI and GANs are tipping the scales in favor of attackers, but defensive AI tools are catching up, especially in behavioral AI and supervised machine learning.
• Integrate AI strategically into cybersecurity frameworks. Strategic integration of AI into cybersecurity frameworks is essential to fully
  leverage the technology’s potential. Organizations should focus on aligning AI investments with core business objectives and risk management practices.
• AI is a force multiplier for cybersecurity teams. AI enables cybersecurity teams to focus on high-impact activities. However, this requires appropriate training, organizational alignment, and investment in the right tools.
• The time for embracing AI in defensive cybersecurity is now. As AI reshapes both offensive and defensive cybersecurity, organizations must act swiftly to secure their infrastructures, adopt AI-powered defenses, and prepare their teams for the next generation of AI-enabled threats.

Do these conclusions echo what you’re seeing at your organization? Get your copy of the report if so.

This research was sponsored by Abnormal Security, IRONSCALES, and OpenText.

If your firm provides AI-powered cybersecurity solutions to offer protections against AI-enabled attacks AND you would like to spread this research to your customers and prospects, please get in contact to talk about licensing options.