Although I have been known for longer posts, I would like to offer only three things to watch out for related to artificial intelligence and cyber-security for 2017, followed by sharing two videos.

1) Cyber attackers have long used machine learning and automation techniques to streamline their operations and may soon use full-blown artificial intelligence to do it. Botnets will become self-healing and will be able to detect when they are being discovered and can re-route in response. The botnet and cyber crime business will grow and become more organized. Showdan, the world’s first search engine for internet connected devices, will be used to target companies and individuals negatively. Yet it can also be used for safety and compliance monitoring, most likely when its feed into another analytical tool.

How to Hack with Showdan (For Educational Purposes Only):

2) It won’t be long until A.I. learns the patterns of mutating viruses and then has the ability to predict and/or stop them in their tracks. This is dependent on the most up to date virus definitions, and corresponding algorithms. How a Zero Day is made is heavily a math problem applied to a certain context and operating system. There should be a math formula to predict the next most likely Zero Day exploit – A.I. could provide this. It’s a matter of calculating all possible code various and code add on variations. It’s a lot more advanced than a Rubix Cube.
3) A.I. has the potential to close the gap between the lesser developed world and the developed world. The technology behind A.I. is not limited to big companies like IBM or Microsoft for the long term. We may be surprised with tech start-ups out of the lesser developed world who are very creative. Lack of fiber optic cable connectivity has forced many lesser developed nations to rely heavily on cell tower smartphone based internet communications. This has inspired a mobile app growth wave in parts of Africa as described here; “the use of smartphones and tablets within the country has led to a mobile revolution in Nigeria. Essentially, people now tend to seek mobile solutions more often and thus, enhance the growth of the mobile app development industry” (Top 4 Mobile App development companies in Nigeria, IT News Africa, 2015). A.I. will likely close the gap between these two sectors though not drastically change it. If lesser developed countries can build their own mobile apps and outsource things to A.I.; they could become more independent from the economic constraints of the developed world.

The below video highlights some of the complications around these points. It is from a conference hosted by the ICIT on April 25, 2016, and I did not attend this. In the video, Donna Dodson (Associate Director, Chief Cybersecurity Advisor and Director, NIST), Mark Kneidinger (Director, Federal Network Resiliency, DHS), Malcolm Harkins (ICIT Fellow – Cylance) and Stan Wisseman (ICIT Fellow – HPE) discuss related concepts and share realistic examples of how these technologies are reshaping the cyber-security landscape.

ICIT Forum 2016: Artificial Intelligence Enabling Next-Generation Cybersecurity

If you want to contact me to discuss these concepts click here.