Does AI and Automation in Cybersecurity Matter for SMBs ?

Suddenly everyone is talking about automation in cybersecurity. Six months ago, the talk was all about orchestration, and now suddenly, we’ve fast-forwarded to automation. The reasons are all over the news: as cyber threats proliferate, cyber defense has to accelerate, and even mature cybersecurity programs are struggling to keep up. The old model of adding new layers of technology and hiring more analysts just isn’t producing the same results, as SOCs get buried under wave after wave of alerts. And if even industry leaders are being overwhelmed, how are SMBs supposed to cope in this new environment?

The answer is two-fold. The first axis is using AI to build expert learning systems that can ingest massive amounts of data and then provide actionable intelligence. The second axis is harnessing these insights to streamline analyst workflow by automating routine enforcement and investigative activities—simple, right? In principle, yes, but in practice, you need an exceptionally high level of confidence in your AI’s recommendations before automating even routine enforcement.

The Problem with Threat Intel

Typically, the perception is that a valuable threat intelligence source is one that generates lots of alerts. But lots of alerts means lots of noise, which translates into endless lists of alerts that your analysts need to investigate, evaluate, and in some cases, take action on. As the backlog grows, so does the risk of missing important alerts, and eventually, you get what is called Alert Overload, leading inevitably to security posture fatigue. In summary: not good.

The critical element missing from the threat intelligence-based model is intelligence. In this outdated model, you get masses of threat data, but it’s up to the analysts to provide all the intelligence. And while this may have worked in the past, it’s simply no longer viable. According to 2019 research by the Ponemon Institute, SOC analysts are so inundated by threat alerts that they only have time to investigate an average of 25% of them properly. Sounds like a problem, right?

I’m an SMB. This Doesn’t Sound like my Problem

As an SMB, you might think this sounds like an F1000 problem. You don’t even have a SOC. Maybe you’ve hired an MSSP or work with an MDR provider to take care of security for you. Well, guess what? It’s still your problem because the same massive workloads are degenerating the service and driving up costs for those providers – costs that inevitably trickle down to you. And if you don’t have an in-house security team or an outsourced security provider, you have bigger issues than Alert Overload.

Fixing Cybersecurity with AI and Automation

AI and automation can play an important role in fixing cybersecurity in three ways: speed of response, rapid evolution, and cost control:

Speed - The hackers are already using AI to look for vulnerabilities and then swarm targeted systems, so near-real-time incident response is now a must.

Evolution - Zero-day and novel attacks emerge every day. You need protection that leverages behavioral and other sorts of AI-based analysis to help you keep up with these ever-evolving threats.

CTA: Are you interested in learning about Cybersecurity for SMBs. Sign-up for our Newsletter and get StreamScanner Blog content directly in your inbox.

Cost control - The other factor to consider is the cost and scarcity of qualified analysts. Without AI working on the threat side of the equation and automation working on the enforcement side, analysts alone have to carry the increasingly heavy load of incident response. AI and automation won’t replace analysts. They will simply allow analysts to do what they should be doing – analyzing.

Automation and AI at StreamScan

At StreamScan, AI has always been one of the building blocks of our technology and service offerings. Our Cyberthreat Detection System (CDS) uses advanced behavioral modeling powered by both supervised and unsupervised machine learning to stay ahead of emerging threats in your network. In fact, the CDS is so advanced that it was selected by the federal government’s Built in Canada Innovation Program as an innovative cybersecurity pre-approved for use by government departments.

And in our Managed Detection & Response services, we are also rolling out intelligent automation to accelerate investigation tasks and enforcement. This improves overall security and will eventually help drive down costs by allowing analysts to focus where they are needed.

Need Help? StreamScan is Here.

Whether you need help conducting a security audit, developing a security plan, or implementing a Managed Detection and Response solution, StreamScan has experts with years of experience in the manufacturing sector who can help. Get in touch with us at smbsecurity@streamscan.ai or call us at 1 877-208-9040.