AI is not a 'silver bullet' against cyber attacks

Artificial intelligence is emerging as a useful cyber security tool, but experts are warning companies not to view the technology as a "silver bullet". Many elements of cyber defence -- particularly monitoring large amounts of data -- can be better handled by machines than humans. "It's not so much that AI does it better, but that it works unendingly and consistently without getting tired," says Daniel Miessler, director of advisory services at IOActive, a cyber security consultancy. At present, most security teams are only looking at "a tiny fraction -- less than 1 per cent" of the data their organisations are producing, he says. In a large organisation, analysing the rest is such a monumental task that it can quickly overwhelm humans.