Darktrace has announced that a study conducted by MIT Technology Review finds that 96% of IT and security leaders are now preparing for the emergence of AI-powered cyber-attacks, with many embracing AI defenses.
MIT Technology Review Insights surveyed over 300 C-level executives, directors and managers worldwide between December 2020 and January 2021 to understand how they address present and future cyber-threats.
Key findings include:
The top three most concerning attacks were email attacks (74%), ransomware (73%) and cloud-based attacks (68%)
- 96% of respondents are preparing for the onset of AI attacks
- 68% expect AI to be used for impersonation and spear phishing attacks
- 60% believe that human-driven responses fail to keep up with automated cyber-attacks
The report includes a case study from McLaren Racing, the Formula 1 giant, which uses Darktrace’s Autonomous Cyber AI to detect and respond to fast-moving cyber-attacks. The case study details an instance in which the AI stopped a sophisticated email impersonation attack during a busy race weekend.
The report also details insights from Darktrace’s Director of Threat Hunting and former White Hat Hacker, Max Heinemeyer, who explores the security challenges of ‘fearware’, highly targeted scam emails that have exploited the public’s fears around the pandemic.
