As AI drives network expansion, the surface for cyberattacks expands

AI is transforming enterprise networks, driving demand for greater capacity, lower latency, and more distributed connectivity. But as organizations expand their infrastructure to support AI initiatives, they also increase their exposure to cybersecurity threats, creating new challenges for IT and security leaders.

Cybersecurity concerns were one of the biggest reasons why organizations felt they needed to modernize their networks to support AI tools, with 72% of IT leaders citing “increased security risks or an expanded attack surface” as a motivating factor, according to Cybersecurity Dive.

In a survey of 2,317 security and IT leaders, Netwrix found the rate of data breaches at companies that widely use AI tools is significantly higher than the rate at companies that don’t — 43% compared with 11% over the past 12 months.

It’s a serious issue, as Skadden reports, “Regulatory bodies around the world are sounding the alarm as the latest generation of artificial intelligence (AI) models has demonstrated the ability to not only identify thousands of previously unknown high- and critical-severity vulnerabilities in a matter of minutes but also autonomously exploit them. Many of these vulnerabilities had remained undetected by experienced human researchers and hackers for years.”

The increasing diversity of network endpoints, skyrocketing AI usage, and the constant switching of user devices, applications and locations have dramatically expanded the potential attack surface. Guarding against those threats demands a new approach. 

Enhancing network security to battle AI vulnerabilities 

The attack surface of the modern organization has expanded far beyond the reach of a physical office. This expansion is driven by a fundamental shift in how enterprises work, introducing a high volume of new entry points that traditional security layers were never designed to address.

Perimeter-based firewalls, remote-access virtual private networks (VPNs) and routing internet traffic back to a central data center to apply security policies can slow user access to essential data and applications. A security strategy focused primarily on protecting the corporate network can also leave organizations vulnerable to malware and other attempts to compromise credentials that originate in applications or devices outside IT’s control.

But there are specific steps businesses can take today, to help alleviate cybersecurity concerns raised by network expansion: 

ZTNA and MFA: The shift toward Zero Trust security is the strategic response to the failures of the perimeter model. Aligned with the NIST Zero Trust Architecture framework, zero trust removes the concept of a trusted internal network. It replaces that with a mandate for continuous verification and authentication, as well as risk-based access controls. Businesses are swiftly adopting this cybersecurity defense tactic. Zero Trust network access (ZTNA) is a solution that continuously verifies the credentials of network users. Multi-factor authentication provides another measure to help prevent unauthorized network access, especially through compromised credentials. It requires a second source of authentication to verify users’ identities before they access sensitive data.

Addressing cloud security: Solutions are available that enable ZTNA to verify users and grant access to specific applications on-premises and clouds based upon user, device and location. The best solutions use a cloud access security broker to detect all cloud applications in use across the organization and apply uniform IT policies and access controls. The data loss prevention capabilities of these solutions can help identify and stop outflows of large data sets.

Managed network solutions: For organizations that lack the internal resources to implement and sustain these controls, managed security services provide access to the expertise, monitoring and incident response infrastructure needed to operationalize Zero Trust without overextending internal teams.

The better managed network solutions offer security features, routing, SD-WAN, WiFi, switching, smart cameras and environmental sensors. This allows IT teams to work anywhere by giving them secure, remote access to their network services. Unified threat management (UTM) capabilities also add additional layers of network security. With fully managed or co-managed options, IT professionals can oversee the network components they choose and leave the rest to their network partners.

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Spectrum Business can make network management and security easier with a complete solution that includes design, connectivity, configuration, equipment, installation and ongoing US-based support for all your locations nationwide. Our solutions are built on the Cisco, or Fortinet FortiGate and FortiCloud platforms — and all three of these platforms use AI in their cybersecurity features. AI is both a tool for attackers and, properly applied, an opportunity for defenders.

Additionally, we offer managed security services with unified threat management, DDoS protection and other solutions that can address your cybersecurity concerns. 

Feel secure in the knowledge that with Spectrum Business you have a partner who is always available for support, is experienced in providing managed networks, including SD-WAN, and delivers connectivity options with reliable, scalable and secure networks.

Learn more about our cybersecurity offerings and see for yourself why 83% of Fortune 500 rely on Spectrum Business for technology solutions.