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Cybersecurity best practices for AI-driven businesses

Anna-Marie Brittain
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Reading time: 7 minutes
AI is fast becoming a tool every industry uses to improve efficiency and productivity. The smart computing revolution is here, and more companies are seeking AI-based solutions while transitioning to a fully digital system. As work environments learn to adapt to AI integration, incorporating robust cybersecurity and data protection measures is essential.
Cybersecurity strategies for businesses leveraging AI technologies focus on safeguarding sensitive data while maintaining compliance with regulatory standards, mainly because AI upgrades in cyber attacks are rising.
Adopting AI-enhanced hardware and software while implementing best cybersecurity practices will strengthen an organization's networked structure. Gaining insight into today's AI-driven business environment will help you better understand why learning and implementing the current data and privacy protection standards is vital.

Understanding AI-driven business environments

Experts continue to expand on how AI impacts data management and cybersecurity challenges. The advent of AI use across all business sectors doesn't exclude the criminal element. Unfortunately, there's also a connection between AI-based support and increased cybersecurity threats, data breaches, and hacking.
To find comprehensive guidance on protecting data in AI-driven businesses, you must familiarize yourself with practical cybersecurity strategies, compliance, and regulatory measures.

Cybersecurity leading practices for AI-driven businesses

Access control and identity management are imperative to any company's systems. Without maintaining privacy, restricted programs and platforms become vulnerable. Using 2FA may not be sufficient. Any business's primary best practices are securing endpoint devices and providing users with solid credentials.
All workers from contractors needing temporary systems access to remote and hybrid professionals require proper authentication before entry. Every device or endpoint with access to the system should have a hardware root of trust, which indicates enhanced security and proven resilience in an unpredictable cyber threat landscape.
Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments are necessary and should be part of any company's standard operating procedures (SOP). Standard encryption across the entire organization's network is a familiar concept. The next step in following good cyber safety habits is ensuring that every endpoint, restricted program, file, and data has effective encryption.

HP Wolf Security

Investing in software, apps, and comprehensive digital security tools exemplifies implementing cybersecurity best practices. HP Wolf Security delivers higher-standard encryption and data protection protocols for businesses. It's a top-rated option for AI-integrated businesses, allowing you to remain productive while managing risks without disrupting user experience.
Whether working hybrid or remotely, professionals can work without worry, no matter where they go. It provides end-to-end security, strengthening cyber resilience. Endpoint protection helps isolate and stop what NGAV and EDR cannot register. Delivering full-stack security means adequate layered protection from hardware to the cloud.
Mission-critical capabilities include threat containment. The CPU-enforced malware prevention thwarts phishing and ransomware attacks, reducing alert notifications and volumes. It can also remotely find lost or stolen hardware and provide cyber-support for HP printers. Get rapid IT disaster recovery at scale. Ideal for SMBs, large businesses, and multi-level organizations.

Adopting AI-powered security solutions

The role of AI in enhancing cybersecurity measures is fast becoming crucial in the tech world. Powered by deep learning, AI-driven threat detection and response mechanisms are advancing with successful outcomes. HP's AI-powered security solutions illustrate how effective cybersecurity practices in AI environments can be.
Hardware, such as smartphones, tablets, and PCs, are endpoints where breaches can originate from just one device. HP's Elite Dragonfly Laptops are designed with advanced security to detect and adapt to potential cyber threats. A real-time case study on the positive results of AI-based guidance involves HP's Sure Sense, a powerful software agent and predictive model that accurately identifies most newer, unrecognizable malware.

HP Sure Sense

HP Sure Sense AI-powered security solutions use deep learning principles to enhance data and hardware protection. The capabilities it delivers include instinctive recognition, a form of quickly noticing and defending against unknown, never-before-seen threats. The rapid growth of AI tools empowers tech companies and bad actors alike. As a tech-savvy criminal element learns how to navigate AI-enhanced systems, creating evolving malware becomes easier.
Cyberthreats are adapting, but HP Sure Sense uses passive threat prevention to identify whether a file contains malware before it's even open or run. Installed on HP Windows PCs, it delivers lightweight endpoint protection using behavioral detection for active threat prevention, spotting behaviors associated with malware threats and blocking and isolating the file.
The software protects file-based threats, such as portable executables like .exe, .dll, .com, .cmd, .inf, .ipa, .osx, .pif, .run, or .wsh. It also protects files within Microsoft Office and PDF files, safeguarding Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat files, and more from complex malware and cyber threats.
Fileless threats, or non-malware attacks, are macros or dual-use tools that don't get written to the hard drive, making it challenging to identify.. Fileless malware is difficult to detect, but Sure Sense defends against it before it stays memory resident. It can detect and prevent zero-day and advanced persistent threats (APT) in real time with over 99% accuracy.

Data privacy and compliance

Ensuring compliance with data privacy laws in AI operations is a continuing effort. The European AI Act is the first comprehensive AI compliance and regulation law, incorporating an ethical code of practice and robust governance over AI-enhanced technologies.
It's in the same realm of AI compliance as presented in the EU's 2018 GDPR, general data and protection regulations. The GDPR is a set of guiding principles that promote lawfulness, fairness, and transparency in collecting and using personal data. The GDPR is one of the strictest privacy and security laws. That's why governments and industries alike propose compliance steps that further necessitate and expand on current laws.
The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or CCPA, gave consumers oversight of their personal information, allowing them to know, delete, opt out, correct, and limit the use or disclosure of their data when businesses collect it. These extensive privacy protections also include the right to non-discrimination from organizations when people exercise their rights over their information.

Training and Awareness

The importance of cybersecurity training for employees stems from the point of contact. The worker is typically the first point of contact for any malware threats. For example, a tablet or PC connected to the business network gets lost or stolen, risking unauthorized access. Devices become vulnerable if personnel unknowingly fall victim to a fileless attack or underhanded new malware. Educate your staff on why it's essential to protect all endpoints because cyber protection is paramount.
Promoting a culture of cybersecurity awareness should be an ongoing practice. Remind personnel that security breaches can impact all levels of the organization. Examples of the domino effect from a malware or firmware attack include the loss of critical operation data, productivity, and customer privacy. All this can lead to fines, litigation, and lost customer trust. Brand equity, sales, and operations can take a big hit, especially if the cyber attack is destructive.
The rapid evolution of AI-driven solutions for business continues to deliver increasingly agile and responsive security. However, AI's use within malware is paving the way for adaptive and more elusive cyber threats. Training all staff, including admin, on the reality of unprecedented cyber attacks will expand their understanding of the risks involved and why following best practices for cyber security and data protection is needed.

Challenges and risks

Common cybersecurity challenges in AI-driven businesses range from endpoint security breaches to evolving malware strategies. Even higher firmware attacks are making it difficult for companies to keep up. Enhanced protection has to begin from the hardware up.
Providing foolproof, sound defenses against malware or cyber attacks is also tough for organizations working with multiple endpoint devices rather than servers. When professionals depend on two or more devices, that higher volume of endpoints could lead to unwarranted access. If devices get lost or stolen, sensitive data and the entire organization's infrastructure are at risk. Even vulnerable devices can lead to unauthorized entry into a company's network.
Firewalls protect data across devices within the network, but more is needed to secure all systems. Under-protected endpoints are often factors for breaches. For example, PCs, printers, and IoT devices don't have solid cyber defenses when initially connected to the network.
Mitigating risks associated with AI adoption is a practice that tools like HP Wolf Security can help with. One of the reasons it's so efficient is because of the integrated IT and security risk management it provides. Not only do users get fewer alerts and false positives, but it also delivers endpoint incident analysis and remediation reduction.

Takeaways

Tools like HP Sure Sense and Wolf Security can operate with existing cybersecurity programs. Adding multiple levels of defense against cyber attacks is crucial to keeping up with advancing technologies and AI integration.
The preventative strategies required to protect data and privacy in AI-driven businesses must account for unpredictable malware and firmware attacks. Investing in AI cybersecurity solutions is highly recommended for organizations looking to enhance their productivity with AI technologies.

About the Author

Anna-Marie Brittain is a contributing writer for HP Tech Takes. Her experience includes writing for small businesses and non-profit organizations. She creates content for various niches, including emerging technologies, law, health, and entertainment.

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