Author: SRAM
You use AI to write emails and build presentations. Someone else uses it to find weaknesses in websites. With the same technology available to defenders and attackers, cybersecurity increasingly comes down to speed.
Cybersecurity specialists interviewed by Reuters warned that AI is accelerating software vulnerability discovery and could contribute to further disruptions like those surrounding the recent PHP incident. The window between a flaw being found and a business completing its fix is coming under pressure.
For businesses, the challenge is practical. Finding flaws can become increasingly automated, while fixing them still involves testing, system dependencies and legacy code that few people understand. An attacker needs one way in; a business needs someone responsible for every critical entry point.
From an operational perspective, AI could also help uncover weaknesses that have accumulated over years. Turning that capability into protection requires a clear inventory of systems, named owners for updates and someone authorised to suspend a service when necessary.
“The website has always worked” tells you something about past availability. It tells you very little about how quickly your business can respond to the next vulnerability.
As AI gets faster at finding vulnerabilities, can your company's maintenance process keep pace?
Sources: Reuters | AI-discovered bugs may soon trigger fresh disruptions, cyber experts say; commentary is independent editorial analysis.