Andy Stone, CTO of Pure Storage, weighs in on how we must develop dynamic organizations that evolve to deal with new AI threats
How do you maintain cybersecurity in a day and age when threats multiply and worsen with the rise of generative artificial intelligence?
Understanding and tackling this issue is essential for all organizations that conduct business online. So, thank you to Bill Volovnik, Core BTS VP of Infrastructure Alliances, and Zach Miller, Core BTS Field CTO, for allowing me to discuss the new technology challenges and solutions with them during their July 2024 Webinar.
As the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Pure Storage, I, of course, prioritize data security. Our company provides the industry’s most advanced data storage platform, enabling customers to manage and protect data at any scale.
New AI technology is changing how businesses and other organizations operate, ranging from healthcare groups to financial institutions and multinational businesses to small mom-and-pop enterprises. At the same time, “bad actors” are leveraging AI and machine learning’s (ML) capabilities, so we are constantly seeing new dangerous attacks.
These can range from AI-driven phishing and ransomware attacks to deep fakes that are increasingly difficult to spot and adversarial AI/ML attacks.
So, how do you lay down the foundations for strong security in the age of AI?
Moving from Reactive to Proactive Security
Sure, the bad guys continue to evolve malware and other threats. That’s always going to be the case, right? But that’s where the good guys step up to the plate. They need to find new and better ways to identify threats and intercept them before they cause harm.
So, a shift is required from reactive security to proactive security. This can help counter criminals who have time and motivation on their side.
We need to depend on the powers of AI to quickly analyze patterns in huge amounts of data so we can head off and mitigate risks. Where do the patterns deviate from the norms? How can AI automate routine security tasks, such as automatically updating and patching software so it is as safe as possible? We need to let increasingly sophisticated AI tools monitor cloud security in real time, looking for patterns and behaviors out of the norm.
Pure Storage’s Security-First Mindset
At Pure Storage, we take a proactive approach to improve cybersecurity so that our robust, evolving systems can meet all manner of threats head-on. We focus on building environments for our clients that are tailored to their specific needs, are easy to manage from day one, and continue to be so as the business and technology landscape changes.
We want to create solutions that are simple but effective and don’t require a lot of hand-holding. We like to use the word “resiliency.” Resiliency suggests that cybersecurity measures cannot only deal with current threats but also evolve to handle future ones.
AI’s Double-Edged Sword: Innovation and Vulnerability
AI is the boogeyman right now because critical industries increasingly rely on technology, and we have become hyperaware of the threats technology poses.
As AI reliance continues in everything from military defense to our power grids to the confidential healthcare records we keep, we are afraid of the vulnerabilities we have and what will happen when new threats come down the pike and compromise our security.
We have autonomous vehicles becoming a reality. You can imagine the kinds of catastrophic accidents if their systems were maliciously infected. Or you worry about your company’s finances being wiped out by unauthorized transfers enabled by AI technology.
Imagine a scenario in which an attacker can penetrate an environment that houses all AI-associated data for a pacemaker manufacturer. It could literally be a matter of life and death.
So, as AI gives birth to marvelous new uses, we must ensure that it doesn’t harm us at the same time.
The Urgency of Immediate Action
The message is that trouble is coming, so prepare now. In fact, trouble is already here. Stats show that as many as 93% of organizations have had two or more identity-related breaches in the last year.
Things will only worsen unless we develop dynamic cybersecurity solutions that evolve with the new attacks. We’re not talking about a science-fiction way in the future scenario. It’s tomorrow, next week, next month, next year.
You have to develop a mindset of urgency and something has to be done now.
Building a Strong Security Culture
Building a strong security culture is about embedding best practices and innovative methods into your organizational culture, letting everyone know the part they can play in defense.
Training and enablement are so crucial for your end users. Cybercriminals will target the weakest link in the company chain. Remember, human error continues to be a major cause of data security breaches.
Data Classification and Recovery Planning
A human mistake is the most probable cause of, say, a successful ransomware attack because someone in the company clicked on the wrong email link. Right behind this, as far as threat level is concerned, is improper data classification. You should have three clearly identified tiers of data and applications: restricted, private, and public.
A robust data recovery plan will mitigate the impact of breaches by providing well-tested ways to restore your information and applications, prioritizing the most important things. Before a breach, you must thoroughly practice your recovery plan so it is as flawless as possible. You must also take time to educate executives as to the flow of events and likely outcomes so they can be ready and aware. I can’t stress that enough, so you are ready when a crisis occurs.
Some businesses don’t do the backups and testing, so they first execute a recovery plan during a firefight. This is not a learning good situation.
Cyber Hygiene and Asset Management
When it comes to improving and maintaining your cyber hygiene to strengthen cybersecurity, the first line of defense is ensuring that your system is patched and up to date. Critical vulnerabilities should be patched in a day, critical in a couple of days, and low within a month. This reduces the windows for attack.
You should ensure that your configuration management database (CMDB) is current. Organizations need a complete and current list of assets to develop a plan to protect them, including keeping them up to date so they’re not vulnerable to widespread attacks.
Pure Storage’s SafeMode as a Key Safeguard
One of Pure Storage’s features that enables fast and easy breach recovery is SafeMode. This creates a series of indelible snapshots of your data that can’t be deleted, modified, or encrypted by a ransomware attack, even by somebody with administrative credentials. SafeMode snapshots are a HUGE evolutionary step forward and above traditional immutable snapshots offered by legacy storage platforms.
While attackers might gain control of your data, they can’t access or delete the SafeMode snapshots, which are impenetrably protected. They also protect data from accidental deletion and insider threats.
Achieve Proactive Security with a Trusted Partner
Proactive security measures are no longer a luxury in today’s dangerous landscape. They’re essential for staying ahead of both current and emerging threats. As a Pure Storage partner, Core BTS is committed to helping you strengthen your security posture with cutting-edge data protection and recovery solutions.
Whether you’re focused on ransomware recovery, business continuity, disaster recovery, or ensuring seamless backup and restore capabilities, we can provide the right Pure Storage solutions tailored to your needs. Let us help you build a cyber-resilient enterprise that stays operational under any circumstance.
Contact Core BTS today to speak with an expert or schedule a demo to see how Pure Storage solutions can safeguard your critical data. We’re here to support your journey toward comprehensive data protection.
— Andy Stone is the CTO of Pure Storage, which delivers the industry’s most advanced platform to store, manage, and protect the world’s data at any scale.
