Some 93% of organisations are using public generative AI but 34% of organisations do not have a generative AI policy in place, says Splunk, a cybersecurity and observability leader.

 

In collaboration with Enterprise Strategy Group, Splunk has released the “State of Security 2024: The Race to Harness AI” global research report. A total of 1,650 security leaders participated in the global survey, with many reporting that cybersecurity has become easier to manage compared to past years. However, cybersecurity defenders now find themselves in a race against adversaries to harness generative AI (GenAI).

 

According to the report, organisations have heavily adopted GenAI tools within their teams. Compared to organisations that are still developing a cybersecurity programme, those with advanced approaches have significant budgets, resources, and authority and are well-positioned to embrace cutting-edge GenAI tools and technologies.

 

Cybersecurity leaders divided

However, despite this widespread adoption, many organisations lack a clear GenAI policy or full grasp of the technology’s broader implications. Furthermore, cybersecurity leaders are divided on who will gain the upper hand in leveraging GenAI tools: 

●93% of security leaders said public GenAI was in use across their respective organisations, and 91% reported using GenAI specifically for cybersecurity operations.

●Despite high adoption, 34% of surveyed organisations say they do not have a GenAI policy in place, and 65% of respondents admit to not fully understanding the implications of GenAI.

●44% of respondents rank generative AI as a top initiative in 2024, surpassing cloud security as the top initiative.

●Cybersecurity leaders are split over who has the advantage when it comes to GenAI. While 45% of respondents believe GenAI will be a net win for threat actors, 43% said GenAI will give cybersecurity defenders the edge.

 

AI gold rush

“We are in an AI gold rush, with bad actors and security professionals both trying to seize the advantage,” said Patrick Coughlin, SVP, Global Technical Sales, Splunk. 

 

“The introduction of GenAI creates new opportunities for organisations to streamline processes, increase productivity, and limit staff burnout. Unfortunately, GenAI also presents unprecedented advantages for threat actors. To combat this new threat landscape, defenders must outpace threat actors in the race to harness and securely deploy the power of GenAI.”

 

Cybersecurity hiring has proven to be a considerable challenge in recent years, especially for entry-level workers seeking to break into the industry. Our report indicates that GenAI is a possible solution to this problem as it helps organisations discover and onboard entry-level talent more efficiently.

 

Speed and productivity

Additionally, the majority of cybersecurity professionals anticipate that GenAI will enhance their speed and productivity.

 

●86% of cybersecurity leaders say GenAI can enable them to hire more entry-level talent to fill the skills gap.

●58% say onboarding entry-level talent will be quicker thanks to GenAI.

●90% of security executives believe entry-level talent can lean on GenAI to develop their skills in the Security Operations Centre (SOC).

●65% believe the technology will help seasoned cybersecurity professionals become more productive.

 

The majority of security professionals are also facing growing compliance pressures. The implementation of stricter compliance requirements has significantly raised the stakes, particularly for security leaders who may personally face repercussions for the organisations’ violations.

 

Increased vigilance

This changing compliance landscape underscores the need for increased vigilance and accountability within the security sector.

 

●76% of respondents say personal liability has made cybersecurity a less attractive field, and 70% have considered leaving the field due to job-related stress.

●62% of professionals report having already been impacted by changing compliance mandates requiring disclosure of material breaches. Meanwhile, 86% of security professionals say they will shift budgets to prioritise meeting compliance regulations over security best practices.

●Many respondents also expect their organisations to be more risk-averse, with 63% expecting that organisations will err on the side of caution and overreport breaches as material to avoid penalties.--TradeArabia News Service