Cybersecurity

How Is External Data Used in Cybersecurity?

In order to protect sensitive information or equipment, cybersecurity systems rely on biometrics, behavior, and location data to identify authorized users and allow them access.

Importantly, the system also scans user behavior in real time. It scans downloads and uploads for malware, for instance, and logs users out of their session if it has gone idle for long enough, on the assumption that someone else could have gained access to their device.

Many systems also have IoT (internet of things) capability, which requires the coordination of security-related data across multiple devices and machines. When the number of network devices reaches the thousands or millions humans can no longer manage it alone.

Many machine learning programs also scan the internet for news about the latest threats and incorporate that information into its security framework.

How are Machine Learning Models Used in Cybersecurity?

Machine learning in cybersecurity protects software systems, responds to threats, and recovers damaged files in the event of a breach. It does this through cloud-based storage, encryption, blockchain technology, multi-factor authentication, firewalls, malware scanning, and more.

Machine learning programs are uniquely able to identify threats by learning users’ behavioral patterns. If they encounter any behavior that reads as unordinary, they respond automatically. These responses may be to neutralize the perceived threat or to alert IT or fraud departments.

Which Companies Lead the Way in Building Advanced Analytics and Machine Learning Products in This Field?

NIST Cybersecurity Framework
Sometimes, governments provide authoritative standards for machine learning in cybersecurity. The US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology is one such authority. The NIST publishes the CSF (Cybersecurity Framework) used by businesses and governments all over the world.
AWS
Amazon’s cloud-based system has been providing security services to companies of every possible size all over the world, in every industry, and they only continue to grow. For beginners, they also offer free resources to learn about machine learning in cybersecurity.
Fortinet
Fortinet leads the industry in firewall development as well as cloud services, threat detection, and other cybersecurity applications of machine learning. They also offer a free, comprehensive threat level assessment.