“There’s no defense like a good offense.” That principle resonates strongly in an era where the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is causing tectonic shifts in cybersecurity. In response to these clear and present risks, I hold an optimistic vision for the prevailing good that can emerge from AI’s intersection with cybersecurity. In this third thought leadership piece of the series, where I previously addressed AI-powered malware at the 2019 RSA Conference and explored the risks of AI hacking our brains in my 2020 Forbes post, my aim is to illustrate how cybersecurity leaders can harness the power of AI for a “good offense” in cyber defense. By 2025, I envision the examples outlined below becoming widespread in the cyber defense landscape. Offense in cybersecurity translates to establishing a strategic advantage over your adversary through proactive identification and neutralization of threats before they inflict damage—and continual learning from past incidents to improve future responses. This is where our journey into the world of AI-driven cyber defense begins. But a pertinent question arises: Should our approach in cybersecurity be laser-focused, running the risk of potentially missing out on the more common vulnerabilities, or should we strive for a broader focus that sweeps across a wider landscape while acknowledging the risk of missing the devil in the details hidden deep in the data?
Full opinion : AI And Cyber Defense 2025: Decoding Defense Strategies.
