Artificial Intelligence (AI) Cybersecurity: It’s All About Behavior!

Brian Berger, President of Cytellix Corporation • August 16, 2017

The latest leading-edge data intelligence topics referred to as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are currently experiencing significant venture and corporate capital investments. Some of the advantages of ingesting large quantities of data and creating a corpus of knowledge to draw insights are very interesting for complex subjects such as cybersecurity, healthcare and financial services. The use cases of AI in healthcare such as DNA/genome research are truly captivating to read. The parallels to cybersecurity research and respective knowledge base for predicting and analyzing data will be step-functions of change needed to understand the data collection and interpretation of threats. The application of any form of AI includes a “people factor,” as directly linked to both ends of a “cyber activity.” A “cyber event” is started by a person and the resolution is implemented and managed by the same.


The behavior part of cybersecurity also involves people, but machine behavior plays a significant role in cyber events. For example, if we can measure a baseline of machine behavior that is “known good,” then we can react—potentially in real-time—to machine changes in behavior. There are many parameters to consider and behaviors that may be considered non-issues to filter; however, having a system of behavioral analytics under the category of AI/ML/ANN brings data-driven decision making.


A few scenarios to outline this include known devices on the network or IoT devices changing their state. In the first case of known devices, this has been a topic we have been discussing in the security space for a very long time. Products and technologies have been built for attestation, key management and device authentication—to capture a few categories. As we move up a level from the cryptography space to understanding the metadata a device produces, we can measure changes, arrival, departure and state. By observing anything with an IP address in relationship to the context of its metadata, we can filter “good” and “bad” activities, behaviors and changes. If a known device comes on the network at 8 am on Monday normally, but an unknown device comes on the network at 3:00 am, we can create an action to change that behavior and thus become proactive in our cyber preparedness. Alternately, if a known device that was once considered “good” starts talking to a “bad” actor site or shows a change in its metadata that is considered out of policy/standard, then actions can be taken to quarantine or remediate accordingly.


In the second example of IoT devices changing their state, we have seen this with IP cameras, and medical devices. The potential case of industrial systems being taken over by the “zombie robot apocalypse” is not as far removed from reality as one might think. Hackers can exploit flaws and create subtle changes to industrial control systems, which could be dramatic in scale or event. I am not suggesting that the machines will take over the world, but I am suggesting close monitoring of IoT devices for behavioral changes that could indicate the presence or possibility of a wider scale issue.

As an industry, we can start to move from a reactive to a proactive state in the category of cyber preparedness. A real-time approach to monitoring device behaviors could reduce cyber event time to discovery from the current industry average of 256 days. The cost of discovery time is escalating every year. Our small and-medium businesses cannot afford the costs of remediation and losses that accompany a cyber event. The statistics of survival for SMBs in a cyber event estimate that roughly 60 percent or 6 out 10 will not be in business in six months.


The current state of cybersecurity necessitates the establishment of continuous monitoring practices—to monitor both known devices on networks and IoT devices changing their state. The innovations of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and artificial neural networks (ANN) are paving the way for a proactive cyber approach.


www.cytellix.com

small business cybersecurity

MSP SPOTLIGHT: Go Beyond Baseline Security.

By Walt Czerminski • August 30, 2023
Explore the challenges MSPs face in providing holistic cybersecurity support to their SMB clients and discuss how a programmatic-optimized approach can help bridge the gap, ensuring enterprise-level protection without breaking the bank for SMBs, while adding revenue opportunities for MSPs.

The Clock is Ticking for CMMC 2.0: Here’s Everything You Need to Know – START NOW

By Brian Berger • August 23, 2023
The Department of Defense (DoD) has formally presented the CMMC regulation for official evaluation, marking the start of its journey toward formal announcement. Every regulation proposed by the executive branch, including this one, undergoes scrutiny by OIRA, a division of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The significance of this step is that the previously mentioned "delays" in the CMMC process were due to the time taken for the DoD to forward the rule to OIRA. With this action now taken, the subsequent stages of the rulemaking procedure are underway. Nevertheless, due to the intricate nature of federal rulemaking, several more stages need to be navigated before the CMMC becomes a part of contracts. The following scenarios should be considered for preparation for compliance and certification for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Scenario 1: Proposed Rule Submission to OIRA: The Department of Defense (DoD) has officially submitted the CMMC rule for regulatory review to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Review and Publication: After OIRA's review, which takes an average of 66 business days, the CMMC rule is expected to be published in late October 2023. Public Comment Period: A standard 60-day public comment period will follow, ending in December 2023. Finalization: The CMMC rule will be published as a "proposed rule", which means it will only become effective after the agency responds to public comments in a final rule. Based on historical data, the average time for DoD proposed rules to be published as final rules is 333 business days. This means the CMMC final rule is expected between February and April 2025 . Phased Roll-Out: The DoD plans a 3-year phased roll-out for CMMC contract clauses. Assuming the final rule is published in Q1 2025, all relevant DoD contracts will contain CMMC by 2028. Scenario 2: Interim Final Rule Immediate Effectiveness : If the CMMC rule is published as an "interim final rule", it will be effective before the agency responds to public comments . This means the rule would be in effect and appear in contracts in Q1 2024 . Rarity of Interim Final Rules: Such rules are rare and bypass the usual democratic process of "notice and comment" rulemaking. They are typically granted in urgent situations, like the need to enhance national security. So when should you start preparing? Before we start with the background and changes, let’s talk about the "Big Elephant” in the room. Clearly, the updated compliance and certification process developed by the DoD and the non-profit organization liaisons has been long overdue with a lot of anticipated deadlines that never materialized. And with the latest announcements it does seem to be mildly reminiscent of the movie comedy and colloquial meaning of Groundhog Day. Since the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry I found humor in relativity, not cynicism. Opinion: This is different and the information we have in the DoD supply chain must be protected from our adversaries. This is a serious issue and needs clear and precise guidelines as the supply chain will not spend money on the protection of the information that protects national security unless they must as it is deemed as a complex undertaking. That’s an unfortunate reality. We have seen the start and restart of the cyber programs for DoD for the past 5-years, what makes this different? The implementation of the CMMC rule in contracts will be phased in over a period of 3 years, with all relevant DoD Defense Industrial Base (DIB) contracts containing CMMC by 2028. For a company with 50-100 employees operating in the DoD supply chain, it takes an average of 12-18 months to prepare for assessment and audit for eventual certification, with certification being the ultimate requirement for compliance. Therefore, the time is now to start the process if you plan to hold government contracts in 2024/2025. There are also varied flow down requirements that need to also be taken into consideration. Understanding Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) There is now the ability to present interim status vs 100% compliance as we have with the current DFARS and NIST requirements. These interim reports can be handled in the traditional manner by presenting a Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) that have a less than 180-day completion date for allowed baseline gaps. Unallowed gaps will have a “No POAM” designation and need to be implemented. If you have any doubts, work with a highly skilled 3 rd party who has expertise in these standards and a track record of enabling comprehensive successful standards-based cyber programs. The information presented by the suppliers in POAM’s or claiming 100% compliance will be evaluated and can and will likely trigger audits if certain high-level cyber controls are not met or the 100% compliance score creates suspicion of a false claim. Be careful to present accurate and validated information. So, what does this all mean? You must be compliant with DFARS clause 252.204.7012 and NIST 800-171 today. This is a requirement of your current contracts, and the False Claims Act applies to all cyber compliance representations. If you are not compliant, you could be subject to civil penalties and criminal charges. You need to start preparing for CMMC 2.0 today. The deadline for the final rule is 18 months from now, and it will take an average company in the DoD supply chain 12-18 months to become assessment ready. Waiting is not an option. Waiting is a bad idea. Why you ask? It is very clear that most suppliers and Small and Medium Businesses are not cyber ready and nowhere near compliant with any cyber framework. The timeframe for a typical business to understand, develop and implement full compliance is more than 1-year assuming they have the skills and personnel to complete the objectives. CMMC 2.0 clearly aligns with DFARS and NIST, so it is the best way to protect your organization's sensitive data. Don't delay, start preparing today! *If you have any questions, please reach out to our experts – [email protected]
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