Defending against AI-fueled cyberattacks requires focus on identity, data governance, Microsoft says

Dive Brief:

• Businesses need to prepare for the ways in which AI is changing the cyberattack landscape, Microsoft warned on Thursday.
• AI is speeding up attacks, making advanced techniques easier and putting stress on systems that organizations have long overlooked, the company said in its annual Digital Defense Report.
• The report also describes nation-state and cybercrime threat actors’ most significant activity from the past year, including their targets and motivations.

Dive Insight:

Microsoft’s report warns defenders that AI is upending the process of guarding against cyberattacks by “reshaping how vulnerabilities are identified, how attacks are developed, how defenders prioritize risk, and how organizations respond to emerging threats.”

The technology “has compressed the security cycle from days to minutes,” according to the report. “Its influence extends far beyond AI systems themselves and into the very…