Technology advances rapidly. Many industries are now using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to ramp up productivity. 

Although AI tools offer an exciting new frontier for small and medium-sized business owners, putting more and more information online also opens up the risk of cyber attacks.

Fortunately, companies can strengthen security and keep sensitive information safe from threats through cybersecurity machine learning adaptable. 

And here’s the ultimate guide on how to use ML to keep your online data safe and invulnerable.

7 Essential Steps To Utilize Machine Learning In Cybersecurity

1. Understand AI capabilities

The ways businesses use AI are changing and growing almost daily. It isn’t a matter of whether AI will affect your job but in how many ways. As machines grow and learn, they’ll become even more advanced and able to take on many of the tasks humans do today.

Take some time to consider the many ways the impact machines will have on your business now and in the future. How might it lessen or strengthen competitors? Then, make a list of all the security threats involved as you put more data online and allow more employees to access files.

2. Train the machine to resist adversarial attacks

One of the biggest advantages of cybersecurity machine learning opportunities is that you can train your computer to resist adversarial attacks. Attacks might come from a competitor gaining access to some of your data or bad players trying to steal customer information. 

Another cool thing about AI is that you can teach it how to respond by injecting your own attacks that are safe for your system. Fortunately, many cyber attacks have similarities that the machine can learn over time and defend itself against. 

Machine training is an advanced tactic, so make sure you hire the right person or third-party provider to teach your network how to stop hackers in their tracks. 

3. Protect all devices accessing the system

Another security concern as companies embrace more technology and even let some people work from home is that it opens the door to different devices that might have viruses. The best way to strengthen internet cybersecurity for machine learning is to ensure every device has protection. 

Add safety measures such as two-factor authentication for logins and create regular backups. Shore up security on any employee phones, tablets, or computers so that when they access the system, they don’t pass on viruses.

Train employees on how to protect passwords. With more and more people working remotely, the risk of someone seeing login details increases. With a plethora of online cyber security courses available online, it shouldn’t be difficult to fine one that suits your company’s needs.

4. Adopt the right architecture

When considering cybersecurity machine learning, one must consider the architecture of the system. The model architecture you select should be one thoroughly tested by others and resistant to attacks. For example, you might use a Capsule Network, which reduces the change of inputs that might harm the system. 

For those not familiar with the way machine learning works, imagine you have a robot, and it is smart enough to tell you what a photograph is of, such as a house or a person. However, some bad players decide to try to confuse it by forcing it to give a wrong answer and say that a dog is a cat or a house is a tree. 

However, you can design your robot’s brain to resist such blatant attacks by training it to decipher tricky pictures. Humans’ brains work differently, and machine architecture does, too. Select the right one and train it for the best results. 

5. Detect threats faster

Businesses will spend around $79.23 billion by 2029 on AI and ML. You can use AI to flag and stop potential cyber attacks before they occur. A human can only sift through information so fast, but a computer can scan everything within minutes and spit out an immediate solution. 

Much of the cybersecurity features of AI let it run on autopilot in the background, blocking IPs with bad intentions and implementing security patches as needed. Make sure you put firewalls in place and teach the machine to stop people acting outside the mode of normal access. 

6. Pay for full-time monitoring

Another thing you should consider is paying for full-time monitoring of your system. Businesses rely on the cloud today so clients and employees can access information around the clock. Many servers now offer AI-driven cybersecurity solutions to keep your data secure. Seek a company tapping into the power of ML to stop hackers.

Since most remote IT companies and cloud-based servers pool resources, the cost of full-time monitoring may be much lower than you’d expect. Your peace of mind and protecting your reputation for keeping client data safe are more than worth the minor cost. 

7. Consult the experts

Job postings in AI IT work increased to 5.3% of all openings in the U.S. in 2022, and the number continues to rise. People are learning how to teach computers and work with them in everything from monitoring systems to protecting digital assets.

As the world is still adopting AI and the technology is in growth mode, it makes sense to hire someone who works with it every day. To effectively leverage machine learning for cybersecurity, collaborating with companies that train ML models and have expertise in this domain can provide access to specialized knowledge and resources, enabling robust model development and implementation. They’ll help you see what else you can do to train your system to protect you from a data breach. 

Most people couldn’t afford to hire someone full-time to do this work, so a lot of experts work on a freelance consulting basis, helping ensure your security is top-notch. 

ML-Based Cybersecurity Is the Wave Of The Future

You’ll hear more about cybersecurity and machine learning in the coming months and years. More small business owners see how AI is leveling the playing field and helping them compete with large-scale organizations. 

For now, be aware of the things you should do to shore up your defenses and the types of attacks you might experience. With a little attention to being safer, you’re far less likely to be the victim of a hacking event.