“The reason ransomware is so successful, is that it’s automation,” says Adrian Sanabria, Senior Security Analyst for 451 Research, in our conversation at the 2017 RSA Conference in San Francisco. “They just set it up, launch a campaign, then sit back and make money.”
In the past, stealing credit cards was a time and labor-intensive process, says Sanabria. But by attaching a bitcoin (BTC) account, ransomware can be fully automated.
“Automation is working for them, and we need to make it work for us,” says Sanabria.
Watch the full video interview with Adrian Sanabria here:
I asked Sanabria where companies should begin the process of automation. He advises that companies should simply look at their incident response and daily defense processes.
“There’s going to be stuff that you’re going to see people doing manually that’s going to make you want to tear your hair out,” said Sanabria. “You start with that stuff.”
His advice? Go for the low hanging fruit, so you’re freeing up your IT staff to do more important work. If not automation, try managed services. Let somebody else worry about the mundane.
“I see AI and machine learning as nothing more than an extension of that automation that we’re talking about,” added Sanabria.
Building that learning is dependent on the information that’s both available and is usable to a myriad of different organizations that are trying to prevent attacks.
If there is public/ external intelligence, such as malware samples, file and website reputation and threat intelligence, then an AI platform can be successfully made. If a vendor has access to the relevant data, it’s much easier to develop a solution that works for everybody.
Join in the conversation with Cylance at the 2017 RSA Conference in San Francisco by following @cylanceinc and #RSAC2017 on Twitter. Stay tuned for more great videos, live from the floor of RSA!
About the Author
David Spark is a veteran tech journalist and founder of Spark Media Solutions. Since 1996, Spark and his articles have appeared in more than 40 media outlets including eWEEK, Wired News, PCWorld, ABC Radio, John C. Dvorak’s “Cranky Geeks,” KQED’s “This Week in Northern California,” and TechTV (formerly ZDTV). Spark is also the author of the book, “Three Feet from Seven Figures: One-on-One Engagement Techniques to Qualify More Leads at Trade Shows.” Today, Spark blogs regularly on the Spark Minute and is a regular contributor for Forbes. Spark is a noted speaker, entertainer, and moderator at tech and marketing events.
