Former NSA Director Says AI Is A 'Double-Edged Sword' For Cybersecurity

The former director of the National Security Agency, Mike Rogers, has described artificial intelligence as a “double-edged sword” in the context of government cybersecurity.

Rogers expounded on the merits and demerits of AI in a discussion hosted by news outlet Semafor, reported The Hill. While AI can enhance the government’s understanding of adversaries’ tactics, it also increases the chances of system penetrations, Rogers noted.

"It [AI] will provide us the ability to use it to generate greater knowledge about what adversaries are doing to attempt to anticipate what they will be doing. It will also increase the ability of entities to penetrate their system."

Rogers further explained that foreign adversaries could exploit the same AI tools against the U.S. government. He stressed that AI could empower both the U.S and its adversaries in cyber warfare, offensively and defensively.

"It will enable attackers to simulate, to anticipate what kind of defensive moves companies and targets are put in place," he said.

"We want to be in a position where you not only anticipate, but you're denying them the ability to do some things and you're driving them to do things that work for you, not for them. And we're not there yet. We're trying, but we're not there yet." 

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Participating in the same event, Chris Novak, managing director at Verizon cybersecurity consulting, echoed Rogers’ sentiments. Novak highlighted that while businesses might gain a short-term edge, attackers might eventually catch up, backed by a wider range of attacks.

Jenny Menna, Sallie Mae's Chief Information Security Officer, also concurred, stating that AI could streamline administrative tasks and enhance code-writing. However, she cautioned that it could also aid fraudsters in the business.

The conversations at the event primarily revolved around the state of cybersecurity in the AI era, touching upon issues in the financial industry, national security, and misinformation campaigns.

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