RSA Conference 2023 Overview: AI Takes Center Stage in Cybersecurity

Last week, April 24-27, saw the annual RSA Conference (RSAC) 2023 in San Francisco. Artificial intelligence (AI) was a new subject at RSAC this year. Furthermore, this is unsurprising considering the recent focus on generative AI, particularly ChatGPT. The use of AI in cybersecurity is equally challenging, but generative AI provides some fascinating problems regarding literary license and intellectual property rights.

Rohit Ghai, CEO of RSA Security, emphasized the relevance of AI. On the other hand, malicious actors will also use AI to make cybersecurity assaults more sophisticated. It’s a double-edged sword requiring continued sharpening by security operations teams and the organizations they support.

Also Read: Google Launches Generative AI for Cybersecurity

Within the networking products offered by Cisco, HPE Aruba Networking, Juniper, and other companies, AIOps is a well-established technological component. Moreover, AIOps has focused on enhancing connection deployment, management, and information and operational technology environment automation. Its function will enlarge to include mitigating security threats brought on by AI as security and networking continue to merge.

This year, RSA Conference (RSAC) 2023 included thousands of announcements. The following are some of the more prominent ones:

AT&T

At RSA Conference (RSAC) 2023, AT&T published its Cybersecurity Insights Report. Given its depth in security, which has been honed through internal development efforts, acquisitions, and AT&T Lab’s operations, the company holds a leadership position. AT&T’s Chief Operating Officer, Jeff McElfresh, talked at the opening of RSAC about the importance of safeguarding the company’s communications network with native security integration that offers visibility across fixed and mobile networks. Furthermore, given the general information about how AT&T’s competitors have been hacked, the significance of its efforts should not be understated.

Blackberry

Blackberry, like AT&T, released a threat intelligence report and used it to position its CylanceIntelligence subscription service. This service would give security operations teams rapid access to threats, actionable insights, and the capacity to avoid, hunt down, and quickly react to attacks.

Cisco

A new extended detection and response (XDR) tool from Cisco was revealed at RSA Conference (RSAC) 2023 to streamline security operations and enhance results in multi-domain situations. The business also improved its Duo access control platform by making the Trusted Endpoints functionality accessible to all premium Duo versions; before, this capability was only offered in the most expensive tier.

Fortinet

Fortinet utilized RSA Conference (RSAC) 2023 to discuss the CyberRatings next-generation firewall (NGFW) FortiGate 600F series security effectiveness score. The only independent, nonprofit testing organization in the sector, CyberRatings, gave Fortinet a 99.88% nearly-perfect “AAA” rating. Given the company’s expertise in firewalls and the price-to-performance ratio it continues to provide, this is a strong acknowledgment for Fortinet.

Palo Alto Networks

To promote the growth of its Unit 42 Digital Forensics and Incident Response Service, Palo Alto Networks employed RSA Conference (RSAC) 2023. Assessments, readiness, incident response, threat hunting, and detection and response are all included in this all-inclusive package. The business aims to produce 500 billion cybersecurity events daily, a great quantity highlighting its telemetry advantages.

Zscaler

Zscaler published the results of its 2023 ThreatLabz Phishing Report. It is a year-in-review from its well-known security cloud that analyzes phishing trends, new strategies, and vulnerable sectors and geographical areas. Unsurprisingly, AI techniques like ChatGPT make credential theft simpler. As a result, reading this paper will open your eyes.

ETHOS

On the opening day of the RSA Conference 2023, several cybersecurity firms with expertise in ICS/OT announced joining forces to develop ETHOS (Emerging THreat Open Sharing). ETHOS is an open-source, vendor-neutral platform for information sharing as a warning system for critical infrastructure.

ETHOS is a technological platform enabling an anonymous, real-time exchange of dangerous information across many businesses. Sharing knowledge of Indicators of Compromise (IoCs), such as IP addresses, hashes, and domains, can help defenders spot emerging threats.

Our Say

The RSA Conference 2023 was successful overall, with generative AI like ChatGPT occupying a prominent position in debates on cybersecurity. The seminar focused on how cybersecurity risks are constantly changing. Additionally, it discussed how important it is for businesses to be up-to-date with new technology.

Among the businesses that made big announcements at RSA Conference (RSAC) 2023 were AT&T, Blackberry, Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks, and Zscaler. These declarations demonstrated how these businesses utilize AI to enhance their security services. Services include threat intelligence, extended detection and response, firewall solutions, digital forensics, incident response services, and phishing report analysis.

RSA Conference (RSAC) 2023 demonstrated how AI plays a more significant role in cybersecurity for defenders and attackers. With the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats, organizations must continue to adapt and remain vigilant to stay ahead of the game.

Also Read: RSA Conference 2023: Stronger Together in AI-Powered Cybersecurity

Yana Khare

A 23-year-old, pursuing her Master's in English, an avid reader, and a melophile. My all-time favorite quote is by Albus Dumbledore - "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one remembers to turn on the light."