What is Anomaly Detection in Cyber-Security?

Today’s cyber-security is a new version of an arms race. Like traditional arms races, the balance of power and threat is constantly evolving. With each new type of cyber threat comes novel solutions to counter those threats. With each new solution comes a corresponding response from cyber-criminals. An on it goes….

Cyber-security is not a new imperative. The battle to protect data and assets has now been going on for decades. What is changing is the level of threat and the escalating consequences of a successful cyber-intrusion. Rapid detection and mitigation of a cyber-attack can be the difference between a minor disruption and an operational catastrophe.

Real-time anomaly detection is the key.

What is Anomaly Detection?

In simple terms, anomaly detection is the ability to dynamically monitor an ecosystem of assets (machines, networks, devices, processes) for any behavior that deviates from established baseline characteristics. This requires an AI-enabled ability to learn the normal operating behavior of an asset, continuously ingest data generated by the asset, and rapidly identify and label any anomalous data.

How Anomaly Detection Works

Cyber-attacks are becoming increasingly subtle and insidious, making them much more difficult to detect, let alone prevent. Compounding the problem is the fact that our assets are producing exponentially more data than they were just a decade ago. Effective cyber-security is now dependent upon the ability to rapidly synthesize large volumes of data, identify anomalies and weak spots, and feature-engineer AI-enabled security models to mitigate those vulnerabilities.

Security Anomaly Detection and MicroAI’s AIStudio

As Artificial Intelligence continues to be integrated into new cyber-security solutions, data scientists and developers need a data-modeling platform that will expedite the AI technology evaluation process. AI investment hesitance is often exacerbated by the lack of ability to evaluate potential impact of an AI-enabled security solution by using the client’s existing asset data.

AIStudio provides data scientists and developers with a next-generation data modeling platform that delivers unparalleled power, speed, and agility. Existing data sets from machines, devices, and networks can be quickly ingested into AIStudio to evaluate the impact of AI models on that data. A rapid and intuitive process that includes:

• Data Ingestion: Historic or live asset data is ingested into AIStudio. Real-time, point-to-point, ingestion ensures fast and accurate data onboarding.
• AI Model Tuning and Execution: Feature engineering capabilities provide live model tuning and optimization. Data scientists can evaluate model tuning impact in real-time.
• Visualization and Assessment: An onboard visualization engine allows user to fully explore their asset data and to evaluate the impact of the AI model being evaluated.
• Optimization: Utilize insights provided by AIStudio to provide hardened cyber-protection of machines, devices, and networks.

AIStudio simplifies and expedites the process of evaluating how artificial intelligence can be most effectively utilized in the ongoing battle to protect assets and their data from cyber-attack. Data scientists responsible for mission-critical IT and OT assets will now have distinct advantage in the areas of….

• Speed: Complete assessment in hours instead of days/weeks
• Simplicity: Easy to use, requiring no extraneous expertise
• Flexibility: In-built flexibility to accommodate specific assessment requirements and use case trials
• Cost: Ability to evaluate AI models in a virtual environment significantly reduces cost
• Risk: Ability to thoroughly evaluate model adjustment(s) before final execution

For developers and operational stakeholders, speed is crucial. AIStudio provides an ecosystem to instantaneously visualize the capability of MicroAI’s technology to rapidly collect and synthesize asset data and then to utilize that data to support a defined cyber-security anomaly detection use case.

Learn more about the power of AIStudio