The Cybersecurity View from ITEXPO

Participating in ITEXPO Panel Discussions

In February, I was asked to participate in panel sessions at ITEXPO, one of the technology sector’s premier events, along with my colleague Julie Kniseley of James Moore HR Solutions. My involvement revolved around cybersecurity.

I was invited to offer my insights in a session on cybersecurity and privacy, and one on securing the remote and mobile workforce. The conversations were certainly illuminating, and indicative of how vulnerable many organizations are to cyber-attacks.

AI Takes Center Stage in Cybersecurity Conversations

It’s likely no surprise, but most of the conversations were consumed with AI and its anticipated impact on the workplace. From technology providers working to deliver more AI-driven features in their products, to businesses contemplating how to leverage these tools to increase productivity, questions and concerns on the security implications of these tools were prevalent in both sessions.

Key Takeaways from ITEXPO Cybersecurity Discussions

Some of the key takeaways that emerged:

GenAI Tools and the Increased Risk of Cyber-Attacks

• The ubiquity of GenAI tools such as ChatGPT raise risk factors for cyber-attacks due to their architecture and integration with unvetted external data sources, which can result in intrusions of malicious code, including viruses and malware.
• GenAI is used by nefarious actors to create far more convincing phishing and imposter attacks, and at breakneck speed. The tell-tale signs of fraudulent emails, like awkward sentence structures and misspelled words, are a thing of the past.
• In addition, AI can be employed to pinpoint local merchants that consumers patronize, allowing cyber criminals to cater their phishing content to the recipient’s real-life circumstances. All this makes both business and home network users far more vulnerable to attacks and data breaches.

Deep Seek AI Raises Serious Privacy Concerns

• The Deep Seek AI engine is even more problematic than other GenAI services, since its terms of service clearly state that data will reside on Chinese servers.
• Its privacy policy states that it “…may collect your text or audio input, prompt, uploaded files, feedback, chat history or other content that you provide to our model and services…” according to a report in Wired magazine.
• How this data is used is anybody’s guess, and this is where the serious problems start.

Regulatory Risks in Highly Controlled Industries

• Companies in highly regulated industries like healthcare and financial services face an additional risk—they can be heavily fined in the instance of a data breach.
• Not only does that present a danger of downtime and lost revenue, it can compromise the customer’s privacy, invite identity theft and severely erode the confidence of customers.

Cyber Threats Impact Businesses of All Sizes

• Businesses of all scales—including SMBs—are targets of cyber-attacks.
• Bad actors are looking to steal customer data and don’t discriminate as to the size of the organizations they target.
• Smaller companies, in fact, often have more difficulty recovering from an incident, since they have fewer resources to absorb the cost and disruption.

A Multi-Layered Security Approach Is Essential

A layered approach to data security is the new standard, including a combination of anti-ransomware, anti-malware, data loss protection and use of multiple scanning engines.

Final Thoughts: Balancing AI Innovation and Cybersecurity

AI is still in its infancy and invites many more questions than it has answers. Our clients are certainly curious about AI, but common sense and a degree of caution are needed when leveraging these capabilities. As we discussed at ITEXPO, cyber-attacks affect every size and type of business.

AI is changing how threat actors target and infiltrate networks. It is incumbent on every organization to become even more vigilant in securing all its data.

Protect Your Business from AI-Driven Cyber Threats

AI is transforming cybersecurity—for better and worse. Is your business prepared to defend against evolving cyber threats? James Moore Technology Services can help you implement a multi-layered security strategy that safeguards your data, protects your customers and ensures compliance.

Stay ahead of cybercriminals. Contact us today to fortify your defenses.