Balancing AI-enhanced threats with AI-powered defense

By Chandra Prakash Suryawanshi, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal

The cybersecurity landscape is undergoing a seismic transformation. Artificial intelligence has emerged as the ultimate double-edged sword—simultaneously empowering defenders with unprecedented capabilities while democratizing sophisticated attack methods for cybercriminals.

Perhaps the most alarming development in the AI era is how dramatically it has lowered the barriers to entry for cybercriminals. Historically, sophisticated cyberattacks required specialized technical expertise, extensive research, and significant time investment. Nation-state level capabilities were beyond the reach of average cybercriminals. AI has shattered these barriers.

Attack Automation and Acceleration
AI-powered tools enable adversaries to automate nearly every phase of the attack lifecycle, from reconnaissance to execution. What once took months can now be accomplished in hours or even minutes. CrowdStrike reports that AI-driven attacks have pushed breakout times—the period between initial compromise and lateral movement—to under an hour in many cases, leaving ...