Our Blog

In the ever-changing world of cyber threats, Identity and Access Management (IAM) has become a vital concern for organisations. IAM plays a crucial role in securing networks and controlling user access, as cyber attackers often exploit compromised credentials. At Infosec K2K, we specialise in cyber security and IAM and recognise the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the field, particularly in enhancing IAM capabilities.

IAM is essential for cyber security as it ensures that only authorised individuals can access an organisation’s sensitive systems and data. By implementing IAM, organisations can enforce strong authentication mechanisms, manage user privileges, monitor activities for suspicious behaviour, and respond promptly to security incidents. IAM mitigates the risk of insider threats and unauthorised access.

But, there are still challenges when it comes to implementing IAM. Due to the need to integrate IAM with your organisation’s existing systems and legacy infrastructure, it can be complex. IAM solutions also need to be scalable – able to accommodate new systems and users. Addressing these challenges requires careful planning, and at Infosec K2K, our flexible pay-as-you-go model helps organisations accommodate the growing complexity of IAM without straining their resources, saving costs and expanding IAM capabilities as and when they’re needed.

AI algorithms, like the ones that power large language models like ChatGPT, can analyse vast amounts of user behaviour and data, and detect potential threats. This enables organisations to respond to unusual behaviour or suspicious login attempts. At the same time, hackers and cyber criminals are using AI technologies – they can train algorithms on the data that cyber security teams are on the lookout for, thus avoiding detection. Research and development in AI is important if IT teams want to stay ahead of their adversaries. IAM could be enhanced with AI, giving networks more protection. Alongside our partner, CyberArk, we offer complete and flexible IAM solutions. By using their identity management tools, organisations can better control who can access their network, monitor user behaviour, and deal with online threats.

Enhanced Authentication

AI helps organisations improve user verification, with more accurate and reliable methods based on unique characteristics, including biometric data such as fingerprints and voice patterns. AI-powered systems continuously learn and adapt, improving their accuracy over time and effectively thwarting spoofing attempts by cyber criminals.

Behavioural Analytics

By analysing users’ behaviour, AI algorithms assign risk scores to users, indicating the likelihood of their actions posing a threat. Using these, organisations can make more informed decisions. Users with low scores, for example, could be granted extensive access rights, while users with high scores may have their access restricted. Insider threats are one of the most significant security concerns for any organisation, as they involve individuals who already have access to sensitive data.

Streamlined User Provisioning

AI can automate user provisioning processes, reducing human error. CyberArk’s IAM tools allow organisations to manage users’ privileges from any location. Manual processes are prone to human error, but AI tools can streamline user provisioning. This reduces the administrative burden on IT teams and ensures access privileges align with users’ needs, mitigating the risks of privilege creep. Although, it’s not just hackers that organisations are worrying about – an IT worker in the UK was recently convicted of gaining unauthorised access to his company’s computer systems. He accessed private emails and blackmailed the company into paying him a ransom.

Ethical Considerations

Responsible use of AI and IAM requires addressing ethical considerations. Privacy is a major concern due to the collection and analysis of user data for authentication purposes. Organisations using AI and IAM must establish clear data privacy policies, inform users about data usage, and implement security measures to protect sensitive information. Bias is another important concern since AI systems and algorithms learn from historical data, and could perpetuate biases.

Robust Security Measures

Organisations should ensure security measures are in place to protect AI models. Cyber attacks can manipulate input data, reducing the effectiveness of AI-powered IAM systems, and compromising their security. Continuous monitoring of new cyber threats is important, as is updating AI models so they’re aware of new threats – vulnerabilities might be uncovered over time.

New advances and developments in AI are constantly being made, and emerging technologies like machine learning and deep learning could further enhance IAM. Machine learning algorithms can analyse huge amounts of data to detect potential threats, and are continuously learning. With IAM, these algorithms can trigger alerts and verify users’ identities. Deep learning, a more specialised subset of machine learning, can create complex neural networks that are capable of sophisticated analysis. These neural networks could be used for more advanced user authentication, such as facial recognition or biometrics.

In the fight against cyber crime, IAM has become increasingly important, addressing the need to manage users’ identities. By integrating AI into IAM solutions, organisations can enhance IAM’s capabilities and strengthen their authentication processes. IT professionals looking to reinforce their organisation’s cyber security posture should embrace IAM and AI simultaneously. At Infosec K2K, our team of cyber security specialists work with one of the leading IAM providers, CyberArk, to offer a range of comprehensive IAM solutions – which can be tailored to suit your needs. We understand the importance of monitoring users’ access rights and can offer you the tools you need to manage their access privileges with complete confidence.

Whatever solution you’re looking for, we can help. The experts at Infosec K2K can offer you specialist guidance, and help you find the product that’s the best fit for you.

Get in touch with us to find out more about how we can help you.