In a recent interview with Augustin Kurian, Editor-in-Chief of The Cyber Express, Juhani Hintikka, the CEO and Chairman of WithSecure, shed light on the rapidly evolving landscape of cybersecurity.
Addressing the concerns of many smaller businesses, he emphasized the importance of outcome-based cybersecurity and how WithSecure is paving the way for more adaptive, efficient, and advanced solutions for companies of all sizes.
Outcome-Based Cybersecurity: The Future for Enterprises
Juhani believes that outcome-based cybersecurity has the potential to be extremely effective for large enterprises. However, there’s a significant challenge in implementing such a system for startups and smaller companies.
Despite these concerns, statistics reveal that small companies are at significant risk. In fact, about 40% of companies listed in recent attack logs were smaller businesses.
To tackle this, Juhani introduced the term “core security”. WithSecure is dedicated to working in tandem with these companies, providing them with cutting-edge tools and services. Beyond tools, the company also offers managed or monitoring services, running 24×7 to ensure optimal security.
Bridging the Gap: WithSecure’s Vision for the Mid Market
WithSecure’s merger with F-Secure marks a strategic shift. While F-Secure primarily catered to consumers, WithSecure is now honed in on the B2B sector, especially focusing on the mid-market.
The company boasts 135,000 customers, with a whopping 125,000 belonging to the mid to small category. This places WithSecure in a unique position to understand and address the specific challenges faced by such companies.
The AI Challenge in Cybersecurity
One of the most significant contemporary challenges in cybersecurity is the potential use of AI in phishing attacks.
Traditional employee training to detect phishing attempts often focused on spotting semantic errors in suspicious emails. However, with the advent of AI, these emails will become more sophisticated and harder to detect.
Juhani foresees the future of cybersecurity as a battle between “good AI” and “bad AI. While there are current defenses that utilize anomaly detection through AI, he mentions that there hasn’t been a significant use of AI in offensive cyberattacks yet.
This scenario might change soon with tools like ChatGPT, which can be potentially weaponized to write mutated malware samples.
His solution? Companies need to evolve their defenses and design security into the very processes of their operations.
While AI will play a significant role, humans are, and will remain, an integral part of the equation. The emphasis should be on educating and training individuals, as humans are often the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain.
Looking Ahead
As we peer into the future, the evolution of cyberattacks, according to Juhani, will see a clash of AI-driven defenses and offenses. The key will be for companies to integrate security from the ground up, ensuring every process is secure by design.
In this age of rapid technological advancement, companies like WithSecure play a pivotal role. Their commitment to both technology and the human element ensures a holistic approach to cybersecurity, making the digital landscape a safer place for businesses of all sizes.
