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Agentic AI is set to take center stage at RSA Conference 2025, promising to transform cybersecurity with its unparalleled speed and accuracy. But what does this mean for human analysts, and how can we mitigate the risks associated with these autonomous systems? Dive into our in-depth analysis of agentic AI's potential impact on the security industry.
Agentic AI refers to task-oriented AI systems that learn and improve over time, serving as intelligent assistants to security analysts. Agents can analyze vast amounts of data quickly, taking away the need for human analysts to constantly write logic for what they're looking for. Agentic AI agents can be used to detect phishing attacks, spot unusual traffic patterns, and triage alerts with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The benefits of agentic AI in security include detecting threats and flagging potentially malicious traffic across large enterprise environments. Risks associated with agentic AI include data regulations needing to go into overdrive to ensure model security. Agents can be compromised by bad actors who could poison the data used to train them, leading to potential attacks. Human oversight is crucial to ensure that these systems operate within established security protocols and avoid changes to signature detection or logic.
As we stand on the cusp of 2025, a year that promises to be all about agentic AI, it's essential to understand what this means for the security industry. According to experts, agentic AI refers to task-oriented AI systems that learn and improve over time, serving as intelligent assistants to security analysts rather than mere script executors.
These agents are designed to analyze vast amounts of data quickly, taking away the need for human analysts to constantly write the logic of what they're looking for. In the realm of cybersecurity, agentic AI agents can be used to analyze event logs, detect unusual traffic patterns, and triage alerts with unprecedented speed and accuracy. They can also help spot phishing attacks, which are increasingly being generated by AI themselves.
The benefits of agentic AI in security are numerous. For instance, an agent can analyze an email and determine whether it's a legitimate or phishing attempt, flagging it for the security team to review. Additionally, agents can help detect threats and flag potentially malicious traffic across large enterprise environments.
However, as with any emerging technology, there are also concerns about the risks associated with agentic AI. According to Jason Lord, chief technology officer at Salesforce-focused security firm AutoRABIT, "An AI agent without data is dead in the water." He emphasizes that data regulations will need to go into overdrive to ensure that these models are secure.
Moreover, there's a risk of agents being compromised by bad actors who could poison the data used to train them. This could lead to agents performing functions that close sections of networks or even create denial-of-service attacks.
Paul Davis, Field CISO at supply chain security shop JFrog, cautions that we're "too focused on the excitement, not the paranoia." He points out that just like GenAI for code, we need people who actually check these agents before letting them loose in production environments.
The industry has already seen early glimpses of agentic AI at recent vendor conferences. Companies like Microsoft and Google are eager to showcase their AI agents' capabilities. However, as Lord aptly puts it, "I wouldn't want an agent going and changing signature detection or logic." This underscores the importance of human oversight in ensuring that these systems operate within established security protocols.
In conclusion, agentic AI promises to revolutionize the way we approach cybersecurity. While there are benefits to be had, there's also a need for caution and careful consideration of the risks involved. As we navigate this brave new world of autonomous security systems, it's essential to prioritize both the excitement and paranoia surrounding these emerging technologies.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Agentic-AI-Revolution-Understanding-the-Promise-and-Paranoia-of-Autonomous-Security-Systems-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/04/23/agentic_ai_rsac/
Published: Wed Apr 23 13:53:43 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
