Cybersecurity Predictions for Tomorrow’s Internet from the the NCSA and Nasdaq Cybersecurity Summit

This blog is the second in a three-part series written for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. [previous post and final post]


We live in a world centered around 24/7 connectivity, making cybersecurity a 24/7 concern.

This is receiving special attention throughout the month of October, as the tech community recognizes National Cybersecurity Awareness Month by spotlighting cybersecurity issues and hosting public discussions about the latest tools, threats and trends affecting consumers and businesses alike.

The theme of this year’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is “Our Shared Responsibility,” and true to theme, Dell teamed up with the National Cyber Security Alliance and Nasdaq to sponsor their cybersecurity summit in New York City.

Group of people standing in Nasdaq office
Photography by Kelsey Ayres / Nasdaq, Inc.

The summit, held at Nasdaq headquarters, brought together some of the most influential leaders in the tech and cybersecurity space to discuss how today’s interconnected world is changing our society and the risks that come along with those changes. Panelists talked about how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning will both drive new vulnerabilities and help solve them. I was happy for the opportunity to be a part of the event.

I took part in the panel “Securing Breakthrough Technologies – The Next Five Years.” The panelists and I discussed how refinement of breakthrough technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning will play an important role in the advancement of cybersecurity techniques and technologies.

The main consensus was that artificial intelligence and machine learning is needed to analyze the billions of security events we receive daily, filter out the noise, identify what’s safe and not safe and provide quality information for security professionals to examine. With the volume of data that’s being produced in organizations, matched by the volume of threats, IT professionals today need this advanced technology to stay ahead.

Later in the afternoon, I joined a panel with representatives from Cylance, Nutanix, and PhishMe for a more in-depth discussion on artificial intelligence. The panel, “Artificial Intelligence – Friend or Foe?” further explored how innovation and the proliferation of connected devices is providing new attack vectors and a lucrative market for cybercriminals. On the other hand, the data from these devices can provide a plethora of insight to strengthen machine learning and help humans do their jobs better and more efficiently.

In the panel, I highlighted that there isn’t an area of security at Dell that isn’t using some form of artificial intelligence to help them do their jobs better. In the area of advanced threat prevention, AI today can predict the malicious intent of a piece of software, and detect anomalous behavior with more advanced security information and event management (SIEM) products to generate indications of a compromise or attack.

Looking ahead, some of the big opportunities with AI lie in further advancements in generating valuable insights from security events, contextual access controls and data classification. Combining the sensitivity of the data itself with context about who is accessing it, where, how and on what device will be key to further protecting data from malicious activity and insider threats. In addition, there is an opportunity to better automate response to threats. Today, we manually address security issues as they happen. The next step is to be able to analyze an event or piece of information, decide on the response and automate that, in order to speed time to resolution and free up IT and security professionals to focus on what’s important.

In the realm of cybersecurity, using AI and machine learning is in its infancy and we’ve only just scratched the surface of what’s possible. Taking advantage of advanced technology solutions and modernizing our security infrastructure will help us to protect our data and prevent threats while still allowing employees to be productive.

About the Author: David Konetski

David Konetski serves as a Dell Fellow and Vice President in the Client Solutions Office of the CTO where his responsibilities include Security, Systems Management and Commercial SW technology strategy. David also leads Dell’s technology strategy defining the future of Work, unifying vision across the Dell Technologies family of companies and enabling customer solutions which transform their business. As a Dell Fellow, David provides innovation leadership across Dell Technologies and grows the Dell technical community. Mr. Konetski joined Dell in 1996 as a Sr. Engr manager, and over the next 5 years created Dell’s Audio/Video and Emerging Business engineering organizations. In 2001, Mr. Konetski joined the Dell Office of the CTO, and has developed technology strategies and product portfolios for a wide range of Client technologies, including Security, Systems Management, Communications, SW applications and Audio/Video ecosystems. David holds over 35 issued patents for Dell and is active in IP generation across the company. He was appointed to his current role as Vice President in 2011 and became a Dell Fellow in 2013. Prior to Dell, Mr. Konetski managed several engineering and marketing organizations.