Artificial Intelligence for Cybersecurity: Offensive Tactics, Mitigation Techniques and Future Directions

Cybersecurity has benefitted from Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies for attack detection. However, recent advances in AI techniques, in tandem with their misuse, have outpaced parallel advancements in cyberattack classification methods that have been achieved through academic and industry-led efforts. We describe the shift in the evolution of AI techniques, and we show how recent AI approaches are effective in helping an adversary attain his/her objectives appertaining to cyberattacks. We also discuss how the current architecture of computer communications enables the development of AI-based adversarial threats against heterogeneous computing platforms and infrastructures.