Tenable, Inc., the Exposure Management company, has released a new study indicating that 68 percent of organizations intend to utilize generative AI (GenAI) within the next year to bolster security measures and synchronize IT goals with overall business objectives. However, the study also highlights a concerning trend: only 17 percent of organizations exhibit strong confidence in their ability to effectively deploy GenAI technologies.
The findings are part of a global study titled 'How to Discover, Analyze and Respond to Threats Faster with Generative AI,' conducted by Forrester Consulting in October 2023 on behalf of Tenable. This study surveyed 826 IT and cybersecurity professionals across large enterprises in Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the UK, and the US. The research indicates a notable shift in strategic focus towards the increased adoption of GenAI within businesses.
Security leaders express optimism about GenAI's potential to enhance security measures, yet the study also points out the complex journey of AI integration, emphasizing the need for a careful balance between innovation and risk management. A significant concern noted is that 41 percent of organizations view GenAI more as a security threat than an opportunity, reflecting widespread anxiety about associated cybersecurity risks. Additionally, internal misuse of GenAI is a major worry, with 50 percent of respondents fearing potential misuse within their organizations.
The study further underscores the critical role of data quality and integrity in the success of GenAI initiatives. Seventy-four percent of respondents assert that the effectiveness of GenAI largely hinges on the quality of data used by organizations, highlighting the vital importance of data governance and management in ensuring the success of GenAI applications.
"While GenAI offers significant benefits, there are also serious concerns regarding security, governance, and data quality," notes David Cummins, Senior VP of EMEA at Tenable. "GenAI can consolidate data from various sources, simplifying the understanding and management of these complexities. However, it is crucial that these decisions are grounded in reliable data. Unique data leads to unique intelligence guiding decisions — or 'gold in, gold out.'"
"With the increasing use of cloud services, virtualization platforms, microservices, applications, and code libraries, every organization's attack surface is expanding. This exposes organizations to vulnerabilities, cloud misconfigurations, and risks related to identity access, groups, and permissions. Properly harnessed, GenAI can assist security teams in rapidly identifying exposures, prioritizing actions, and understanding connections across the entire attack surface," he added.
