Tony Cusato, manager of Global Cyber Security Risk Management at IBM, discussed the state of the Cybersecurity field during a recent talk at Mount Saint Mary College. More than 514,000 U.S.-based cybersecurity-related jobs will be opening up in the coming year, he noted.
Tony Cusato, manager of Global Cyber Security Risk Management at IBM, discussed emerging trends in Cybersecurity with students at Mount Saint Mary College on Thursday, October 23.
Drawing from more than 40 years at IBM, Cusato, technologist, leader, and mentor, emphasized the soaring demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals and the new challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Cusato’s extensive career includes providing cybersecurity solutions within IBM’s CISO execution arm and acting as the technical backbone for globally renowned events like the 1998 Winter and 2000 Summer Olympic games.
A core message of Cusato’s presentation was the ever-changing nature of the cybersecurity landscape and the critical need for professionals to adapt and grow with the technology.
“The greatest skill that you can have is the ability to grow with the technology,” Cusato explained.
He noted that for students entering the field, the outlook is overwhelmingly positive. According to Cusato, more than 514,000 U.S.-based cybersecurity-related jobs will be opening up in the coming year.
A major emerging trend, Cusato said, is the “arms race” in AI, where both cybercriminals and security professionals are harnessing its power. Malicious actors are using AI to create “supercharged attacks” that allow them to scale up their operations, he explained.
Cusato warned that some of the biggest immediate threats are deepfakes, in which malicious actors use highly convincing and personalized phishing campaigns including emails, text messages, and videos. These attacks often leverage people’s emotions, leading even educated individuals to fall victim.
“Malicious actors are going to use AI to create something to get you hooked,” he said. “So you’ll see that right now, deepfakes are the biggest thing going.”
But it’s not all gloom and doom: On the defense side, IBM is using AI to scan event logs in their Security and Operations Centers (SOCs) to predict future attacks, a task too massive for a human to manage manually.
The talk was held in celebration of Cybersecurity Awareness Month by the Mount’s Center for Cybersecurity. The center promotes awareness and education in the critical field of cybersecurity, preparing students for careers and serving as a resource for the community.