INTERPOL says AI is increasing the speed and scale of cyber threats. Here’s what companies should watch

This picture taken on November 23, 2021, shows the logo of Interpol during the 89th Interpol General Assembly in Istanbul.

Ozan Kose | AFP | Getty Images

Artificial intelligence enables cyber threats by enhancing existing criminal tactics such as scams and fraud, according to INTERPOL.

AI is enhancing existing criminal techniques rather than revolutionizing them, Bjorn R. Watne, global chief information security officer at INTERPOL, told CNBC on the sidelines of Tech Week Singapore on Thursday. Scam operators can use AI to target multiple victims simultaneously, while improved translation and digital identities are making it increasingly difficult to distinguish fraudulent interactions from real ones.

"It's an evolution and not a revolution," Watne said, adding that AI is primarily increasing the "speed and scale" of existing techniques.

What companies should be protecting

As cyber threats evolve, companies should prioritize protective actions, according to Watne. 

Instead, businesses should first identify their "crown jewels," the assets most critical to keeping their operations running, and determine who would be most interested in stealing or disrupting them.

They can then use threat intelligence to understand the tactics and technologies used by those adversaries and tailor their defenses accordingly.

"There is no need for everyone to try and protect against everything all at once when they're not being targeted by it," he said. The defenses needed can vary depending on whether a company faces opportunistic criminals or advanced persistent threat actors, he added. 

Companies are also often hampered by a disconnect between senior management and their cybersecurity strategy, he said.

"There are still many industries where they haven't realized that everyone today is an IT company," Watne added.

While cyber risk is moving higher on corporate risk registers, cybersecurity has yet to fully make its way into the boardroom at many companies, he added.