Will AI Replace Cybersecurity Jobs? What Experts Say

AI is changing cybersecurity jobs, and here's what you need to know. Joining me now is cybersecurity expert Kim Underhill. Kim, thanks for being with us today. Thanks for having me, Caleb. So, how is AI actually changing the jobs on a day-to-day basis? So, um we're seeing some organizations using AI agents to automate ticket writing and updating tickets automatically. I think around 70% faster. AI can do it faster than humans. Um we're seeing it being able to respond to more of the what we call the L1 or level one SOC analyst um types of things as far as the ticketing.

So, it's able to triage incidents a lot faster than a human. Um there's also the caveat there. We always still want to have the human in the loop so we can ensure that the AI is actually doing what it's supposed to be doing. Who's benefiting more right now from AI, the attackers or the defenders? And why? Um I I would say both. Skilled attackers are able to leverage AI to do um more advanced attacks or different types of attacks. Um it's allowing attacks to speed up.

It's allowing an attacker to exploit vulnerabilities faster once they're made public. Um but on the flip side of that, there are some threat actors out there that are doing things like live coding, and they're not using secure software development practices as part of that. So, they're exposing their infrastructure. I think right now both sides are benefiting from AI. Um again, traditionally the attackers just have a little bit of an edge just because, like I said, they only have to be right that one time.

So, realistically, what can AI handle on its own versus where we still need to have human interaction? Yeah, I think a lot of the the mundane tasks that all of us hate doing, for example, like um with GRC compliance, so like an audit. Um I think where we need the human element is still to check the AI, make sure it's actually doing what it's supposed to be doing, and at the same time, the AI is freeing us up to do some some of the more advanced things we want to do, like threat hunting or, you know, deeper threat intelligence.

Whereas, like I mentioned, we might be stuck doing a bunch of ticket writing. >> Because of AI, what things do people need to focus on if they want to grow in the field of cybersecurity? So, my recommendation is you focus on the fundamentals. So, learn basic networking, learn how data flows across the network and across systems for an organization. I still think a lot of people should start in the IT help desk cuz you get to see how an enterprise actually functions.

Plus, you get the benefit a lot of times they'll pay for your training. But the key takeaway is is focus on the fundamentals. Those don't change. >> We break down the threats that you need to know every week in the cybersecurity insider newsletter. I have the link in the description if you want to stay ahead of it.

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