• AI is turning cyber-attacks into automated, large-scale operations rather than purely novel research efforts.
  • Tenable security expert Gavin Millard warns enterprises to harden controls and focus on visibility, segmentation and tested recovery.
  • Practical steps: risk-based patching, asset inventory, zero trust, EDR/XDR, and regular restore drills.

Why this matters now

Advances in artificial intelligence are changing how attackers operate. Instead of only producing innovative malware, AI is enabling automation and scale — meaning the same exploit can be weaponized and deployed faster across many targets. That increases the speed and reach of ransomware and other destructive campaigns, making traditional, manual defenses less effective.

What Tenable’s Gavin Millard recommends

Industry practitioners need practical, prioritized controls that reduce exposure quickly. Tenable’s Gavin Millard urges organizations to focus on measures that shrink the attacker’s window of opportunity and the blast radius of a successful intrusion.

Visibility and asset inventory

Begin with a definitive inventory of assets and exposures. You cannot protect what you cannot see. Knowing which systems, services and credentials are internet‑facing or hold sensitive data lets teams prioritize patching and configuration hardening where it matters most.

Risk‑based patching and configuration

Move to risk‑based vulnerability management: triage vulnerabilities by exploitability and business impact, not just CVSS score. Rapidly remediate or mitigate vulnerabilities that are weaponized in the wild or that enable ransomware lateral movement.

Segmentation, least privilege and zero trust

Reduce lateral movement by segmenting critical systems and enforcing least‑privilege access. Where possible, adopt zero‑trust principles so authentication and authorization decisions are continuous, not once‑and‑done.

Detection and response

Deploy and tune endpoint detection (EDR) and extended detection (XDR) tools to spot automated attack patterns. Integrate threat intelligence and conduct active threat hunting to catch rapid campaigns early. Maintain a tested incident response plan and run tabletop exercises that simulate AI‑accelerated attacks.

Backups and recovery testing

Ransomware remains primarily a business continuity threat. Keep immutable backups, isolate backup systems from general networks, and regularly test restores. Recovery drills are often the single most effective way to reduce ransomware impact.

What leaders should prioritize

Executives should fund visibility and response capabilities, not only prevention theater. The combination of automated attacks and common enterprise gaps means boards must treat resilience — rapid detection and recovery — as a top business risk. Following the practical steps above reduces exposure and buys time against AI‑driven campaigns.

With attackers using automation to scale damage, organizations that act now by tightening visibility, hardening critical paths and rehearsing recovery will be far better positioned to withstand the next wave.

Image Referance: https://diginomica.com/how-ai-bringing-scale-and-automation-cyber-attacks-rather-innovation-and-how-enterprises-should