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February 10, 2025

From Hype to Reality: How AI is Transforming Cybersecurity Practices

AI hype is everywhere, but not many vendors are getting specific. Darktrace’s multi-layered AI combines various machine learning techniques for behavioral analytics, real-time threat detection, investigation, and autonomous response.
Inside the SOC
Darktrace cyber analysts are world-class experts in threat intelligence, threat hunting and incident response, and provide 24/7 SOC support to thousands of Darktrace customers around the globe. Inside the SOC is exclusively authored by these experts, providing analysis of cyber incidents and threat trends, based on real-world experience in the field.
Written by
Nicole Carignan
SVP, Security & AI Strategy, Field CISO
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10
Feb 2025

AI is everywhere, predominantly because it has changed the way humans interact with data. AI is a powerful tool for data analytics, predictions, and recommendations, but accuracy, safety, and security are paramount for operationalization.

In cybersecurity, AI-powered solutions are becoming increasingly necessary to keep up with modern business complexity and this new age of cyber-threat, marked by attacker innovation, use of AI, speed, and scale. The emergence of these new threats calls for a varied and layered approach in AI security technology to anticipate asymmetric threats.

While many cybersecurity vendors are adding AI to their products, they are not always communicating the capabilities or data used clearly. This is especially the case with Large Language Models (LLMs). Many products are adding interactive and generative capabilities which do not necessarily increase the efficacy of detection and response but rather are aligned with enhancing the analyst and security team experience and data retrieval.

Consequently, many  people erroneously conflate generative AI with other types of AI. Similarly, only 31% of security professionals report that they are “very familiar” with supervised machine learning, the type of AI most often applied in today’s cybersecurity solutions to identify threats using attack artifacts and facilitate automated responses. This confusion around AI and its capabilities can result in suboptimal cybersecurity measures, overfitting, inaccuracies due to ineffective methods/data, inefficient use of resources, and heightened exposure to advanced cyber threats.

Vendors must cut through the AI market and demystify the technology in their products for safe, secure, and accurate adoption. To that end, let’s discuss common AI techniques in cybersecurity as well as how Darktrace applies them.

Modernizing cybersecurity with AI

Machine learning has presented a significant opportunity to the cybersecurity industry, and many vendors have been using it for years. Despite the high potential benefit of applying machine learning to cybersecurity, not every AI tool or machine learning model is equally effective due to its technique, application, and data it was trained on.

Supervised machine learning and cybersecurity

Supervised machine models are trained on labeled, structured data to facilitate automation of a human-led trained tasks. Some cybersecurity vendors have been experimenting with supervised machine learning for years, with most automating threat detection based on reported attack data using big data science, shared cyber-threat intelligence, known or reported attack behavior, and classifiers.

In the last several years, however, more vendors have expanded into the behavior analytics and anomaly detection side. In many applications, this method separates the learning, when the behavioral profile is created (baselining), from the subsequent anomaly detection. As such, it does not learn continuously and requires periodic updating and re-training to try to stay up to date with dynamic business operations and new attack techniques. Unfortunately, this opens the door for a high rate of daily false positives and false negatives.

Unsupervised machine learning and cybersecurity

Unlike supervised approaches, unsupervised machine learning does not require labeled training data or human-led training. Instead, it independently analyzes data to detect compelling patterns without relying on knowledge of past threats. This removes the dependency of human input or involvement to guide learning.

However, it is constrained by input parameters, requiring a thoughtful consideration of technique and feature selection to ensure the accuracy of the outputs. Additionally, while it can discover patterns in data as they are anomaly-focused, some of those patterns may be irrelevant and distracting.

When using models for behavior analytics and anomaly detection, the outputs come in the form of anomalies rather than classified threats, requiring additional modeling for threat behavior context and prioritization. Anomaly detection performed in isolation can render resource-wasting false positives.

LLMs and cybersecurity

LLMs are a major aspect of mainstream generative AI, and they can be used in both supervised and unsupervised ways. They are pre-trained on massive volumes of data and can be applied to human language, machine language, and more.

With the recent explosion of LLMs in the market, many vendors are rushing to add generative AI to their products, using it for chatbots, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, agents, and embeddings. Generative AI in cybersecurity can optimize data retrieval for defenders, summarize reporting, or emulate sophisticated phishing attacks for preventative security.

But, since this is semantic analysis, LLMs can struggle with the reasoning necessary for security analysis and detection consistently. If not applied responsibly, generative AI can cause confusion by “hallucinating,” meaning referencing invented data, without additional post-processing to decrease the impact or by providing conflicting responses due to confirmation bias in the prompts written by different security team members.

Combining techniques in a multi-layered AI approach

Each type of machine learning technique has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, so a multi-layered, multi-method approach is ideal to enhance functionality while overcoming the shortcomings of any one method.

Darktrace’s multi-layered AI engine is powered by multiple machine learning approaches, which operate in combination for cyber defense. This allows Darktrace to protect the entire digital estates of the organizations it secures, including corporate networks, cloud computing services, SaaS applications, IoT, Industrial Control Systems (ICS), and email systems.

Plugged into the organization’s infrastructure and services, our AI engine ingests and analyzes the raw data and its interactions within the environment and forms an understanding of the normal behavior, right down to the granular details of specific users and devices. The system continually revises its understanding about what is normal based on evolving evidence, continuously learning as opposed to baselining techniques.

This dynamic understanding of normal partnered with dozens of anomaly detection models means that the AI engine can identify, with a high degree of precision, events or behaviors that are both anomalous and unlikely to be benign. Understanding anomalies through the lens of many models as well as autonomously fine-tuning the models’ performances gives us a higher understanding and confidence in anomaly detection.

The next layer provides event correlation and threat behavior context to understand the risk level of an anomalous event(s). Every anomalous event is investigated by Cyber AI Analyst that uses a combination of unsupervised machine learning models to analyze logs with supervised machine learning trained on how to investigate. This provides anomaly and risk context along with investigation outcomes with explainability.

The ability to identify activity that represents the first footprints of an attacker, without any prior knowledge or intelligence, lies at the heart of the AI system’s efficacy in keeping pace with threat actor innovations and changes in tactics and techniques. It helps the human team detect subtle indicators that can be hard to spot amid the immense noise of legitimate, day-to-day digital interactions. This enables advanced threat detection with full domain visibility.

Digging deeper into AI: Mapping specific machine learning techniques to cybersecurity functions

Visibility and control are vital for the practical adoption of AI solutions, as it builds trust between human security teams and their AI tools. That is why we want to share some specific applications of AI across our solutions, moving beyond hype and buzzwords to provide grounded, technical explanations.

Darktrace’s technology helps security teams cover every stage of the incident lifecycle with a range of comprehensive analysis and autonomous investigation and response capabilities.

  1. Behavioral prediction: Our AI understands your unique organization by learning normal patterns of life. It accomplishes this with multiple clustering algorithms, anomaly detection models, Bayesian meta-classifier for autonomous fine-tuning, graph theory, and more.
  2. Real-time threat detection: With a true understanding of normal, our AI engine connects anomalous events to risky behavior using probabilistic models. 
  3. Investigation: Darktrace performs in-depth analysis and investigation of anomalies, in particular automating Level 1 of a SOC team and augmenting the rest of the SOC team through prioritization for human-led investigations. Some of these methods include supervised and unsupervised machine learning models, semantic analysis models, and graph theory.
  4. Response: Darktrace calculates the proportional action to take in order to neutralize in-progress attacks at machine speed. As a result, organizations are protected 24/7, even when the human team is out of the office. Through understanding the normal pattern of life of an asset or peer group, the autonomous response engine can isolate the anomalous/risky behavior and surgically block. The autonomous response engine also has the capability to enforce the peer group’s pattern of life when rare and risky behavior continues.
  5. Customizable model editor: This layer of customizable logic models tailors our AI’s processing to give security teams more visibility as well as the opportunity to adapt outputs, therefore increasing explainability, interpretability, control, and the ability to modify the operationalization of the AI output with auditing.

See the complete AI architecture in the paper “The AI Arsenal: Understanding the Tools Shaping Cybersecurity.”

Figure 1. Alerts can be customized in the model editor in many ways like editing the thresholds for rarity and unusualness scores above.

Machine learning is the fundamental ally in cyber defense

Traditional security methods, even those that use a small subset of machine learning, are no longer sufficient, as these tools can neither keep up with all possible attack vectors nor respond fast enough to the variety of machine-speed attacks, given their complexity compared to known and expected patterns.

Security teams require advanced detection capabilities, using multiple machine learning techniques to understand the environment, filter the noise, and take action where threats are identified.

Darktrace’s multi-layered AI comes together to achieve behavioral prediction, real-time threat detection and response, and incident investigation, all while empowering your security team with visibility and control.

Download the full report

Discover specifically how Darktrace applies different types of AI to improve cybersecurity efficacy and operations in this technical paper.

Inside the SOC
Darktrace cyber analysts are world-class experts in threat intelligence, threat hunting and incident response, and provide 24/7 SOC support to thousands of Darktrace customers around the globe. Inside the SOC is exclusively authored by these experts, providing analysis of cyber incidents and threat trends, based on real-world experience in the field.
Written by
Nicole Carignan
SVP, Security & AI Strategy, Field CISO

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Identity

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July 3, 2025

Top Eight Threats to SaaS Security and How to Combat Them

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The latest on the identity security landscape

Following the mass adoption of remote and hybrid working patterns, more critical data than ever resides in cloud applications – from Salesforce and Google Workspace, to Box, Dropbox, and Microsoft 365.

On average, a single organization uses 130 different Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, and 45% of organizations reported experiencing a cybersecurity incident through a SaaS application in the last year.

As SaaS applications look set to remain an integral part of the digital estate, organizations are being forced to rethink how they protect their users and data in this area.

What is SaaS security?

SaaS security is the protection of cloud applications. It includes securing the apps themselves as well as the user identities that engage with them.

Below are the top eight threats that target SaaS security and user identities.

1.  Account Takeover (ATO)

Attackers gain unauthorized access to a user’s SaaS or cloud account by stealing credentials through phishing, brute-force attacks, or credential stuffing. Once inside, they can exfiltrate data, send malicious emails, or escalate privileges to maintain persistent access.

2. Privilege escalation

Cybercriminals exploit misconfigurations, weak access controls, or vulnerabilities to increase their access privileges within a SaaS or cloud environment. Gaining admin or superuser rights allows attackers to disable security settings, create new accounts, or move laterally across the organization.

3. Lateral movement

Once inside a network or SaaS platform, attackers move between accounts, applications, and cloud workloads to expand their foot- hold. Compromised OAuth tokens, session hijacking, or exploited API connections can enable adversaries to escalate access and exfiltrate sensitive data.

4. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) bypass and session hijacking

Threat actors bypass MFA through SIM swapping, push bombing, or exploiting session cookies. By stealing an active authentication session, they can access SaaS environments without needing the original credentials or MFA approval.

5. OAuth token abuse

Attackers exploit OAuth authentication mechanisms by stealing or abusing tokens that grant persistent access to SaaS applications. This allows them to maintain access even if the original user resets their password, making detection and mitigation difficult.

6. Insider threats

Malicious or negligent insiders misuse their legitimate access to SaaS applications or cloud platforms to leak data, alter configurations, or assist external attackers. Over-provisioned accounts and poor access control policies make it easier for insiders to exploit SaaS environments.

7. Application Programming Interface (API)-based attacks

SaaS applications rely on APIs for integration and automation, but attackers exploit insecure endpoints, excessive permissions, and unmonitored API calls to gain unauthorized access. API abuse can lead to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, and service disruption.

8. Business Email Compromise (BEC) via SaaS

Adversaries compromise SaaS-based email platforms (e.g., Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace) to send phishing emails, conduct invoice fraud, or steal sensitive communications. BEC attacks often involve financial fraud or data theft by impersonating executives or suppliers.

BEC heavily uses social engineering techniques, tailoring messages for a specific audience and context. And with the growing use of generative AI by threat actors, BEC is becoming even harder to detect. By adding ingenuity and machine speed, generative AI tools give threat actors the ability to create more personalized, targeted, and convincing attacks at scale.

Protecting against these SaaS threats

Traditionally, security leaders relied on tools that were focused on the attack, reliant on threat intelligence, and confined to a single area of the digital estate.

However, these tools have limitations, and often prove inadequate for contemporary situations, environments, and threats. For example, they may lack advanced threat detection, have limited visibility and scope, and struggle to integrate with other tools and infrastructure, especially cloud platforms.

AI-powered SaaS security stays ahead of the threat landscape

New, more effective approaches involve AI-powered defense solutions that understand the digital business, reveal subtle deviations that indicate cyber-threats, and action autonomous, targeted responses.

[related-resource]

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About the author
Carlos Gray
Senior Product Marketing Manager, Email

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Proactive Security

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July 2, 2025

Pre-CVE Threat Detection: 10 Examples Identifying Malicious Activity Prior to Public Disclosure of a Vulnerability

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Vulnerabilities are weaknesses in a system that can be exploited by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access or to disrupt normal operations. Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (or CVEs) are a list of publicly disclosed cybersecurity vulnerabilities that can be tracked and mitigated by the security community.

When a vulnerability is discovered, the standard practice is to report it to the vendor or the responsible organization, allowing them to develop and distribute a patch or fix before the details are made public. This is known as responsible disclosure.

With a record-breaking 40,000 CVEs reported for 2024 and a predicted higher number for 2025 by the Forum for Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) [1], anomaly-detection is essential for identifying these potential risks. The gap between exploitation of a zero-day and disclosure of the vulnerability can sometimes be considerable, and retroactively attempting to identify successful exploitation on your network can be challenging, particularly if taking a signature-based approach.

Detecting threats without relying on CVE disclosure

Abnormal behaviors in networks or systems, such as unusual login patterns or data transfers, can indicate attempted cyber-attacks, insider threats, or compromised systems. Since Darktrace does not rely on rules or signatures, it can detect malicious activity that is anomalous even without full context of the specific device or asset in question.

For example, during the Fortinet exploitation late last year, the Darktrace Threat Research team were investigating a different Fortinet vulnerability, namely CVE 2024-23113, for exploitation when Mandiant released a security advisory around CVE 2024-47575, which aligned closely with Darktrace’s findings.

Retrospective analysis like this is used by Darktrace’s threat researchers to better understand detections across the threat landscape and to add additional context.

Below are ten examples from the past year where Darktrace detected malicious activity days or even weeks before a vulnerability was publicly disclosed.

ten examples from the past year where Darktrace detected malicious activity days or even weeks before a vulnerability was publicly disclosed.

Trends in pre-cve exploitation

Often, the disclosure of an exploited vulnerability can be off the back of an incident response investigation related to a compromise by an advanced threat actor using a zero-day. Once the vulnerability is registered and publicly disclosed as having been exploited, it can kick off a race between the attacker and defender: attack vs patch.

Nation-state actors, highly skilled with significant resources, are known to use a range of capabilities to achieve their target, including zero-day use. Often, pre-CVE activity is “low and slow”, last for months with high operational security. After CVE disclosure, the barriers to entry lower, allowing less skilled and less resourced attackers, like some ransomware gangs, to exploit the vulnerability and cause harm. This is why two distinct types of activity are often seen: pre and post disclosure of an exploited vulnerability.

Darktrace saw this consistent story line play out during several of the Fortinet and PAN OS threat actor campaigns highlighted above last year, where nation-state actors were seen exploiting vulnerabilities first, followed by ransomware gangs impacting organizations [2].

The same applies with the recent SAP Netweaver exploitations being tied to a China based threat actor earlier this spring with subsequent ransomware incidents being observed [3].

Autonomous Response

Anomaly-based detection offers the benefit of identifying malicious activity even before a CVE is disclosed; however, security teams still need to quickly contain and isolate the activity.

For example, during the Ivanti chaining exploitation in the early part of 2025, a customer had Darktrace’s Autonomous Response capability enabled on their network. As a result, Darktrace was able to contain the compromise and shut down any ongoing suspicious connectivity by blocking internal connections and enforcing a “pattern of life” on the affected device.

This pre-CVE detection and response by Darktrace occurred 11 days before any public disclosure, demonstrating the value of an anomaly-based approach.

In some cases, customers have even reported that Darktrace stopped malicious exploitation of devices several days before a public disclosure of a vulnerability.

For example, During the ConnectWise exploitation, a customer informed the team that Darktrace had detected malicious software being installed via remote access. Upon further investigation, four servers were found to be impacted, while Autonomous Response had blocked outbound connections and enforced patterns of life on impacted devices.

Conclusion

By continuously analyzing behavioral patterns, systems can spot unusual activities and patterns from users, systems, and networks to detect anomalies that could signify a security breach.

Through ongoing monitoring and learning from these behaviors, anomaly-based security systems can detect threats that traditional signature-based solutions might miss, while also providing detailed insights into threat tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). This type of behavioral intelligence supports pre-CVE detection, allows for a more adaptive security posture, and enables systems to evolve with the ever-changing threat landscape.

Credit to Nathaniel Jones (VP, Security & AI Strategy, Field CISO), Emma Fougler (Global Threat Research Operations Lead), Ryan Traill (Analyst Content Lead)

References and further reading:

  1. https://www.first.org/blog/20250607-Vulnerability-Forecast-for-2025
  2. https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/fortimanager-zero-day-exploitation-cve-2024-47575
  3. https://thehackernews.com/2025/05/china-linked-hackers-exploit-sap-and.html

Related Darktrace blogs:

*Self-reported by customer, confirmed afterwards.

**Updated January 2024 blog now reflects current findings

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About the author
Nathaniel Jones
VP, Security & AI Strategy, Field CISO
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