The Future is Probably AI

But Who Will Safeguard US?

I grew up in the age of Mainframe computers; those monstrous things that filled most of a room along with the tape storage and early disk storage (size of your washing machine!).  See: https://hjs-enterprises.com/where-are-the-old-geeks.html.  Assembler Code was written for the Operating Systems (IBM) and many of the early application systems.  It was my early/first computer ‘language’.  Later I moved on to languages like COBOL and Fortran as well as PL/I (look them up).  I was in my very early 20’s.

Today I write/manage web sites (over 30) for our current businesses and I’m 78 years old!  I use a pretty archaic tool to write the code that powers those web sites but heck, it still works well.  Written mostly in HTML that is ‘generated’ and I can barely understand the results.  Luckily, I don’t have to!  It works and that is what matters to me.  BUT I could delve into it an understand much of what the heck it was doing.

Today, with AI, I truly have absolutely NO idea how that stuff works.  If presented with the underlying code (yes, it is there!) I might understand the concept/basics but then again, I might not.  Many/most folks are using this new AI stuff for many things.  They write/design web sites and use it for medicinal diagnostics and who knows what; But does anyone understand the underlying code base?  HOW IT WORKS?  Most folks don’t have a clue.

In my early computer career, I worked for a Public Accounting Firm called Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co (now KPMG).  I was hired, not for my accounting skills which were non-existent, but for my computer skills and understanding of How Systems Work and the underlying code.   I could read the code and tell what the system was actually doing and IFF it correctly performed to the intended specifications.  My certification was as a ’Certified Information Systems Auditor’ granted by the EDP Auditors Foundation in 1979. See: https://www.isaca.org/credentialing/cisa While I have long ceased to practice as a professional CISA, I would like to have one of my grandsons consider it as a profession.

Future of AI

Current AI systems, while quickly evolving, are still in their infancy.  Much like the days of the early IBM 360 series computers, they are quickly evolving in power, speed and breadth of ability; dare I say knowledge?  The world of high tech is quickly evolving at such a rapid pace that new developments are announced almost on a daily basis.  Honestly, I am glad I am out of that rat race but want to encourage my grandkids to, at least, understand it a bit; maybe so they can explain it to this 78-year-old Poppa!

Writing this caused me to visit the ISACA professional site.  Seems my old credentials have long been purged; not sure when that happened; probably decades ago.  They DO seem to be addressing the issue of AI Security, Accuracy, and Competence and that is a good thing. See: https://www.isaca.org/resources/artificial-intelligence#2

The recent utter fiasco within the Microsoft systems that is being termed a “A global computer glitch apparently triggered by software distributed by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused widespread global outages”, is a glaring example of the FAILURE of companies to support, employ and utilize the capabilities of a Certified Information Systems Auditor.  While that is my old title there are many newer levels of insuring the accuracy, validity and reliability of systems such as Cybersecurity Audit Certificate.

The, not commonplace, of systems being hacked and held for ransom is another glaring example of the failure of systems security.  Hell, it is now so common that they have a magazine, CYBERCRIME MAGAZINE that documents much of this.  Be assured that it does not cover all of it; certainly, the USA National Security has been penetrated; we just don’t know about it.  How do I suggest this?  Based in the almost total incompetence of the current level of systems security failures that is constantly documented in that Cybercrime Magazine!

Are they using AI to do the hacking and penetration of all these systems?  Probably.  Imagine, AI that is still in its infancy is doing or at least supporting these Criminal Acts, is able to do this. What the heck will the AI systems of just Next Year be capable of doing?  Are Security AI systems around or being developed?  They better be or someone best get on it!  IT IS THE FUTURE!

There is at least one company a quick search revealed that is capitalizing on this future of AI Security.  Called VECTRA https://www.vectra.ai/learning/ai-security.  This is how they define AI Security from their business perspective:

“What is AI Security?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized various industries, and cybersecurity is no exception. AI security solutions have emerged as powerful tools for identifying and mitigating potential threats in today's digital landscape. By leveraging machine learning algorithms and deep learning techniques, AI can analyze vast amounts of data, detect malicious behaviors, and provide organizations with enhanced protection against cyberattacks. In this article, we will explore the concept of AI security, its common applications, the benefits it offers, and key considerations when evaluating AI cybersecurity vendors.”

If I were younger, I’d want to consider working with/for this organization.

Another company dealing at a more ‘down to earth’ level of AI and systems security is SentryAI (

https://smartsentryai.com/

). Dealing with such systems as Automotive Dealerships.  Didn’t work out so well this past June 2024:

“Car dealerships hit with massive computer system outage

The outage, which has stretched into its second day, has thrown a wrench in the operation of thousands of dealers across North America.”

But maybe this systems security failure occurred at a high level.  I have not idea but this is a great example of the Future of anyone in pursuit of a technical AI Computer Security Profession.

Technology Future

What is the future of Technology?  I really have no idea; I’ll leave that to my Grandkids.  I just hope I’m around long enough to see some of it.  I believe it will be utterly amazing and hopefully more secure and safe than today’s systems.  That, my friends, is the Future of an AI Security Auditor!

If you are a youngster or an oldster with Grandkids wondering as to what to do for a living in their future.  Consider one in the wonderous world of Digital Technology and get credentialed by the ISACA: https://www.isaca.org/credentialing/certifications.

My Certifications in Computer Science: