How Machine Learning Helps Improve the Security Industry

Featured article by Rick DelGado, Independent Technology Author

In the modern world, the security industry faces many challenges. Despite these challenges, it’s the modern world that offers the solution, as machine learning techniques prove the key to greater security.

We’ve been moving more and more towards computerized processes in our daily lives for a long time now, but the full extent of this technology is yet to be fully realized; the potential applications of this technology are both far reaching and complex, offering possibilities that we’ve not yet seen the full reach of. That’s part of the reason why it’s worth offering further attention to these policies, and to try and see where they can take us. The potential they offer can’t be ignored.

Attention must be turned to the security industry, as we see how different applications of new computer technologies and machine learning policies that could improve the security industry, and make people safer in the long run.

In the real world…

One area which has been proposed is a form of facial recognition software, combining machine learning technology with human psychological understanding. Computers can better able to pick up on suspicious behavior than human officers. If programmed to recognize certain signs and tics, such as lack of eye contact, sweating, or nervousness, yet is unrestrained by any human factors – prejudice, for example, or being unwilling to cause a scene – there’s a likelihood that these computers may do a far better job than current staff. It’s proposed that these tireless machines could be put to work in airport security, for example, further reinforcing the already well protected venues.

… And online

Alternatively, machine learning techniques might be put to use combatting their most natural challengers – cyber criminals. While many have noted the potential for cyber criminals to simply further evolve their own techniques to outmaneuver new computer security techniques that are no reason not to try and make progress – and a lot of progress can be offered from pursuing these policies.

The potential progress offered in this respect is similar to the techniques used in the physical world; machine learning techniques could be used to monitor the keystrokes, browsing habits, and computer server usage of potential criminals and fraudsters, shutting down their operations before they cause much harm. Further, there’s the potential for greater data protection – analytics techniques can help to limit the risk of data exposure by a precise system of anonymization. It becomes clear, when looking at the potential of machine learning policies, that these techniques could help to protect the world of computing in a whole host of different ways, with the new ways to isolate complex threat patterns and enhance protection of data and information located in a data lake.

Is this the best idea?

It’s a controversial prospect, of course; not everyone believes that trusting sensitive data to computer algorithms is the right option to pursue, instead considering it far safer to trust information to human hands. Indeed, the fear that further mechanization may lead to job losses of worth noting, while to many others these machine learning techniques seem almost Orwellian in nature – and yet, when such strides are offered and new avenues are available to us, then machine learning technologies are, at the very least, at least worth some further investigation.

Ultimately…

It’ll be a long time before we start to see the impact of machine learning technologies, of course, as they’re still in their relative infancy – but, over the next few years, we’re going to see them begin to develop further and further. As this happens, we may well see ourselves becoming safer and safer, too, as machine learning technologies begin to revitalize the security industry with new techniques and new possibilities.

by Rick DelGado, Independent Author

“I’ve been blessed to have a successful career and have recently taken a step back to pursue my passion of writing. I’ve started doing freelance writing and I love to write about new technologies and how it can help us and our planet.” – Rick DelGado