As cyber-criminals ramp up the speed and scale of their campaigns , human defenders – and the signature-based tools they rely on – cannot keep up . A leading UK automotive reseller has adopted a new approach to security that leverages self-learning AI to detect and respond to threats

Handling over 11 million vehicles a year , Constellation Automotive Group operates businesses across almost every area of the automotive industry in the UK , including British Car Auctions ( BCA ), cinch , and WeBuyAnyCar , a well-known vehicle buying service in the UK operating from over 350 branches nationwide .

With the sudden and unforeseen transition to remote working last year , the cyber-threat landscape changed overnight . Critical operations and data previously handled on the premises now traversed home environments and an ever-growing number of virtual collaboration tools and cloud environments . Attackers were quick to step up their game , and it became clear that traditional security solutions reliant on static rules and signatures could no longer keep up .

Recognizing the shortfalls of legacy tools , the group ’ s businesses had already taken a new approach to cyber defense . The security teams implemented AI technology from cyber security company Darktrace across critical parts of their digital estate . The AI acts as a digital immune system , learning ‘ self ’ for everyone and everything in the business , and identifying subtle deviations from normal behavior that indicate a cyberthreat . “ Darktrace added another level of sophistication to our defenses with AI and machine learning ,” explains Robert Teagle , CIO at BCA . It offered the security team not only accurate , real-time detection of the full range of cyber-threats – from spear phishing and SaaS account takeover to ransomware and data loss – but autonomous response , which contains threats at machine speed , before damage can be done .

As organizations start planning their return to offices , the threat landscape continues to evolve . With 97 % of cyber security professionals concerned about AI-augmented cyber-attacks , it is clear we are entering a new era of threat . As cyber-criminals look to take their attacks to the next level , the onus is on defenders to stay ahead of the game with adaptive , autonomous cyber defense .

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