AI creates a security paradox — firms report increasing attacks but AI-driven defenses will automate threat isolation
A massive talent drain is hitting the industry as organizations see wireless IT experts pivot toward specialized AI and cyber roles
Upgrading to Wi-Fi 7 improves security and support for AI workloads
Cisco released its inaugural State of Wireless Report this week, and it’s kind of a doozy.
The study is packed with charts and data from 30 different regions around the world. Cisco hired Sandpiper Research & Insights to conduct interviews with 6,098 wireless/Wi-Fi decision-makers and technical specialists in organizations with at least 250 employees. The respondents worked in a range of industries, including construction, education, engineering, financial services, government, healthcare and manufacturing.
The not-so-surprising consensus: AI is creating greater security risks across the board.
“Eighty-five percent of organizations have experienced at least one wireless security incident in the last 12 months,” Cisco Wireless Chief Technology Officer Matt MacPherson told Fierce. “When we asked them where it’s going, 72 percent of those organizations expect those incidents to increase in the next two years.”
That’s a pretty startling reality, but here’s some good news: “I think we're being much more proactive than we have in the past and being able to anticipate some of these attacks,” he said.
Side note: Cisco specializes in Wi-Fi equipment for the enterprise, not consumers, and it’s not subject to the Federal Communications Commission’s recent ban on foreign-made consumer-grade routers. Essentially all consumer-grade Wi-Fi routers are made overseas, which means new ones will be banned unless they get conditional approval from the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security.
Cisco declined to comment about the consumer-grade foreign-made router ban.
Talent shortages – thanks to AI
One of the somewhat surprising things to come out of the study is how organizations are already seeing problems in hiring qualified workers because AI is stealing the talent.
Eighty-six percent of organizations reported challenges in hiring, with wireless IT talent shifting to technology fields like AI and cybersecurity. Respondents indicated that AI ranks as the No. 1 area that attracts talent from wireless while a shortage of candidates with advanced wireless or AI-integrated skills is the biggest barrier to hiring.
Organizations need to focus on developing their talent through training, certification and career advancement opportunities. Investment should target advanced skills, including knowledge about Wi-Fi 6E and 7 standards, security protocol modernization to WPA3 and automation, according to the report.
AI to fend off Wi-Fi attacks
Like the licensed cellular industry, the Wi-Fi industry is using AI to fend off attacks.
For example, AI can monitor devices when they access a network in, say, an airport or sports arena, and automatically isolate a device if it appears to be a threat.
“What the AI will do is determine to what extent that threat is,” and whether it’s in a specific access point or spread across multiple devices, MacPherson said. “The AI will automatically trigger the ability to isolate that device so it cannot infect or cause problems to devices adjacent to it.”
Why not just turn off devices that appear to be compromised?
That’s not a good idea if a device happens to be controlling something like a breathing machine in a hospital. “You can’t just turn this stuff off, so what you do is isolate them and let them do their primary function,” he said. “But you can cut them off from infecting anything else or breaching the network or accessing any systems that would be considered sensitive.”
Wi-Fi vs. cellular security
Is Wi-Fi, which operates in unlicensed spectrum, less secure than licensed cellular? That was a popular topic when Wi-Fi first came on the scene and threatened some established players (hello Verizon?) in the licensed cellular world. Some private 5G network enthusiasts will still say it’s a question mark.
MacPherson acknowledged that it’s possible to deploy Wi-Fi that isn’t secure – but 5G networks can be breached as well.
“It depends on what you’re doing,” he said. If the Wi-Fi is being used in a financial institution or bank, “absolutely you can secure it.”
Some people will argue that because Wi-Fi has a broad range, it’s less secure. However, “I don’t consider the fact that there’s a broad range of capabilities in Wi-Fi as a weakness,” he said. “I consider it a strength.”
Adopting a more modern version of Wi-Fi will strengthen security. The report found that 43% of Wi-Fi consumers are still using Wi-Fi 5.
That earlier version of the Wi-Fi standard might be OK for some people, but upgrading to Wi-Fi 7 will provide better security and more firepower.
“What we're seeing is that you need to upgrade these things in parallel. Introduce AI to get the operational efficiencies that you're looking for and introduce Wi-Fi 7 so that you can actually carry these new AI requirements for those new workloads,” he said.