AI and Cybersecurity: Defending and Understanding Threats in the AI Era

Explore how AI is transforming both cyberattacks and cyber defense, with live demos of AI-powered threat detection, phishing generation, and what organizations should do about it.

About This Course

AI is changing cybersecurity on both sides of the battlefield. Attackers are using AI to generate more convincing phishing emails, create deepfake social engineering attacks, find vulnerabilities faster, and automate intrusions. Defenders are using AI for real-time threat detection, anomaly analysis, automated incident response, and predictive security.

This course covers both sides. Taught by a professor with over 30 years of experience in cybersecurity and AI, this is an honest, hands-on exploration of how AI is reshaping the threat landscape and what individuals and organizations need to do about it.

You will see live demonstrations of AI-powered attacks and defenses, work with real security tools, and build your own understanding of how to protect yourself and your organization in the AI era.

Who This Course Is For

IT professionals and security practitioners who need to understand AI-powered threats
Business leaders responsible for organizational security posture
Technology professionals who want to understand the cybersecurity implications of AI
Students interested in cybersecurity careers
Anyone concerned about AI-powered scams, phishing, and social engineering

What You Will Walk Away With

A practical understanding of AI-powered threats and defenses, the ability to recognize AI-generated social engineering attacks, a security assessment framework for your organization, and concrete steps to improve your personal and organizational security posture in the AI era.

What You'll Learn

Explain how AI is being used by both attackers and defenders in cybersecurity
Recognize AI-generated phishing emails, deepfake audio, and social engineering attacks
Understand how AI-powered threat detection and anomaly analysis systems work
Evaluate your organization's vulnerability to AI-powered attacks
Implement practical defenses against AI-enhanced social engineering
Use AI tools for security analysis, log review, and threat assessment
Build a security awareness program that addresses AI-specific threats
Develop an AI-era security improvement plan for your organization

Session Breakdown

Session 1: The New Threat Landscape: AI-Powered Attacks

How AI is changing cybersecurity: the arms race overview
AI-powered phishing: why the next generation of attacks is terrifyingly convincing
Live demo: AI-generated phishing emails vs. traditional phishing — can you tell the difference?
Deepfake social engineering: voice cloning, video manipulation, and impersonation
AI-assisted vulnerability discovery and automated exploitation
Hands-on: Analyze real examples of AI-powered attacks and identify the warning signs
The economics of AI attacks: why they are cheaper, faster, and more scalable

Session 2: AI-Powered Defense and Detection

How AI-powered security tools work: machine learning for threat detection
Anomaly detection: finding the needle in the haystack of network traffic and logs
AI in Security Operations Centers: automated triage, investigation, and response
Hands-on: Use AI to analyze security logs and identify suspicious patterns
Behavioral analytics: detecting insider threats and compromised accounts
AI for vulnerability management: prioritizing what to fix first
The limitations of AI defense: false positives, adversarial attacks, and over-reliance

Session 3: Protecting Yourself and Your Organization

Personal security in the AI era: protecting yourself from AI-powered scams
Organizational security assessment: evaluating your AI-era readiness
Hands-on: Conduct a security posture assessment for your organization
Building a security awareness program that addresses AI-specific threats
Policy and governance: acceptable AI use from a security perspective
Incident response in the AI era: what changes when attacks are AI-powered
Your AI-era security improvement plan: concrete next steps
The future of AI and cybersecurity: what to watch for

Prerequisites

No deep technical background required, though IT or security experience will help you get more from the advanced material. Basic understanding of AI concepts is recommended — completing AI Demystified or equivalent is helpful. This course is designed to be valuable for both technical and non-technical audiences.

What to Bring

A laptop with internet access. Some hands-on activities will use browser-based tools that require no installation. For the more technical exercises, optional setup instructions will be sent before the course. Bring information about your organization's current security tools and practices if you want to work on your own security assessment during the sessions.

$249

per person

No sessions currently scheduled

Bundle Discount

Save up to 30% when enrolling in multiple courses. Use code TRACK_30 for the full track.