Cisco launches Hypershield for AI-driven security upgrade

In response to the rising challenges of securing vast networks against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, Cisco, a global expert in security and networking, has launched Cisco Hypershield. This initiative is the next step towards fortifying data centres and clouds with improved effectiveness, as demand from the AI revolution continues to strain IT infrastructure.

Security in today's highly fragmented digital world has piqued concern, the company states. Threats have grown in complexity and sophistication, and the time between vulnerability detection and exploitation by attackers has shortened dramatically. A recent survey by Cisco ANZ highlighted that only 1% of Australian businesses are adequately prepared for cyber attacks, whilst just 2% met these standards in New Zealand. These figures demonstrate the pressing need for a robust, forward-thinking approach to cybersecurity, which Cisco Hypershield seeks to provide.

Cisco Hypershield is a first-of-its-class, autonomous, and anticipatory AI-native security solution. This new system aims to redefine what is possible in terms of security at scale. Aimed at delivering a more customised, proactive protection model, Cisco Hypershield will enable clients to place security wherever necessary. This includes securing every application and device regardless of their distribution or connection. In addition, it is competent of transforming every network port into a high-performance security node, bringing new security capabilities to data centres, clouds, factories, and hospital imaging rooms.

An alarming report from Cisco Talos disclosed that cyber defenders are facing up to 100 new vulnerabilities per day. Attackers are rapidly weaponising these vulnerabilities, frequently before patches can be deployed. Cisco Hypershield aims to restore the defender's advantage by blocking application vulnerabilities within minutes and curtailing lateral movements effectively. Cisco envisions a more efficient security system, integrating advanced security controls into various layers including software, virtual machines, and network servers, and appliances.

Cisco Hypershield is developed with AI-native, Cloud-native, and hyper-distributed principles at its core. The AI-Native design enables autonomous and predictive capabilities for efficient management at scale. Cisco's Cloud-Native structure benefits from the company's recent acquisition of leading eBPF provider for enterprises, Isovalent. The Hyper-Distributed aspect innovatively embeds advanced security controls into servers and network fabric, thus shifting security closer to workloads needing protection.

Through a partnership with NVIDIA, Cisco is dedicated to enhancing its security systems using AI. NVIDIA's Morpheus cybersecurity AI framework has been used to accelerate network anomaly detection, and their NIM microservices to power custom security AI assistants for enterprises. This collaboration is set to provide robust security measures across various platforms, from cloud to edge. Hypershield has been designed to address three main customer challenges: distributed exploit protection, autonomous segmentation, and self-qualifying upgrades. It is expected to launch in August 2024.

According to Frank Dickson of IDC, AI isn't just beneficial but is also a tool used for devious intentions, allowing hackers to create exploits in minimum time. "Cisco is looking to resolve an AI-enabled problem with an AI solution as Cisco Hypershield aims to tip the scales back in favour of the defender."

Zeus Kerravala, founder and principal analyst of ZK Research, described Hypershield's approach as a step in the right direction for complex security challenges: "Cisco's vision of a self-managing fabric that seamlessly integrates from the network to the endpoint will help redefine what's possible for security at scale."