Cybersecurity: The Shield for AI Innovation

Cyberattacks are getting faster. According to the "2026 Global Threat Report" published by CrowdStrike, a global cybersecurity firm, it took attackers an average of about 29 minutes to move laterally from an initial breach into internal networks. The fastest recorded case took just 27 seconds. These figures represent a 65% reduction compared to the previous year. As artificial intelligence (AI) serves as both the architect and execution tool of attacks, the speed and scale of threats are surpassing human capacity for manual response.

AI is not only accelerating cyberattacks but also lowering the barrier to entry. With criminal generative AI tools such as FraudGPT and WormGPT now distributed as subscription-based services, hacking is no longer the exclusive domain of experts. As the number of attack actors grows, the attack surface that defenders must cover is expanding rapidly.

Moreover, threats are no longer confined to external intrusions. In the AI era, they penetrate beyond external perimeters into the internal connectivity structures of systems. The case of "Molt Book," an AI agent social network, illustrates this well. During interactions among AI agents, approximately 1.5 million API tokens — critical authentication keys required for service access — were exposed. This incident signifies that in a hyper-connected AI environment, a single vulnerability can cascade into massive credential leaks, shaking the trust of entire systems. In a structure where the speed of AI innovation becomes the speed of attacks, a shift in the security paradigm can no longer be postponed.

Israel possesses the "Iron Dome," a missile defense system. Yet Israel's strength does not lie solely in physical defense. Centered on the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD), the country has also developed what is known as a "Cyber Dome" — an AI-based early warning system that proactively identifies and blocks cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure. The core of this approach is a defense framework in which detection, analysis, and response are organically interconnected. No single shield is relied upon against any threat.

Korea is now launching full-scale discussions on developing an "AI-based Cyber Shield Dome" technology along similar lines. The goal is to build an integrated defense system that seamlessly connects security data, AI models, agents, and management frameworks so that threat intelligence collection, analysis, and response operate without interruption. While conventional defenses have been limited to detecting known attack patterns, the next step must be AI models that detect fragmented anomalies early and agents that mount automated defenses before damage spreads.

Furthermore, in a hyper-connected environment, enhancing security at individual organizations alone is not sufficient. Today's cyberattacks do not end within a single organization — they spread rapidly along supply chains. The moment an attack is confirmed, threat intelligence must be shared instantly across the defense networks of government, telecommunications carriers, and enterprises, enabling organizations not yet affected to receive alerts and take preemptive measures simultaneously. Korea must swiftly establish a national-level threat intelligence sharing platform, expand industry-specific validation, and accelerate the adoption of AI-based defense technologies to build a robust "cooperative multi-layered defense system." Fragmented defenses at individual organizations cannot withstand the complex attacks of the hyper-connected era. If threats intensify as AI innovation accelerates, then cyber defense capabilities will be both the prerequisite for sustaining innovation and a fundamental source of competitiveness.