Cyber Defense eMagazine November 2019

can learn from these trial experiments as well to help automate the selection of features, though
that is still a bit early in its maturity.
I’m excited, just as many cybersecurity professionals are, at how far AI and ML has come and where the
capability is heading. It’s a great way to augment operations today, allowing resources to be diverted to
solving greater challenges and helping mature SOCs around the world. AI and ML will not likely solve all
of our problems in the near future, but if it could help solve even one or two major challenges, I think
many SOC managers and leaders would find that immensely valuable in the important mission of
protecting critical assets from all types of malicious cyber actors.
About the Author
John Harrison is the Director of Criterion Systems’ Cybersecurity
Center of Excellence. With more than 15 years of experience in the
security industry, he helps design cybersecurity programs to protect
government customers. He is a combat service-disabled veteran who
served eight years in the US Marine Corps as an intelligence operator
and foreign military combat trainer. Following his military career, he
spent several years in the Intelligence Community. He has a bachelor’s
degree in criminal law, an MBA from Georgetown, and is a certified
ethical hacker and incident handler from EC-Council and SANS GIAC,
respectively.
36