Modern Networks, Security Threats, and the Role of Artificial Intelligence: A Review
TL;DR
Evidence from recent surveys, standards and industry reports indicates that AI can shorten detection and response times and reduce breach costs, but only when it is governed carefully and protected as a target in its own right.
Abstract
Networks now connect mobile users, cloud platforms, edge nodes and billions of small devices, and every new connection widens the area that attackers can reach. This paper reviews the present state of networking, the main security threats, and the ways artificial intelligence (AI) is being used both to manage networks and to defend them. It describes 5G and emerging 6G systems, software-defined and virtualized infrastructure, the Internet of Things (IoT) and zero trust architecture. It then examines current threats, from record-scale denial-of-service attacks to AI-assisted intrusion. The core of the paper covers AI applications in intrusion detection, traffic optimization, automated response and self-managing networks, followed by a critical look at the weaknesses of AI itself: adversarial manipulation, data poisoning, false alarms, privacy and limited explainability. Evidence from recent surveys, standards and industry reports indicates that AI can shorten detection and response times and reduce breach costs, but only when it is governed carefully and protected as a target in its own right
