Definition
Image recognition allows computers to recognize images and videos using algorithms for processing, analyzing, and organizing visual data.
To be exact, they identify the object’s characteristics and patterns to understand the content of the video or image. Common image-recognition use cases include optical character recognition (OCR), object detection, scene understanding, and facial recognition.
Moreover, image recognition is a powerful AI technology that may be a useful cybersecurity solution and a potential security risk.
Applications of Image Recognition
- Security risk: Cybercriminals can exploit image recognition technologies, like facial recognition, to compromise privacy or gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or systems. For instance, an attacker can use deep fake technology to develop convincing but fake pictures or videos to impersonate someone or spread false information. Furthermore, image recognition frameworks are vulnerable to adversarial attacks that manipulate input images to mislead the system.
- Security-enhancing solution: Enterprises can use image recognition technologies to improve security standards and lower the risks of data breaches, unauthorized access, and other cyber threats. For example, organizations may embed OCR or facial recognition into their MFA (multi-factor authentication) systems to confirm users’ identity more efficiently. Moreover, image recognition can allow real-time threat identification in surveillance systems, automate digital forensics, discover irregularities in network traffic, and filter out malicious materials.
