Intro: What is AI Hacking?
Using Artificial Intelligence to hack is the newest trend cyber criminals are using to bypass security systems. Finding easy and profitable ways to hack systems has always been done, since the first systems were ever created, and now there are more tools to do so, like AI.
Artificial Intelligence is not constrained by the same ideals humans are–they can find solutions humans would never have considered due to our assumptions or values. They calculate, find, and learn without much restraint. They take what they’re told and find a way to achieve, even in ways that humans could never expect. This makes them much more dangerous than other existing hacking tools.
Threats of AI Hacking in Cybersecurity
Generative AI apps, such as ChatGPT, AI Dungeon, certain TikTok filters, WOMBO Dream, and other platforms that generate images and text from prompts are becoming more and more popular, not only on social media. Cyber criminals use Chat GPT to generate phishing emails, create malware and ransomware, and generate deepfake data.
AI programs make it even easier for hackers to stay undetected by cybersecurity defenders. According to a 2023 Beyond Identity survey, 8% of AI-assisted cyber attacks were left unnoticed for more than a week, and 21% took 4-7 days.
AI is such an effective tool since it can recognize patterns and apply it to their mission to predict what is going to happen in the future and to better understand what is happening in the present. What we are seeing is that AI has the ability to guess passwords, bypass CAPTCHA, and do so while staying undetected. This is because AI is able to recognize patterns and apply it to their mission, to predict what is going to happen in the future and to better understand what is happening in the present.
How Cyber Defenders are Combating This
AI attacks are inevitable in our future, so cybersecurity defense needs to keep up with the pace. That’s why AI innovation has to be a priority, so that systems can defend their sensitive information using Machine-Learning and Artificial Intelligence algorithms to quickly warn cyber defenders and ward off attackers. The problem? According to a recent Gartner survey, only about 24% of cybersecurity systems are equipped to handle AI attacks, and according to a 2022 survey of incoming cybersecurity applicants, only 1% had AI skills.
Defenders have to ensure that their files are using correct information, that their learning models and pattern development are all accurate and none have been tampered with. To ensure this, though, data sets have to become smaller, which lessens AI efficiency.
So, to combat this, AI models have to be made for Trojans and other malware patterns, to stop the injection of bad files before it can cause any damage. There are already systems like this being developed, such as the TojAI Software Framework developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, and TextFooler, made by MIT researchers. Both detect patterns familiar with Trojans, malware, and natural language. This will help build more resilient AI models, which is necessary with the future of AI hacking.
What to Look Out for
Soon, those formats of phishing emails and texts you have seen will be outdated–AI will find a way to make them more convincing, and hide their true intentions. You will no longer be able to find the telltale spelling or grammar mistakes–AI can best humans within seconds, making convincing, perfectly written emails ready to manipulate any reader into clicking what it wants you to.
Even with all of the security methods we have in place, hackers will always find a way to prevail. That just means we have to be smarter and more vigilant. These hackers are making convincing phishing emails.
The best way to combat AI is, of course, with AI. It will be able to recognize anomalies better than we can, but even with this technology we have to be careful. Artificial intelligence is the best way to combat these new attacks, sure, but humans are the last line of defense. If you open that one email the AI was not able to detect, you have to be the one to determine whether it is safe or not. No matter how charming an email or text may be, always make sure that it is coming from a trusted place, and if you aren’t sure, don’t click.
Learn More
Continue to educate yourself on the dangers of AI hacking and other dangers in cyber security. Become involved by immersing yourself in activities that will teach you about cybersecurity, or put your already-captured knowledge to the test in our Capture the Flag competitions, or join our Cyber Club, with classes led by professional volunteers. You can find these and other resources here. Stay smart out there.
