The threat
These attacks have used spywares such as Pegasus and AI-driven EchoLeak, and shown their power to attack millions of systems, compromise critical devices, and steal sensitive information. With the surge of AI agents, the risk is high now. The AI-driven streamlining of work and risen productivity has become a lucrative target for exploitation, increasing the scale and attack tactics of breaches.
IBM technology explained how the combination of AI systems and zero-click flaws has reshaped the cybersecurity landscape. “Cybercriminals are increasingly adopting stealthy tactics and prioritizing data theft over encryption and exploiting identities at scale. A surge in phishing emails delivering infostealer malware and credential phishing is fueling this trend—and may be attributed to attackers leveraging AI to scale distribution,” said the IBM report.
A few risks of autonomous AI are highlighted, such as:
- Threat of prompt injection
- Need for an AI firewall
- Gaps in addressing the challenges due to AI-driven tech
About Zero-click attacks
These attacks do not need user interaction, unlike traditional cyberattacks that relied on social engineering campaigns or phishing attacks. Zero-click attacks exploit flaws in communication or software protocols to gain unauthorized entry into systems.
Echoleak: An AI-based attack that modifies AI systems to hack sensitive information.
Stagefright: A flaw in Android devices that allows hackers to install malicious code via multimedia messages (MMS), hacking millions of devices.
Pegasus: A spyware that hacks devices through apps such as iMessage and WhatsApp, it conducts surveillance, can gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, and facilitate data theft as well.
How to stay safe?
According to IBM, “Despite the magnitude of these challenges, we found that most organizations still don’t have a cyber crisis plan or playbooks for scenarios that require swift responses.” To stay safe, IBM suggests “quick, decisive action to counteract the faster pace with which threat actors, increasingly aided by AI, conduct attacks, exfiltrate data, and exploit vulnerabilities.”
