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How Generative AI is Creating New Classes of Security Threats

 

AI technology is booming, and industries are in a rush to adopt it as quickly as they can. OpenAI's ChatGPT has seen an unprecedented surge in user adoption, quickly becoming one of the most widely used AI platforms. This surge has also led to the widespread integration of generative AI across various platforms, resulting in a significant transformation within the technology landscape. 

The profound impact of AI technology is actively reshaping the threat landscape, presenting notable implications for security. One concerning trend is the exploitation of AI by malicious individuals to amplify the effectiveness of phishing and fraudulent schemes. 

An alarming incident took place when Meta's 65-billion parameter language model was leaked, leading to a heightened risk of advanced and sophisticated phishing attacks. Furthermore, the frequency of prompt injection attacks is increasing daily, posing ongoing challenges for security professionals and necessitating proactive defense measures. 

Many users are unknowingly sharing business-sensitive information with AI/ML-based services, creating challenges for security teams in managing and protecting such data. A notable example is when Samsung engineers inadvertently included proprietary code in ChatGPT while seeking assistance for debugging, leading to the unintended exposure of sensitive information. 

Additionally, a survey conducted by Fishbowl revealed that a significant 68% of individuals using ChatGPT for work purposes chose not to inform their supervisors about it. The speed at which attackers adopt and harness AI technology is likely to outpace defenders, granting them a significant advantage. They will be capable of launching sophisticated AI-powered attacks on a large scale while keeping costs relatively low. 

One area that will see immediate benefits from AI advancements is social engineering attacks, where synthetic text, voice, and images can be utilized. Attacks that previously required manual effort, such as phishing attempts that impersonate legitimate entities like the IRS or real estate agents to trick victims into wiring money, will become automated. 

These technologies will empower attackers to develop more potent malicious code and execute novel, highly effective attacks at scale. For instance, they can rapidly generate polymorphic code for malware, evading detection by signature-based security systems. 

Even notable figures in the field of AI, like Geoffrey Hinton, have expressed concerns about the potential misuse of the technology. Hinton recently acknowledged the difficulty of preventing malicious actors from exploiting AI for harmful purposes, expressing regret for his contribution to its development.