Web Desk
The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is proving to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, AI is helping cybersecurity teams manage massive data flows and threat reports.
On the other, it’s giving hackers a powerful tool to scale and refine their attacks.
From Script Kiddies to Sophisticated Threats
In the past, cybercriminals often relied on pre-made scripts found online. Many barely understood how those tools worked.
Now, with AI at their fingertips, even beginners can create complex malware and scams.
Dean Teffer, Vice President of AI at cybersecurity firm Arctic Wolf, told AIM that AI can function like a hacking assistant.
Just as AI tools help developers write code, they also help attackers write malware or identify vulnerabilities—fast.
Deepfakes & Social Engineering
Teffer highlighted one alarming trend: AI-powered deepfakes are making social engineering attacks far more dangerous.
He cited an incident where hackers used SIM swapping to hijack a casino administrator’s identity. By tricking telecoms into transferring a number to a hacker’s device, they gained full access to internal systems.
These types of attacks could now be carried out more easily using AI. For instance, attackers can generate video or audio deepfakes to impersonate company leaders on video calls.
This makes it much harder for employees to tell what’s real.
“Even someone with low technical skills can now use AI to create convincing deepfakes,” Teffer said.
Phishing Gets a Boost from AI
Jeff Green, Arctic Wolf’s SVP of Engineering, explained how AI is also transforming phishing.
“It’s easier to send believable phishing emails—even in languages the attacker doesn’t speak,” he said.
AI tools can write professional, error-free messages, which makes them harder for recipients to spot as scams.
In the past, poor grammar was a red flag. That’s no longer the case.
No Coding Skills? No Problem
Green pointed out that AI is lowering the entry barrier for would-be hackers. In the past, creating malware required coding expertise or access to specialized kits.
Today, AI tools can build those tools automatically.
AI-assisted code generators can help design custom exploits. In one case, the chatbot Claude was used to design a ransomware program.
Another tool, WormGPT, has reportedly helped criminals create advanced business email compromise (BEC) attacks.
The Growing Arms Race
A report by the Centre for Emerging Technology and Security (CETaS) highlighted how AI is transforming financial fraud, phishing, romance scams, and even DDoS attacks.
Criminals now automate and scale operations faster than before, leaving defenders scrambling to keep up.
Still, it’s not all bad news. Security firms like Arctic Wolf are also leveraging AI to fight back.
They use the same technologies to detect threats, analyze attack patterns, and block intrusions.
As Teffer noted, “Cybersecurity is hard because it’s adversarial. But that’s also what makes it fun.”
