The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has fuelled a 20% jump in hacking attempts targeting critical infrastructure over the last year, according to research from Irish cybersecurity firm Smarttech247.
The company said that AI is enabling cybercriminals to execute more sophisticated, faster, and harder-to-detect attacks, posing significant risks to essential services such as energy grids, utilities, and healthcare and educational organisations.
Smarttech247 said it has also detected a 73% increase in hacking attempts that bypass multi-factor authentication, using "Adversary-in-The-Middle" attacks.
These position the hacker between a victim and a legitimate site, for example by mimicking a log-in portal, and then use the username and password entered by the victim to gain access to all the information contained in the account.
"AI's increasing presence in the workplace is redefining the nature of insider threats," said Smarttech247 CEO Raluca Saceanu.
"Generative AI tools, such as those used for content creation, code development, or report generation, bring productivity gains but also new risks," the CEO added.
"Employees, either intentionally or inadvertently, may misuse these tools to access or expose sensitive information," Ms Saceanu said.
The role of AI in the cybersecurity landscape will be among the main topics discussed at 'Zero Day Con' a major cybersecurity convention taking place in Dublin in March.
