Daily Times

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has enhanced cyber-criminality by increasing hackers’ efficiency in terms of the frequency and sophistication of the crimes they commit. According to recent data, AI-driven phishing attacks surged by 58.2 percent in the last year, largely due to the proliferation of generative AI tools.

These tools enable skilled hackers and inexperienced individuals to effortlessly carry out sophisticated and elaborate phishing attacks. AI can efficiently interpret public information, enabling attackers to produce highly convincing counterfeit email messages and online pages. Consequently, phishing attempts can be disguised as authentic emails and website invitations. AI technology can be taught to adapt over time and circumvent security measures, hence escalating the occurrence of cyber-crimes and espionage incidents that might pose a threat to corporate institutions. By the year 2024, it was estimated that the economic impact of cybercrime would amount to $9.22 trillion globally. The increased level of automation leads to improved efficiency and a rise in various attacks, such as deep fakes in phishing and the latest generation of ransomware.

AI has the potential to significantly enhance phishing assaults by enabling the sending of increasingly sophisticated and convincing emails that deceive recipients into divulging specific information. AI may generate messages that are indistinguishable from fake ones by using databases from social networks, business-oriented platforms, and other web sources. The high level of personalisation and the depth of the communications facilitate the crooks’ ability to entice their victims. These messages are often signed with known names and may even include information that could be of interest to the recipient. The precise characteristics of AI-generated phishing emails, their heightened efficacy, and the elimination of the need for hackers to rely on trial-and-error experimentation, all contribute to the enhanced resilience of this method against conventional security measures.

The recently emerging deep-fake technology amplifies the utilisation of artificial intelligence in creating counterfeit audio and video that closely resemble reality.

The recently emerging deep-fake technology amplifies the utilisation of artificial intelligence in creating counterfeit audio and video that closely resemble reality, hence posing a risk to privacy and security. Over the past year, there has been a 43 percent spike in crimes associated with deep-fake technology, including identity theft, fraud, and the spread of misinformation. An illustrative case was the CEO of a particular American company who received a deep-fake video. In this video, the CEO appeared to be requesting employees to contribute money. Unfortunately, the employees complied with the request, resulting in a financial loss of $243,000 for the company. These sophisticated deep fakes effectively mimic the desired sounds and appearances, making it difficult for the targeted individual or organisation to differentiate between fabricated and authentic material. The existence of highly realistic forgeries underscores the need for adopting innovative strategies and advancing dependable methods for protection and identification.

AI’s capability to process and analyze large datasets can be exploited to breach data repositories and extract confidential information. Once in the wrong hands, this data can be used for various criminal activities, including blackmail, financial fraud, and unauthorized surveillance. For example, a 2023 study by IBM revealed that the average cost of a data breach increased to $4.45 million, with AI-driven breaches contributing significantly to this rise. The speed and efficiency of AI enable criminals to quickly identify and exploit data vulnerabilities, making it a powerful tool for malicious activities. The FBI has reported a 300 percent increase in cybercrime complaints since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many involving AI techniques to steal and misuse sensitive data.

The militarization of AI poses a significant threat to global security. Autonomous weapons systems, driven by AI, can potentially be hacked and controlled by malicious actors, leading to unauthorized attacks and escalations in conflicts. According to a report by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, there has been a 45 percent increase in incidents involving AI-controlled military systems being targeted by cyber-attacks. The lack of human oversight in these systems increases the risk of unintended consequences and widespread harm. For instance, a simulated study by the RAND Corporation demonstrated that AI errors in autonomous drones could lead to accidental engagements, resulting in potential civilian casualties and diplomatic crises. Furthermore, experts warn that the proliferation of AI in military applications could trigger an arms race, with nations developing increasingly sophisticated and potentially destabilizing autonomous weapons.

It is important to note that AI can indeed be utilised to carry out sophisticated fraudulent operations that have the potential to pose a threat to financial institutions. The financial analysis basically identifies patterns and prospective behavioural tendencies. It may accurately predict and recognise self-serving acts of executives with precision. These actions, namely Account SPAM, Transaction SPAM, and Money Mule are carried out by circumventing traditional methods of identification. A report by the Association of Certified Crime Examiners revealed that the use of artificial intelligence in facilitating financial crime results in global losses of approximately $5 billion. In addition, Kaspersky, a cybersecurity company, stated that Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks increased by 36 percent during the first half of the last year, indicating a growth in fraudulent activities utilising artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence exhibits significant potential in the manipulation of information and the handling of disinformation on a broad scale. AI is utilised in creating deceptive news stories, social media posts, and other virtual content. This has a significant impact on the population of a nation, since it can manipulate connections between individuals, provoke social unrest, and particularly influence elections. MIT highlighted in a research study that AI-driven fake news spreads on social media sites six times quicker than genuine content. The rapid dissemination of false information has the capacity to impact the perception and decision-making processes of society.

Gaining access to AI systems grants thieves complete authority, enabling them to manipulate outcomes, pilfer algorithms, or even undermine the integrity of the systems. According to a research report conducted by Capgemini, 64 per cent of organisations have experienced security breaches related to artificial intelligence. This highlights the growing threat to AI systems. By gaining access to efficient artificial intelligence-based monetary trading systems, hackers can manipulate market trends. Similarly, altering AI in the healthcare field has the potential to pose a risk to patients’ well-being by offering inaccurate diagnoses and therapy suggestions.

AI can enable criminals to exploit individuals by using compromising materials for blackmail and extortion. Through the utilisation of very efficient data mining techniques, artificial intelligence can acquire information regarding an individual’s personality, financial obligations, and any potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited to manipulate the person into complying with the demands of the whistleblower.

A recent analysis by cybersecurity firm Symantec has shown a 33 percent increase in AI-facilitated extortion. Attackers are now using AI to scrape social media, financial records, and other data in order to identify targets and apply pressure. These individuals possess the knowledge and capability to employ AI technology in order to intrude upon the privacy of others. They exploit the target’s online activities to uncover personal information about the victim, which they then use to extort a significant sum of money. Additionally, they may engage in activities such as kidnapping or sexual harassment towards women.

The writer is a PhD scholar and author of various books on international relations, criminology and gender studies. He can be reached at fastian.mentor@gmail.com