The underground market for criminally oriented generative AI has moved beyond the early hype surrounding ‘malicious chatbots.’ The gradual integration of AI as a productivity layer within cybercrime operations has become the dominant story, indicating that while the potential for fully autonomous AI hacking systems is possible, attackers are not embracing them as expected. Instead, threat actors are increasingly using AI to accelerate routine, but operationally significant, tasks to scale their operations. Drafting phishing lures, profiling targets, debugging code, generating forged documents, modifying malware, translating victim communications, and processing stolen data at scale were once time-consuming activities that AI has made significantly easier. AI does not replace cybercriminals; it lowers friction, increases speed, and expands the range of actors able to perform tasks that previously required more time, skill, or external support.
Read more…
Source: Rapid7 News
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- UN Cybercrime Treaty wins dozens of signatories, to go with its many critics
October 27, 2025
The United Nations on Saturday staged a signing ceremony for the Convention against Cybercrime, the world’s first agreement to combat online crime. And while 72 nations picked up the pen, critics continue to point out the convention’s flaws. Read more… Source: The Register News Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter The latest cyber security news and insights ...
- Key Emerging Cybersecurity Threats and Challenges for 2025 and Beyond
October 27, 2025
The global threat landscape is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Organizations are facing dizzying levels of complexity, driven by rapid technological innovation, the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, and the expected disruptive effects of quantum computing. At the same time, shifting geopolitical dynamics, the rise of sophisticated cybercriminal networks, and the introduction of new regulatory frameworks are ...
- Ireland: Number of passengers affected by data breach not yet clear
October 26, 2025
It has not yet clear how many passengers were affected by the data breach relating to boarding passes issued for flights during August, but RTÉ News understands it may be in the hundreds of thousands. In August 3.8 million passenger journeys were made on flights through Dublin Airport. It has not been revealed yet what type ...
- Hackers steal medical records and financial data from 1.2M patients in massive healthcare breach
October 24, 2025
More than 1 million patients have been affected by a data breach involving SimonMed Imaging, one of the country’s largest outpatient radiology and medical imaging providers. The breach came to light after a cyberattack compromised sensitive patient data, with reports indicating that ransomware operators may have been behind the incident. What makes this case particularly concerning is the ...
- North Korean hackers target European defense firms with dream job scam
October 24, 2025
Infamous North Korean state-sponsored threat actors, Lazarus Group, have been targeting Southeastern European defense firms with their Operation DreamJob scams. Security researchers at ESET claim the goal of the attacks was to steal the know-how and other proprietary information on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and drones. Lazarus is known for its work in supporting North Korea’s ...
- Deep analysis of the flaw in BetterBank reward logic
October 22, 2025
From August 26 to 27, 2025, BetterBank, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol operating on the PulseChain network, fell victim to a sophisticated exploit involving liquidity manipulation and reward minting. The attack resulted in an initial loss of approximately $5 million in digital assets. Following on-chain negotiations, the attacker returned approximately $2.7 million in assets, mitigating the ...

