AI-powered cyber attacks targeting individuals on the rise

Secudium Center [Image source: SK shieldus]

As the pace of digital transformation quickens, cyber threats are extending their reach into everyday life, with an increasing trend of targeting individuals by using generative artificial intelligence.

According to EQST, the white hat hacker group of South Korean cybersecurity company SK shieldus, statistics on industry-specific security breaches in 2023 showed that individuals accounted for 17 percent, ranking second after manufacturing at 20 percent.

One prominent example of cyber attacks leveraging AI is phishing. Phishing, a type of traditional cyber attack, involves disguising malicious links or phishing sites as email, text messages, or social media messages from trustworthy individuals or companies.

According to SK shieldus, phishing attacks are an easily deployable method for hackers to steal personal and sensitive information, with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) estimating that 90 percent of successful cyber attacks originate from email phishing.

More sophisticated phishing attacks are increasing with the integration of AI and malicious AI that generate phishing emails for criminal activities, such as Worm GPT and Fraud GPT, have also recently emerged.

In response to these AI-powered cyber threats, EQST has shared safety guidelines and response strategies for both users and businesses. EQST advised users to be aware of the purpose of AI services and to be cautious about potential malicious uses. It also stressed the importance of verifying and using AI-generated results from multiple sources as well as being aware of the limitations of AI services.

Kim Byung-moo, head of information security business at SK shieldus, emphasized the need to enhance cybersecurity awareness amid the surge in AI-driven attacks and highlighted the importance of digital literacy education to understand and use digital information competently.