{"id":862,"date":"2025-09-02T14:14:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/?p=862"},"modified":"2025-09-02T14:14:47","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:14:47","slug":"ai-cyber-threats-how-to-stop-the-latest-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/2025\/09\/02\/ai-cyber-threats-how-to-stop-the-latest-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"AI Cyber Threats: How to Stop the Latest Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-80fbbe7 post_featured_image elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-hidden-tablet elementor-hidden-mobile elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"80fbbe7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-39469\" src=\"https:\/\/corsicatech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ai-cyber-threats-1024x566.webp\" alt=\"How to stop AI cyber threats - Corsica Technologies\" width=\"800\" height=\"442\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-af2ed11 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-content\" data-id=\"af2ed11\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-content.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<p>AI has changed the world of cybersecurity forever. New threats are appearing that were unthinkable before AI. Leaders in IT and business are asking themselves tough questions:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cAre we educated on the latest AI cyber attacks?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cIs our team familiar with\u00a0phishing email examples\u2014and how AI makes them even more powerful?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cAre we using the latest AI technology to stop these attacks?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here\u2019s everything you need to know to protect your organization.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In this article:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How AI is used in cyber attacks<\/li>\n<li>The danger of personalized attacks driven by AI<\/li>\n<li>Statistics about the growth of AI cyber attacks<\/li>\n<li>How to prevent AI cyber attacks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"h-how-is-ai-used-in-cyber-attacks\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How is AI used in cyber attacks?<\/h2>\n<p>There are two primary strategies that attackers exploit to launch an AI-powered attack:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Social engineering<\/li>\n<li>Software vulnerabilities<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Unfortunately, AI greatly increases the effectiveness of attacks in both categories. Here are the kinds of AI-powered attacks that we block most often for our clients.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-1-ai-driven-social-engineering-attacks\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. AI-driven social engineering attacks<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Generic AI-powered phishing<\/strong>. Attackers use AI to generate a phishing email and send it to many people. The message isn\u2019t personalized, but it uses social engineering tactics (like urgency and fear) to manipulate the user into clicking a link or downloading an attachment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personalized AI-powered phishing.\u00a0<\/strong>Attack strategies such asspear phishing, whaling, and clone phishing are highly personalized. Criminals can use AI to target a specific company or individual using information that\u2019s available about them online. (We\u2019ll unpack all of these in more detail below, as there are many types of personalized phishing.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"h-2-ai-driven-exploits-of-software-vulnerabilities\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. AI-driven exploits of software vulnerabilities<\/h3>\n<p>AI can perform vast amounts of analysis much faster than a human. This makes it the ideal tool to discover, catalog, and exploit vulnerabilities in software systems.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of the most common vulnerabilities that can be discovered and exploited with AI.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Misconfigured security settings<\/strong>. Unfortunately, default security settings are rarely adequate, especially for cloud systems. It\u2019s also possible to make mistakes when configuring security settings. AI tools can detect these vulnerabilities easily.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Inappropriate user permissions<\/strong>.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.crowdstrike.com\/en-us\/cybersecurity-101\/identity-protection\/principle-of-least-privilege-polp\/\">The principle of least privilege<\/a>\u00a0states that a given user should have only as much access as they need to do their job. However, many systems have their users configured with far more permissions than they actually need. Once an attacker has gained access to a system, they can use AI to catalog and exploit these misconfigured permissions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Insecure APIs<\/strong>. AI can detect APIs with expired or insecure security settings, making it easy to exploit these weaknesses.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Weak passwords<\/strong>. AI is a game-changer in cryptography. It can crack weak passwords far more quickly than human actors can.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Unpatched systems<\/strong>. If a software vendor has discovered a vulnerability and released a patch for that system, AI can determine whether the patch was applied to a given instance. This empowers attackers to identify unpatched systems, then go after them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39466\" src=\"https:\/\/corsicatech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/can-ai-cyber-attacks-target-specific-people-or-organizations-1024x614.webp\" alt=\"Can AI cyber attacks target specific people or organizations?\" width=\"1024\" height=\"614\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can AI-powered attacks target specific organizations or people?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes. AI excels at creating personalized, highly believable attacks. Here are some examples of AI-powered phishing strategies that we see frequently.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>AI-driven executive impersonation<\/strong>. AI tools make it incredibly easy for attackers to impersonate an executive. This usually takes the form of an urgent message that appears to come from a person in leadership at the organization. AI can craft unique messages based on any information available to the attacker, making this strategy especially dangerous.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AI-driven whaling<\/strong>. A whaling attack flips executive impersonation on its head. The target\u00a0<em>is<\/em>\u00a0the executive. Since leaders often have sweeping permissions and access to many critical systems, they make a lucrative target for attackers. AI-driven whaling attacks use AI to craft highly personalized, believable messages that get leaders to take action and compromise systems without realizing it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AI-driven clone phishing<\/strong>. Clone phishing involves sending a new email in an existing thread with a trusted contact. The email appears to be from the contact, making it especially dangerous\u2014and AI makes it easier than ever for attackers to impersonate trusted contacts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AI-driven vishing<\/strong>. Voice phishing, or \u201cvishing,\u201d is any phishing attack that happens over a phone call. AI is especially insidious here, as it empowers attackers to create live, reactive AI agents that speak and sound like a person known to the victim.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Every one of these attack types was dangerous before the advent of AI. But AI tools have taken these possibilities to the next level. Every organization should expect to get personalized, AI-driven phishing attacks.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How common are AI cyber attacks?<\/h2>\n<p>Unfortunately, AI cyber attacks are growing more and more common every day. Here are some concerning statistics.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>82.6% of phishing emails\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.knowbe4.com\/key-takeaways-from-the-2025-phishing-threat-trends-report\">are now generated by AI<\/a>\u2014a YoY increase of 53.5%.<\/li>\n<li>Phishing attacks in general have\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/about-us\/new-at-mckinsey-blog\/ai-is-the-greatest-threat-and-defense-in-cybersecurity-today\">surged 1200%<\/a>\u00a0since the advent of GenAI in 2022.<\/li>\n<li>Credential-based phishing attacks\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/slashnext.com\/2024-phishing-intelligence-report\/\">grew 703%<\/a>\u00a0in 2024 due to the appearance of premade, AI-generated phishing kits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So what\u2019s the impact of AI on cyber attacks?<\/p>\n<p>As you can see, AI-driven attacks are now a serious factor in cybersecurity.<\/p>\n<p>But how do you prevent them, educate your users, and protect your data and systems?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-39467\" src=\"https:\/\/corsicatech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/how-can-i-prevent-ai-cyber-attacks-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"How can I prevent AI cyber attacks?\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can I prevent AI cyber attacks?<\/h2>\n<p>The answer depends on the type of attack. Since social engineering attacks and software vulnerability exploits are the two most common categories, we\u2019ll look at them in detail.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to stop AI-driven social engineering attacks<\/h3>\n<p>There are two components to a healthy strategy here.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Technology<\/strong>. The first line of defense against AI-powered phishing attacks is to ensure these emails never reach users\u2019 inboxes. You can achieve this with email security tools. Here at Corsica Technologies, we use AI-powered solutions to detect dangerous emails and quarantine them\u2014so users never even see them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>User training<\/strong>. No technology is foolproof. Even the best email security solution may allow the occasional phishing email to pass through to the inbox. Ultimately, your best defense is education. You want to give your employees phish testing and awareness training so they\u2019re prepared to deal with threats. And since phishing strategies continue to evolve in the age of AI, you\u2019ll want to give this training on a regular basis. Many of our clients choose to do it quarterly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Both technology and training are critical, and they work together to stop AI social engineering attacks.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to stop AI-driven exploits of software vulnerabilities<\/h3>\n<p>The key here is to stay on top of patching. You need to know which systems require a patch\u2014and you need the resources to test and apply patches at scale.<\/p>\n<p>Here at Corsica Technologies, we use sophisticated technologies, including AI-enabled solutions, to stay on top of patches for our clients. This ensures that we deal with the highest-risk scenarios in a timely fashion.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The takeaway: Don\u2019t wait to prepare for AI cyber attacks<\/h2>\n<p>A few years ago, the idea of AI attacks at scale was a looming probability but not a reality. That has changed. AI-powered attacks are here\u2014and they\u2019re affecting our clients every day. If you need help defending your organization from sophisticated attacks, contact us today. Let\u2019s discuss your vulnerabilities, your cybersecurity standing, and how we can help you become more secure.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile has-background\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-86df10d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"86df10d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-fd4ed22\" data-id=\"fd4ed22\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7070e01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7070e01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6e4eb04d37072fa461774cc5115d877813808957c231bda172b662e57136a0ce?s=96&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5421dea elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5421dea\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n<h5 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Ross Filipek<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-71bb53f\" data-id=\"71bb53f\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-769fe4e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"769fe4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">Ross Filipek is Corsica Technologies\u2019 CISO. He has more than 20 years\u2019 experience in the\u00a0managed cyber security services\u00a0industry as both an engineer and a consultant. In addition to leading Corsica\u2019s efforts to manage cyber risk, he provides vCISO consulting services for many of Corsica\u2019s clients. Ross has achieved recognition as a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE #18994; Security track) and an ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). He has also earned an MBA degree from the University of Notre Dame.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AI has changed the world of cybersecurity forever. New threats are appearing that were unthinkable before AI. Leaders in IT and business are asking themselves tough questions: \u201cAre we educated on the latest AI cyber attacks?\u201d \u201cIs our team familiar with\u00a0phishing email examples\u2014and how AI makes them even more powerful?\u201d \u201cAre we using the latest[\u2026] <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/2025\/09\/02\/ai-cyber-threats-how-to-stop-the-latest-attacks\/\">Read<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 24 24\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" width=\"16px\" fill=\"#091926\"><rect fill=\"none\" height=\"16\" width=\"16\"\/><path d=\"M14.29,5.71L14.29,5.71c-0.39,0.39-0.39,1.02,0,1.41L18.17,11H3c-0.55,0-1,0.45-1,1v0c0,0.55,0.45,1,1,1h15.18l-3.88,3.88 c-0.39,0.39-0.39,1.02,0,1.41l0,0c0.39,0.39,1.02,0.39,1.41,0l5.59-5.59c0.39-0.39,0.39-1.02,0-1.41L15.7,5.71 C15.32,5.32,14.68,5.32,14.29,5.71z\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cybersecurity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":882,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862\/revisions\/882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cloudtango.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}