Cybercriminals are increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence to sharpen their attacks. It’s no longer if you will get attacked, but when, and when you do, will you be prepared?

This October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and this year, one topic looms over the rest, the growing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity. While AI is promising in bettering defences, hackers are weaponising it in new and frightening ways. Since the rise of generative AI in 2022, there has been a 1200% surge in phishing attacks, meaning it’s more important now than ever to understand the threats of AI to your business.

How are hackers using AI?

Social engineering schemes
AI can now use online data from sources like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to suggest who is more likely to fall for a phishing attack.
After identifying who may be vulnerable, generative AI can draft false emails that the victim has a higher-than-likely chance of falling for. Some advanced AI can even create deepfake videos and voice clones to come across even more convincing. In 2019, a hacker utilised generative AI to mimic the voice of a company executive, deceiving a CEO into making a transfer of over £200,000.

What can we do?
Running efficient phishing training to teach staff how to spot AI-enhanced deceptions and build good authentication habits ensures traps aren’t being fallen for.

Password hacking
Cybercriminals are utilising AI to enhance the algorithms they use for deciphering passwords, allowing hackers to become even more efficient at password guessing. These systems can run millions of guess attempts at lightning speed, often defeating weak passwords within minutes. In fact, stolen or weak passwords account for around 80% in breaches.

What can we do?
Enforce strong password policies amongst employees to prevent employees from repeating and using old passwords, integrate single-sign-on and monitor unusual login attempts.

Malware and ransomware
AI-powered ransomware can encrypt data faster and more effectively, while AI-powered malware adapts to changing security measures and hides itself quickly, proving more difficult to detect. In 2025, 80% of ransomware attacks used AI, meaning they are more destructive and harder to maintain than ever before.

Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) has also surfaced as a game-changing business model in which hackers combine traditional ransomwares capabilities with the accessibility of cloud-based services. Traditionally, ransomware attacks were primarily carried out by technically skilled threat actors who wrote their own malware, which required a wider skill set. Now, hackers can profit from extortion without needing to develop their own malware, while ransomware developers can increase their profits without attacking networks and can profit from victims they might not have located otherwise.

What can we do?
Maintain regular backups, deploy advanced threat protection, provide an incident response plan to keep employees aware and invest in malware protection

The future of hackers with AI

As AI continues to reshape the cybersecurity landscape, it brings both incredible opportunities but also escalating threats. Hackers are adapting quickly, weaponising AI to their advantage. This Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a timely reminder that we must stay informed, vigilant and proactive to ensure that AI works for your security, not against it.

Not sure where to start with protecting yourself? We offer extensive cybersecurity tailored for companies of all sizes so you can focus on other tasks, knowing you’re in cyber safe hands.

Reach out to us and let’s talk. No fluff, just facts!