AI in the hands of hackers: A growing cybersecurity crisis

It’s time to walk the talk. With cyber criminals leveraging generative AI to create malicious code and execute sophisticated attacks, we are facing an increasing cybersecurity crisis. To counter the growing threat, both public and private organizations need to collaborate much more.

Fredrik Olsson, Managing Director Europe at NTT Security shares his opinions on the misuse of AI and what actions we must take in order to ensure a safer future and avoid a cybersecurity crisis.

Generative AI threats on the rise 

Cybercriminals using generative AI to build malicious code and attack their victims in various ways is a relatively new phenomenon but will become the norm in the coming years. In addition to companies being exposed to cyber intrusions of various kinds, for some time now it has become increasingly common that even hospitals, schools and municipalities – which were previously spared from cyberattacks – are targets for cybercriminals, which also the latest edition of our report Global Threat Intelligence Report 2024 shows. 

Countries are also using AI to streamline their cyber warfare. In addition, deep fakes, phishing emails and disinformation created with AI are being spread, with the sole purpose to steal, deceive and sabotage. All of this, caused by cybercriminals with the powerful tools now available, could potentially be as devastating as a nuclear weapon and cause great, devastating damage to our society. But unfortunately, not enough is being done to stop this development. 

Lack of defense 

Sweden and the US have now signed the DCA, an agreement on defense cooperation, and the two countries have also held bilateral dialogues on how best to respond to cyber-related threats. These are of course welcome initiatives, but unfortunately far from the solutions needed. 

The biggest problem with the lack of defense against cyber attacks is that the public and private sectors do not use their common knowledge and skills to a sufficient extent. Among other things, this shortcoming has been pointed out by Åke Holmgren, head of the department for cyber security at MSB, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. Currently, both camps sit on different sides and very rarely share new learnings or information that could have been useful to the other party.   

Working together is key  

Collaboration is not just a pretty word to throw around in these contexts. On the contrary, collaboration is the only thing that will stop the exploitation of AI for criminal activity. If authorities and businesses pool their skills and information, share it with each other and start working together, the power they have will become a significantly stronger opponent for cybercriminals. The more collaboration, the better the cybersecurity defense – on all fronts. 

A good example is the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) – of which NTT Security is a member – established by CISA, the US Cyber Security Agency. The cornerstone of this well-functioning collaboration is that public and private organizations collect, analyze and share information about different types of cyber risks. This is to enable synchronized and well thought out cyber security planning, cyber defense and response.  

Start talking

The Swedish government must review the strategy for cyber defense in Sweden and consider more national and international collaborations. But not only the politicians need to get involved. Representatives from both government and business need to approach and invite more contact points, start new forums – simply start talking to each other. When these parties exchange experiences in a safe and constructive way, it will lead to increased cyber security at all levels, which is and will be vital going forward. 

Fredrik Olsson, Managing Director Europe at NTT Security 

Want to know more about how we can help you with your cybersecurity?

Book a meeting with NTT Security experts to learn more about our advisory services and penetration testing. We help you protect sensitive data while ensuring privacy and convenience.