Google: Hackers Now Use AI Agents to Attack in Hours

Is AI handing cyber attackers a decisive edge or does it finally give defenders the upper hand?

Published 1 day ago

Google: Hackers Now Use AI Agents to Attack in Hours

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Above: Google's office in Krakow, Poland, on June 22. Image credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

Google's findings conclusively prove that AI is widening the gap between defenders and attackers in the latter's favor. Agentic systems can probe the fence continuously at machine speed to find weaknesses, which, when they do, they exploit ruthlessly. When backed by the resources of hostile states, the threat intensifies even further, to the public's detriment.

Center for a New American Security Infosecurity Magazine

Narrative B

While cybercriminals and hackers will use AI as a weapon, the advantage lies squarely with the defenders. Using AI as part of their arsenal, defenders can now use agents to find and patch flaws that humans never had the time or expertise to identify. In this way, defensive automation promises to build a near-impenetrable cyber wall to block the machinations of hostile actors.

Openai Belfer Center

Metaculus Prediction

There is a 10% chance that a cyberattack targeting AI systems will cause a significant power blackout in the United States before 2028, according to the Metaculus prediction community.