Global AI Misuse: Threats Beyond Borders
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently sent out a warning about hackers who use ChatGPT and other generative AI tools to commit cybercrimes. In this article, we’ll talk about how cybercriminals are misusing AI, the risks that come with it, and how it could affect society as a whole.
AI chatbots have become a double-edged sword because they can help improve customer service and how people talk to computers, but they can also be used by cybercriminals to do bad things. Scammers and fraudsters have improved their methods with the help of AI. This has allowed them to make sophisticated phishing websites and polymorphic malware that can get past traditional antivirus protections.
The FBI has found that terrorists have used AI tools to plan more dangerous chemical attacks. This raises concerns about how this technology could be used in the wrong way. As AI becomes more common and easy to use, the agency expects a rise in the number of people using it for both good and bad things.
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The Two Risks Associated with AI Misuse
The FBI pointed out two main risks that come from misusing AI:
- Model Misalignment: Model misalignment happens when AI systems are built or used in a way that causes bad results. This misalignment could be caused by biases in the training data or by algorithms that aren’t well made. When AI isn’t set up right, it can accidentally help with bad things or give wrong information.
- Direct AI Misuse: The second risk comes from cybercriminals who use AI on purpose to help them do bad things. Hackers can use AI-powered tools to automate different parts of cybercrime, like making malware and writing phishing emails that look real.
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Scams and cyberattacks that use AI
Cybercriminals use AI in different ways to pull scams and launch cyber attacks:
- Phishing websites made by AI: Hackers use AI to make websites that look like real ones and trick people into giving them sensitive information like passwords and credit card numbers.
- Polymorphic Malware: Polymorphic malware that is run by AI can change its code and appearance all the time, making it hard for traditional antivirus software to find and making it harder to find.
- Sexually Explicit Deep Fakes: Scammers use AI to make sexually explicit deep fake videos of people to get money from them.
- AI Voice-Cloning in Scam Calls: Cybercriminals use AI voice-cloning technology to pretend to be someone else on the phone and make scam calls.
The FBI has not said what kinds of AI models cybercriminals use and AI national security risks. It has, however, noticed that hackers like free, customizable open-source models and private AI programs made by hackers themselves and posted on cybercriminal forums. These models give cybercriminals powerful tools they can use to carry out their plans with as little trouble and detection as possible.
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