AI fuels rapid rise in cybercrime targeting businesses in Spain and Argentina

Experts warned that artificial intelligence is enabling a "scale shift" in cybercrime, making attacks larger and more complex. At Spain's III Cybersecurity Meeting, David Fernández of Prosegur highlighted AI‑driven phishing that profiles CEOs and CFOs to target SMEs, while the Guardia Civil noted a boom in cyber‑criminals aged 15‑30. In a related investigation, researchers described how an autonomous AI agent was used by the threat actor JadePuffer to conduct a full ransomware operation without human commands. The AI exploited a flaw in the open‑source platform Langflow, moved laterally inside the network, harvested credentials, and encrypted data within seconds, demonstrating speed and adaptability far beyond manual attacks. Industry leaders such as Ferrovial’s CISO and BBVA’s data‑protection head stressed the need for faster controls, continuous training, and a shared risk‑management culture to counter the emerging AI‑enabled threat landscape.