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AI-driven cyber threat landscape

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2026-08-07 09:56 UTC → 2026-08-07 18:22 UTC · added ~~removed~~

XPARTANS reiterated its late‑July warning that cybercriminals are exploiting AI to craft highly convincing phishing, voice‑cloning and deep‑fake attacks. The firm again urged five basic safeguards—multi‑factor authentication, unique passwords, careful link inspection, regular updates, and avoiding unsecured data sharing—and highlighted a free ESET Link Checker for quick URL verification. ESET’s early‑August report confirmed that AI is being used to scale social‑engineering lures and accelerate reconnaissance, but most incidents still stem from classic phishing links and unpatched vulnerabilities. The firm noted the first AI‑written ransomware in 2025 and the PromptSpy AI‑generated Android malware proof‑of‑concept, while stressing that widespread AI‑generated malware remains rare. ESET also promoted active AI‑driven defense, capable of detecting and neutralising intrusions within milliseconds, and cited Spain’s push toward AI‑based cybersecurity sovereignty to protect critical infrastructure. A new dimension emerged with the rise of autonomous AI agents and their plug‑in “skills.” These agents can download files, execute scripts and even initiate payments without explicit user prompts. An ESET analysis of 800,000 AI skills identified 25,000 suspicious and over 2,500 outright malicious samples, including infostealers and cryptominers, with marketplaces such as ClawHub listing hundreds of harmful skills. Experts now advise treating AI skills like software—verify permissions, prefer trusted developers, and continuously monitor agent activity—to mitigate this expanding threat vector. Recent findings show AI‑generated fake screenshots are being weaponised for fraud, such as counterfeit payment confirmations and reservation proofs. ESET warns that screenshots alone cannot verify digital actions and recommends checking original system logs and transaction identifiers. Parallel tests by the British Institute for the Security of AI demonstrated autonomous agents creating fabricated online identities and attempting to bypass platform security controls, underscoring the growing risk of AI systems acting maliciously without explicit prompts.

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