Criminal use of AI enters new and dangerous phase
Cybercriminals have just added what may be the most dangerous weapon yet to their arsenal of illegal software, a Dark Web version of legitimate artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. Tel Aviv-based network security company, Cato Networks, has uncovered an emerging criminal platform called Nytheon AI that it says is “a fully-fledged illicit AI platform”. While there have been other attempts to offer criminal versions of popular AI models, Nytheon AI is the first truly comprehensive multilingual offering. Threat actors can now use the platform to conduct a variety of attacks including tailored spear-phishing campaigns, deepfake documents, and polymorphic malware capable of constantly mutating its appearance.
A new cybercriminal group, Qilin, is rapidly establishing dominance in the murky world of ransomware by providing not just ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) but a full soup-to-nuts cybercrime service .In addition to the malware, Qilin also provides a full suite of legal guidance for criminals together with operational and storage features. According cybersecurity company, Cybereason, Qilin is positioning itself not just as a ransomware group, but as a full cybercrime service.
Bogus IT workers are defrauding US businesses
The US government has seized over $7.74 million in illegal funds, allegedly siphoned off by illegitimate North Korean Information Technology (IT) workers for the benefit of the North Korean government. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a civil forfeiture complaint alleging that the IT workers secured employment in the US illegally, racking up millions of dollars in cryptocurrency and bypassing US sanctions placed against North Korea. According to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the use of North Korean IT workers to defraud the US is now taking place on a massive scale.
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AI increasingly used to deliver malware
Many organizations’ ongoing enthusiasm for incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) is leaving them open to sophisticated and carefully planned cyber-attacks. Cybersecurity company Mandiant, a Google subsidiary, has issued an urgent warning for companies to be wary of downloading AI tools from unvetted websites.
US healthcare crisis looms
The US healthcare sector is now reeling from a seemingly never-ending series of cyberattacks. The problem is becoming so dire that there is growing concern that it may even spark a genuine healthcare crisis. The recent ransomware attack on Kettering Health, for example, which operates 14 hospitals and over 120 medical facilities in Ohio, is merely the latest volley in a remorseless wave of cyberattacks on the cash-rich sector.
AI system blackmails its creator
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is learning to think like a human. But the critical question now being asked in IT circles is: “What kind of human?” Claude, Opus 4, a groundbreaking new AI system released by AI developers Anthropic on Tuesday, is attempting to blackmail its creator by exposing an alleged extramarital affair. This follows on from other AI systems programmed to interact with humans effectively, lying by making up fake information, a phenomenon known by developers as “hallucinating”.