Why you should always assume you will be hacked according to security expert
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has caused an almost unexpected threat to cybersecurity systems across the web, indicating that going forward being hacked is an inevitability and an eventuality, not a possibility that only the unaware fall prey to.
There has been an ongoing cat and mouse game between hackers and cybersecurity experts ever since the internet came to be, but the introduction of new AI tools have completely swung that balance in favor of the criminals.
Tools like the recently release (and recently banned) Claude Mythos and Fable from Anthropic boast impressive cybersecurity potential, being able to identify an unprecedented number of exploits and vulnerabilities, but equally AI can be (and is being) used by hackers to achieve the opposite effect.
Hacking is merely a form of software development after all, and there's no better tool to write code to exploit vulnerabilities than the same one that identifies them and patches them over in the first place.
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Cybersecurity experts are suddenly becoming increasingly aware and fearful of the present and future of AI, as it seems almost inevitable that cyberattacks will increase in frequency and scale, to the point where figures as influential as ChatGPT boss Sam Altman are warning about 'world shaking' versions set to arrive this year.
As reported by The Atlantic, it's almost safe to assume based on the currently available technology and how it's evolving that you will get hacked at some point in the future, and there's a good chance that there's nothing you can do about it either.
Palo Alto Networks, a cybersecurity firm with tens of thousands of clients, has outlines an increase of four times in daily cybersecurity attacks between 2024 and 2025, and that number will only continue to increase as the technology behind it becomes more sophisticated and capable.
Some companies are on the receiving end of hacking attempts every single day, and there's a good chance that your personal information and money could be at risk as a result of this.
Your bank, for example, could become compromised directly through the company's IT systems, but hackers could also equally find your banking details through another breach, leaving you hopeless without having actually done anything wrong.
This can also extend to geopolitical power, with AI being used to launch cyberattacks against foreign governments and potentially even breach into highly secretive systems.
It's why so many of the leading figures within the tech world have called for immediate action to be taken by global powers, but it almost feels like a losing battle at this point that will become increasingly more difficult to catch up to.