Israeli experts are warning that AI is exponentially increasing cyber threats
AI systems now allow attackers to identify and exploit vulnerabilities far faster than human defenders can respond
A coalition of over 150 cybersecurity firms has warned that artificial intelligence is accelerating the speed and scale of cyberattacks, urging governments and businesses to bolster their defenses. Among the signatories are leading industry names such as Anthropic, OpenAI, KPMG, Visa, Oracle, Microsoft, and Palo Alto. They emphasized the need for organizations to "raise the security bar" and for governments to provide and coordinate defensive cyber technology at local, national, and international levels.
According to the coalition, AI enables attackers to identify and exploit vulnerabilities at a pace far beyond what human defenders can respond to. KPMG's head of cybersecurity in Israel, Omer Or, stated that traditional security models may no longer suffice in this rapidly evolving landscape, as AI is boosting offensive capabilities for all levels of threat actors, from individual hackers to state-sponsored entities.
Or highlighted the significant increase in the creation of zero-day vulnerabilities, which were previously exclusive to well-resourced state actors. With AI, these vulnerabilities are produced up to 100 times faster than humanly possible. This rapid advancement allows attackers to find and exploit weaknesses in legacy systems and operational technology that were previously overlooked.
While Litmanovich from Aryon Security acknowledged that AI may lead to new attack types, he emphasized that AI primarily accelerates the discovery and exploitation of existing weaknesses, such as misconfigurations, excessive permissions, and weak authentication. These longstanding issues have been exacerbated by AI's ability to scan, analyze, adapt, and exploit vulnerabilities at an alarming speed.
To defend against these threats, organizations must integrate AI into their internal security operations, swiftly identifying anomalies and implementing rapid incident response measures. Litmanovich stressed that defenders must become more proactive and preventative to keep pace with AI-driven threats, as they cannot hope to match the machines in this domain.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
