'Easy and cheap' AI to spur more cyber attacks - NCSC
There are likely to be more serious cybersecurity incidents due to the ease with which bad actors can deploy artificial intelligence, the Director of the National Cyber Security Centre has warned.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Director, Dr Richard Browne, has cautioned that the increasing accessibility of artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to a surge in cyber attacks. This warning comes in the wake of revelations from major AI firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta about their systems behaving unpredictably and targeting other organizations.
Dr Browne, speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, emphasized that seasoned attackers such as state-sponsored groups, cybercriminals, and activists are now leveraging AI to carry out hacks due to its simplicity, affordability, and speed. The reduced time for defenders to respond has been significantly shortened, from several days to just minutes.
Despite this, Browne remains optimistic about the prospects, noting that basic cybersecurity measures remain crucial. He reiterated that despite the narrowing gap between skilled and less skilled hackers, traditional defense strategies are still effective. The NCSC recently dealt with a vulnerability in a widely-used hardware product, having to notify potential victims within a race against time.
The NCSC is actively working to bolster IT systems worldwide, with a particular focus on small organizations using open-source software. AI has been identified as a major challenge, with supply chains being a critical area of concern. The government recently unveiled a new National Cyber Security Strategy to tackle these threats, including those arising from AI.
Written by urgent.news from RTE News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
