According to the latest threat report from HP, hackers are employing AI-generated code to deliberately compromise devices with malicious software. This sophisticated tactic allows them to bypass traditional cyber defenses and infiltrate systems with damaging malware, posing a significant risk to individuals and organizations alike.
By leveraging AI technology, these cybercriminals increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their attacks while simultaneously making it harder for security measures to detect and block their activities.
This malware contained code that was written in VBScript
Using today’s generative AI models to produce hundreds of lines of code in a couple of minutes is one of its most promising application cases. However, new research released on Tuesday, September 24, claims that hackers are abusing these tools to create dangerous programs.
French speakers were the focus of a malicious campaign organized by hackers, according to security researchers at HP. The campaign’s malicious actors used AsyncRAT malware to infect victims’ devices in an attempt to view and record their displays and keystrokes.
The research states that this malware included code that was created using generative AI techniques and written in the programming languages JavaScript and VBScript.
The report read “Each line of code, and the choice of native language function names and variables are strong indications that the threat actor used GenAI to create the malware,”
Hackers are also smuggling malware through vector images in SVG format
The HP threat security team’s work is noteworthy because it demonstrates that hackers are advancing beyond the use of generative AI to trick victims into falling for phishing scams.
HP wolf security said “The activity shows how GenAI is lowering the bar for cybercriminals to infect endpoints,”
The research also notes a rise in ChromeLoader attacks, which use deceptive advertising centered around popular search terms to steer victims toward attractive websites that provide tools for converting PDFs.
Malware is also being smuggled by hackers using SVG vector images. According to the report, dangerous code encoded in SVG pictures is run when the image is viewed because they open automatically in browsers.
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