AI-powered hacking has become an industrial-scale threat, according to Google

According to a report from Google, AI-powered hacking has gone from an incipient problem to an industrial threat in just three months.

The findings from Google’s Threat Intelligence group add to an intensifying global conversation about how the latest AI models are extremely adept at coding – and are becoming extremely powerful tools for exploiting vulnerabilities in a wide range of software systems.

It finds that criminal groups and state-affiliated actors from China, North Korea and Russia appear to be extensively using commercial models – including Gemini, Claude and tools from OpenAI – to refine and expand attacks.

“There is a misconception that the race to AI vulnerabilities is imminent. The reality is that it has already begun,” said John Hultquist, the group’s chief analyst.

“Threat actors are using AI to increase the speed, scale and sophistication of their attacks, enabling them to test their operations, engage in persistent attacks on targets, develop better malware, and many…