Autonomous AI attacks pose 'clear and present danger' to critical infrastructure
In early July, attackers used open source AI agents to autonomously hack government systems and energy companies, signaling to defenders that AI-powered attacks against critical infrastructure are no longer theoretical.
"There is a clear and present danger," Tom Kellermann, TrendAI VP of AI security and threat research, told The Register.
"As the geopolitical tension boils, systemic destructive cyberattacks launched by autonomous AI will occur," he said. "Weaponized AI will disable the safety systems of critical infrastructure, thus leading to kinetic disasters. Just like we see autonomous strike vehicles operating on the battlefield in Ukraine, we should expect autonomous weaponized AI."
In fact, the prospect of attackers using AI against critical infrastructure was the top concern of every national security adviser, law enforcement official, and private-sector threat analyst The Reg spoke with at last week's Hacker Summer Camp conferences.
"It's the targeting of critical infrastructure for us," Brett Leatherman, assistant...
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