Malware created by Artificial Intelligence? A New Threat?

We have all heard of malware, malicious software intentionally created to steal data, damage hardware, encrypt files and disrupt services. It comes in many forms, such as viruses, spyware, ransomware, adware, or Trojans.

But now, a new form of malware may be emerging, created by artificial intelligence (AI). This AI-created malware may inherently have several advantages over human-created malware.

AI-Generated malware will be more adaptive as it can learn from its environment or more evasive as it can change its behavior accordingly. It may be able to generate new variants or combinations of existing malware to make it more unpredictable and diverse. It may be more scalable and efficient as it may be able to automate the creation and distribution of malware.

This is not a rhetorical question anymore. Researchers at Hyas have created a polymorphic keylogging malware as proof of concept that likely could not be detected by any conventional means.

"The BlackMamba proof-of-concept shows that LLMs can be exploited to synthesize polymorphic keylogger functionality on-the-fly, making it difficult for EDR to intervene. This PoC exploits a large language model to synthesize polymorphic keylogger functionality on-the-fly, dynamically modifying the benign code at runtime without any command-and-control infrastructure to deliver or verify the malicious keylogger functionality. This technique runs unimpeded by EDR intervention."

As this new AI-created malware may challenge existing methods for malware detection, this could be a serious threat to cyber security. Hence, it the importance to be aware of the dangers and take preventative measures to protect yourself from such attacks.

What can you do?

1) Avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments. Seriously. Stop.
2) Make sure you have good backups of your data. We use iDrive for off-site data but have an extensive library of backup programs you can choose from.
2) Update your devices and software regularly to fix vulnerabilities.
3) Use reputable and current antivirus software and scan our devices frequently.
4) Be careful what you share online and whom you interact with.
5) Educate yourself on the latest trends and developments in AI and cyber security.

AI-created malware may be a reality that we cannot ignore, but we can take action to reduce our visibility and protect our data. Be informed and vigilant to minimize the chances of falling victim to such attacks.

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