AI rise will lead to increase in cyberattacks, GCHQ warns
LONDON: The rapid development of novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools will lead to an increase in cyberattacks and lower the barrier of entry for less sophisticated hackers to do digital harm, Britain’s GCHQ spy agency warned on Wednesday. That lower entry barrier will also likely contribute to the global rise in ransomware attacks, whereby criminals encrypt computer systems for a digital ransom, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of GCHQ, said in a report. “AI will almost certainly increase the volume and heighten the impact of cyberattacks over the next two years. However, the impact on the cyber threat will be uneven,” the report said. It suggested the biggest increase in capability for malicious actors in cyber space would go to opportunistic hackers who do not necessarily possess the skills needed to carry out higher-level attacks . At the very least, the report said, the use of generative AI tools like chatbots can help create mo...