AI Can Write Malware Now. Are We Doomed? [CPRadio]

In the grand scheme of cybersecurity, the design issue in Foxit PDF Reader was really very minor. But it revealed a much larger and more impactful phenomenon that we’ll probably have to deal with for as long as there are computers around: the instinct to click ‘Ok’.

Once every year, Check Point releases an annual report reviewing the biggest events and trends in cybersecurity. In this episode we'll break down the latest iteration, focusing on its most important parts, to catch you up on what you need to know most in 2024.

For years now, Iran’s state-sponsored hackers have been some of the most prolific in the world. But prolific does not necessarily mean sophisticated -- its attacks haven’t quite impressed in the way that the U.S., Russia, and China’s do. But in a campaign recently uncovered by CheckPoint, one Iranian APT unleashed tools and tactics unlike anything we’ve seen from the country before. If before they were at the kids’ table, this latest campaign suggests that they might have just moved up.

Once a year, Check Point Research releases a “mid-year report”: a summary of the first half of the calendar year in cybersecurity, including all of the major changes, trends, and events that defined January through June. Obviously a lot happens in that time, and so the reports end up rather long. Which is why, sometimes, we’ll do one of these episodes to summarize. Not every detail, but the biggest, most important things you should know.

Between corporations, governments, and the rest of us, billions are spent every year trying to secure cyberspace. Which makes it almost unbelievable to think that just one, simple policy change from one company -- with almost no cost to anybody, and no effort involved -- could alter the entire course of cyberspace. And yet, that is exactly what happened a year ago today.

For all the ridiculous spam calls in the world, but a small percentage of them are actually, legitimately, convincing. According to the Korean government, “voice phishing” compromises nearly 200 Korean citizens every day, with average financial losses around 8,500 dollars worth of Korean won.If it’s that successful, surely, the scammers are doing something right. There’s more substance to these attacks than you might think.

In July 2021, several prominent human rights activists in Azerbaijan received the same phishing email that delivered them spyware, capable of causing significant harm to their personal and professional lives. But that was only the beginning of a story in which the domestic surveillance toolbox is fired in the midst of a small-scale cyberwar in the South Caucasus, the site of one of the most contentious political disputes on the planet.

In 2022, government APTs wiped out entire computer systems, hackers turned good software evil, and ransomware evolved into something entirely new. In this episode we'll review the biggest stories, most important trends, and cutting insights from the last year in cybersecurity.

Today's AI can beat humans at Jeopardy, chess, recognizing faces and diagnosing medical conditions. As of last Fall it can write malware, too. In fact, it can write an entire attack chain: phishing emails, macros, reverse shells, you name it. What do we do now?

Earlier this Fall, some users of the OpenSea trading platform posted dire messages to Twitter: all of the NFTs in their wallets were gone. Thousands of dollars worth of investments had suddenly disappeared. Soon it became clear: they were never getting their money back. This wasn’t just a glitch, it was a hack. But how?