What happened
A recent cyber attack has resulted in the theft of over 600,000 credit cards from online businesses in Europe, the Middle East, and the US. The attack, which was carried out using cheap Chinese AI models and simple prompts, targeted multiple companies, including a Fortune 500 hospitality company and a major US airline.
The hackers used three open-source AI tools, including an autonomous AI agent and a penetration testing engine, to scan and attack the targeted sites. The total cost of the operation is estimated to be between $12,000 and $18,000, with each scan costing around $25.
The attack was highly automated, with the hackers entering simple prompts into the AI systems to target tens of companies per day. The attacks occurred between September 10 and 15, but similar activity was detected as early as July and is still ongoing.
The incident highlights the growing concern about the use of AI by ill-intentioned actors to carry out attacks that would be costly and difficult to execute without AI. Microsoft founder Bill Gates recently warned about this risk, stating that the combination of people with bad intentions and the latest AI tools is a powerful and dangerous combination.
