HAL on the offensive
Iran, North Korea, Red China and Russia are not countries we think of as positive contributors to global civility.
One the things they have in common: They’re all countries run by dictators or authoritarians. Another thing they have in common: the apparent misuse of artificial intelligence.
This information comes from Microsoft, which says it’s detected and disrupted threats that used or attempted to exploit AI technology. Whereas Microsoft developed the technology as a tool, these bad actors are attempting to use it as a weapon to potentially breach networks and influence events to their liking.
Newsflash: It will probably get worse.
Microsoft’s report noted that generative AI is expected to enhance malicious social engineering, leading to more sophisticated deepfakes and voice cloning in order to magnify disinformation in a year where more than 50 countries will conduct elections, according to the Associated Press.
North Korea has used AI to research foreign think tanks and generate content likely to be used in spear-phishing campaigns. Iran has used it in social engineering and even studied how intruders might evade detection, including “attempting to lure prominent feminists to an attacker-built website on feminism.”
Russia has researched satellite and radar technologies that may relate to their war of aggression in Ukraine. And mainland China has targeted U.S. defense contractors.
It’s all very scary and we can count all 50 of our lucky stars that Microsoft was birthed in the United States, rather than one of the countries mentioned. If not, we may not have been warned about any of this, although it doesn’t surprise us that these actors are involved.
It’s not the first time, and won’t be the last, that one of these rogue countries commits an act the rest of the world considers to be outside the boundaries. And no doubt, these types of activities have occurred in the past without AI. However, with AI, the information and resulting use of the information gathered comes at breakneck speed.
Again, it will probably get worse. Be ever vigilant.