FraudGPT and WormGPT—now con-men don't have to be geeks

Rohan Vaidya, Area Vice President, SAARC & India, CyberArk tells us why AI is adding a never-before speed, scale, personalisation while breaking entry-barriers and making jailbreaking easy for criminals.

- By Pratima H

Can you illustrate what has changed with Al's advent in the fraud landscape? Are we witnessing new scale levels, speed and dangers now?

AI-powered tools allow attackers to automate and customise their operations, significantly reducing the time and expertise needed to execute them. For instance, phishing emails can now be generated in seconds, with hyper-personalised content tailored to specific targets, making them far more convincing. Similarly, AI enables the creation of malicious code and deepfake content that is increasingly difficult to detect with traditional security defenses.

Has personalisation been underlined?

The combination of automation and personalisation amplifies the threat, empowering even less experienced attackers to orchestrate large-scale, coordinated attacks that exploit both human and machine identities. This escalation showcases the critical need for proactive cybersecurity measures, particularly around securing identities—both human and machine—which are often the first targets in AI-driven attacks.

Are GenAl and LLMs being abused-specially in creation of scams/fraud and propagating them?

Yes, that is a growing concern that has serious consequences. These technologies have reduced the barriers for cybercriminals, enabling them to produce highly sophisticated phishing emails, deepfake content, and other forms of deception at an unprecedented scale.

Any examples?