North Korea has got its hands on AI - and is testing its ability to commit cyberwarfare

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Dangerous new precedents are being set as North Korea combines AI and hacking

North Korean flag made of binary code
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North Korea has somehow managed to not only get its hands on AI, but also be the first nation to be publicly confirmed by the US to be using AI in cyber warfare, new reports have claimed.

North Korea is well known for its cyber attacks, but this latest innovation in its methods of conducting warfare over the internet is a new level of concern for both nations and businesses across the globe.

The hermit kingdom has demonstrated its fondness for devastating hacks on multiple occasions, with the 2017 WannaCry and 2014 Sony hack topping its repertoire.

A dangerous development

This latest development was confirmed in a statement given by Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security advisor, in a press briefing on Wednesday. “We have observed North Korean and other nation-state and criminal actors try to use AI models to accelerate the creation of malicious software and identify systems to exploit.”

As many of us have seen, AI such as ChatGPT or other AI Writer software can be used to drastically increase the speed of mundane processes, but this combination of AI and cyber attacks could be used to create new exploit code at an alarming rate.

There are also fears that North Korea could employ machine learning to train and develop its cyber intelligence, allowing the regime to increase not only the volume of its attack but also the quality. 

With sanctions from around the world, North Korea has had to turn to other methods of generating much needed income, and cyber attacks have become a highly lucrative means of generating cash.

Luckily for the rest of the world, AI is also being used as a defensive tool to protect against cyber attacks. Nueberger stated that competitions such as the DARPA AI Cyber Challenge are being used “to incentivize and jumpstart defensive hackers using AI to build cybersecurity defenses.”

Via VentureBeat

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Benedict Collins
Benedict Collins
Senior Writer, Security

Benedict has been writing about security issues for over 7 years, first focusing on geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division), then continuing his studies at a postgraduate level, achieving a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, Benedict transitioned his focus towards cybersecurity, exploring state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.