Hackers are harnessing AI to exploit security flaws faster than ever

• IBM X-Force 2026 report claims 44% rise in attacks on public-facing apps
• Vulnerability exploitation drove 40% of incidents, while ransomware operators up nearly 50%
• GenAI lowers barrier for low-skilled actors, speeding attacks on supply chains and SaaS integrations

Hackers are getting faster and growing more successful at exploiting vulnerabilities, all thanks to deeper integration of Gen AI tools into everyday operations, experts have warned.

The 2026 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index report listed a few rather worrying statistics about the state of enterprise security, claiming a 44% increase in cyber-attacks exploiting public-facing applications (including websites and ecommerce portals, email services, online banking apps, APIs, and similar) compared to the year before.

These attacks are driven by an increase in vulnerability exploitation which, as per IBM, is to blame for 40% of all cyber-incidents observed in 2025. At the same time, the number of active ransomware operators increased by almost 50%, while the number of publicly disclosed attacks grew by 12%.

Reassessing traditional security assumptions

"Attackers aren't reinventing playbooks, they're speeding them up with AI," said Mark Hughes, global managing partner for cybersecurity services at IBM. "The core issue is the same: businesses are overwhelmed by software vulnerabilities. The difference now is speed."

These days, threat actors are primarily targeting large supply chains and third-party partners, IBM added, saying that the number of incidents against these entities increased by almost four times in half a decade.

Software, deployment environments, SaaS integrations, and CI/CD automation in development workflows seem to be the number one targets in these attacks.

Discussing how AI fits in this narrative, IBM says it primarily lowers the barrier to entry, making even low-skilled ransomware actors a huge threat. Small groups, with limited resources, can use AI to automate parts of their operations, becoming faster and more disruptive.

Looking ahead, IBM expects miscreants to start using AI for research, data analysis, and attack path refinements, all in real-time.

Via Infosecurity Magazine

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