HP: Cyber Criminals Leaning on AI Hacking Techniques to Target Users

Olawale Ajimotokan

The HP Research has warned that attackers now employ AI vibe- hacking techniques in infection scripts to trick targets into executing malware.

The latest threat, contained in the insight report issued by the research team, said attackers leaned on AI for speed, modularity and automation and were also assembling campaigns using modular malware components that enable rapidly built, adapted, and customized attacks.

It warned that many of these AI-assisted attacks are also slipping past enterprise defences.  The report provided an analysis of real-world cyberattacks, helping organisations keep up with the latest techniques used by cybercriminals to evade detection and breach PCs in the fast-changing cybercrime landscape.

The reserchers, led by the Principal Threat Research, HP Security Lab, Alex Holland, noted that cyber criminals use AI to generate ready-made infection scripts – known as vibe-hacking – to automate malware delivery.

It observed that in one campaign, a link within a fake invoice PDF triggered a silent download from a compromised site before redirecting victims to trusted platforms, like Booking.com.

The Global Head of Security for Personal Systems at HP Inc., Dr. Ian Pratt, remarked: “AI-assisted attacks are shining a spotlight on the limitations of detection-led security. When attackers can generate and repackage malware in minutes, detection-based defences can’t keep up. Instead of trying to spot every variant, organizations need to reduce exposure. By containing high-risk activities – like opening untrusted attachments or clicking unknown links – within an isolated environment, businesses can stop threats before they cause damage and remove an entire class of risk.”