Artificial intelligence-driven cyberattacks: The dark world of the web and the strategies Kaspersky reveals to avoid scams

These increasingly common practices require companies that can provide guidance or a protection system for electronic devices. Kaspersky is one such company, specializing in developing computer protection for millions of users. Globally, they are working to detect these threats and seek strategies to prevent the continued rise in cases.

The cyberattack landscape in Latin America has grown by 25% annually from August 2024 to the same month this year. At least 117,000 attacks are recorded daily, and around 43 million have been blocked.

Among the sectors most attacked over the past year are government, education, manufacturing, commerce, healthcare, and finance. Among these illegal practices, phishing is one of the most frequently used cyberattacks in the financial sector.

Attackers contact victims to gather confidential information from their banking partners , request passwords, or report system issues to deceive them. When a call with the victim isn't available, they use emails and text messages with fake links that redirect to fraudulent websites , damaging the device's operating system.

With the implementation of new payment methods, such as Apple Pay or the e-wallets currently available in each country, the number of cyberattacks has increased because information is much more exposed, and a single click is enough to attract criminals.

Following the arrival of AI and its use for automated tasks, users are sharing and revealing confidential company information to reduce the time it takes to complete certain tasks, but this could be detrimental in the long run. The information could be stored in a platform cloud and then shared with other users.

According to Kaspersky experts, the main reason for the excessive increase in these cyberattacks is the use of artificial intelligence to refine and automate massive attacks.

"The new level of phishing attacks in Latin America is alarming and demonstrates a new era of digital crime . Fraudsters are using AI to automate distribution on a scale never seen before," said Fabio Assolini, Director of Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team.

Contrary to the use of AI to attack these systems, Kaspersky has been working for years to incorporate artificial intelligence to identify and promote cybersecurity. Experts in each sector apply these tools to identify the source of systematic damage and investigate patterns of behavior that spread rapidly from one country to another , without revealing company data.

Claudio Martinelli, CEO of Kaspersky, spoke exclusively with EL TIEMPO about these cyberattacks on journalism.

“For ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence, we must ensure privacy. If I have data, I can't subject a public AI to private data . If you get an exclusive or discover a very important figure, posting the information on GPT Chat and asking it to make a news story about it with a creative title will work. But if another colleague asks about that figure or topic, they'll give them their information because it's already in the database. It's not safe.”

With this, he affirmed that training is needed in every sector to properly use AI and thus avoid being fooled by these systems.

These are codes designed to gain unauthorized access to electronic devices. They are a type of virus that spreads through downloads or due to the lack of security software for these systems. The cyberattack can occur via Bluetooth, after downloading applications or files, and even through interconnection with other devices.

It's important for users to protect their cloud data, avoid saving important passwords, and when making an online purchase , verify that the link is correct and doesn't have any foreign domains.

"They're usually shortened links; you can't see the domain or web address you're ultimately going to. The combination of numbers and letters doesn't mean anything. Or it has a misspelled letter that's almost imperceptible," said Leandro Cuozzo, a security analyst, on how to detect these cyberattacks.

On the other hand, avoid accessing fake loan apps, which have no requirements and are unknown in the financial sector. They could sell your data on the black market and receive money in return.

Luisa Fernanda Gutierrez Henao

CYBERSECURITY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ONLINE ATTACKS