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Cybersecurity Experts Sound Alarm Over AI-Driven Cybercrime
Cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about a new form of AI-driven cybercrime called "vibe hacking," where criminals use artificial intelligence to automate and scale digital attacks. Initially, "vibe coding" was used to enhance productivity with AI, but it has now evolved into a tool for cyber extortion and data theft.
AI Tools Powering New Cyber Threats
Recently, AI developer Anthropic revealed that its coding model, Claude Code, was exploited by hackers to steal data from 17 organizations, with each victim asked to pay nearly $500,000. Dark web marketplaces are reportedly selling specialized AI tools for as little as $100. These "Evil LLMs," including FraudGPT and WormGPT, are designed for cybercrime and can bypass standard safety systems to extract sensitive data or create malicious code. A new AI agent, PromptLock, can even decide which files to copy, encrypt, or access, further escalating the risk of data breaches.
AI Lowers Barriers for Cybercriminals
"Generative AI has lowered the barrier of entry for cybercriminals," said Huzefa Motiwala, senior director at Palo Alto Networks. "We’ve seen how easily attackers can use mainstream AI services to generate convincing phishing emails, write malicious code, or obfuscate malware." Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 demonstrated that AI could execute a ransomware attack in just 25 minutes—around 100 times faster than conventional methods. The group’s research also found that prompt attacks succeed against commercial AI models 88% of the time.
Experts Call it a Turning Point in Cybercrime
"AI has become a cybercrime enabler, and the Claude Code incident marks a turning point," said Sundareshwar Krishnamurthy, partner at PwC India. He added that "cybercriminals are actively misusing off-the-shelf AI tools, essentially chatbots modeled on generative AI systems but stripped of safety guardrails and sold on dark web forums." Authorities in Gujarat have also warned that AI kits are now being sold on encrypted messaging apps, making these tools more accessible to small-time hackers.
‘Vibe Hacking’ Marks a Dangerous Shift
Srinivas L, Joint MD and Joint CEO of 63SATS Cybertech, said, "Vibe hacking represents a dangerous inflection point in the evolution of cybercrime. Unlike traditional hacking, which relied on technical expertise and manual execution, vibe hacking leverages AI to industrialize harmful activity. What makes it especially alarming is its scalability and accessibility; an individual with minimal skills can now orchestrate highly sophisticated campaigns by exploiting large language models and agentic AI tools."
From Phishing to Deepfakes
"These tools automate everything from crafting highly convincing phishing emails to writing polymorphic malware and orchestrating social-engineering campaigns at scale," said Tarun Wig, CEO of Innefu Labs. "Attackers can generate deepfake audio or video, customize ransomware, and even fine-tune exploits against specific targets." Vrajesh Bhavsar, CEO of Operant AI, cautioned against open-source Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers that could expose sensitive data.
The Need for Stronger Safeguards
Experts believe AI developers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google must take stronger measures to prevent such misuse. "They must implement stronger safeguards, continuous monitoring, and rigorous red teaming," said Wig. "Much like pharmaceuticals undergo safety trials, AI models need structured safety assessments before wide release." The rise of ‘vibe scamming’ further underscores the threat, with AI-generated phishing emails, fake websites, and social engineering campaigns becoming increasingly convincing and relentless.
Publication Details
- Published On: Oct 30, 2025, at 06:10 AM IST
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