The growing focus and availability of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, present new challenges to cybersecurity teams, foreshadowing an era of machine versus machine threats and defenses.
Imagine this scenario: You receive an email from your CEO asking you to send some information. It’s written in her exact tone of voice and exact language she typically uses. She even references her dog in a joke. It’s precise, accurate, and utterly convincing. The catch? It was crafted by generative artificial intelligence, using nothing but some basic information that a cyber-criminal fed to it from social media profiles.
The emergence of ChatGPT has catapulted AI into the mainstream consciousness, and with it, real concerns about its implications for cyber defense. Within weeks of its launch, researchers were able to demonstrate ChatGPT’s ability to write phishing emails, craft malware code, and explain how to embed malware into documents.
Adding further fuel to the flame, ChatGPT isn’t the first chatbot to hit the market, nor the last. Recently, we’ve seen Google and Baidu throw their hats into the ring. So, as the tech giants clamor to create the best generative AI, what will it mean for future cyber defense?