Accountability in the Face of Cyber Threats: Generative AI on the Rise

Cybercriminals empowered with Generative AI can cause catastrophic damage

As technology becomes more and more advanced, malicious actors have found new ways to exploit it. One of these ways is through the use of generative AI, a form of artificial intelligence technology that can generate various types of content based on natural language input or data input. Chatbots of different types are examples of generative AI, and they have become more readily available. However, with the increasing availability of these chatbots comes an increasing risk from cybercriminals empowered with generative AI. These criminals can misuse AI-powered chatbots to create and deploy different types of malware to commit data breaches, incite cyberattacks, and other nefarious activities.

Who should be held accountable?

The question of who should be held responsible for the devastation caused by these cyberattacks remains an open one. Should it be the cybercriminals themselves, the organizations that created these bots, or perhaps even the government that is failing to regulate and hold them accountable? The answer to this question is not straightforward, and thus, there is a need for transparent and accountable regulations that hold producers of chatbots and consumers responsible.

Chatbots and Security Measures

With chatbots being the vehicle for the cybercriminals’ activities, it stands to reason that there should be effective security measures in place for these chatbots. However, chatbots have several onboard security mechanisms and content filters meant to ensure that their outputs are within ethical boundaries and do not produce harmful or malicious content. But how effective are these defensive measures, and how does it align with cyber defense?

Recent reports show that hackers are already using AI-powered chatbots to create and execute more sophisticated cyberattacks. These bots can be “tricked” into writing malicious code and spam messages, committing data breaches and other deviant activities. So how do these hackers achieve this and bypass chatbot security filters?

Bypassing Chatbot Security Filters

In an attempt to improve the technology, researchers have explored different methods to harness the malicious content-generation capabilities of chatbots. These manipulators are finding that there are ways to by-pass security filters, including jailbreaking the chatbot, role-play, reverse psychology, and the use of emojis. These and other techniques used to bypass ethical and community guidelines are just the beginning, as there are countless methods chatbots could be utilized in nefarious ways.

The Regulation of Chatbots

Given the potential danger posed by generative AI technologies available today, chatbots, in particular, governments around the world must take regulatory action to prevent unimaginable damage from occurring. It is essential to establish a transparent and accountable structure for the regulation of chatbots for both producers and consumers of such technologies. This action should aim to protect citizens, businesses, and critical infrastructures from the devastating consequences that cyberattacks cause.

Advice

While we await regulatory measures, individuals, businesses, and other organizations who use chatbots are advised to apply caution when interacting with AI-powered chatbots. They should also prioritize security measures – these measures should protect computer networks from cyberattacks. It’s pertinent to exercise caution and prioritize data security with backups and data protection in place in case of any unforeseen cyberattacks.