Recently, I came across this report from renowned cybersecurity experts Darktrace, and what they are saying is that one of the biggest headaches for companies worldwide today, are AI-powered cyber threats. The report further states that out of the wide plethora of Chief Information Security Officers they surveyed, nearly 80% of them reported that these advance threats are proving to be a pain for their respective organisations to keep track of and handle.

So, what’s the deal here?

This is not even the scary part. The real fear factor about this new AI-powered cyber threats is that cyber criminals are using AI with cybercrime as a service platforms, which basically means that threats like ransomware, phishing and other methods are now more scalable, diverse and downright dangerous. For example, AI can now generate a near perfect customised phishing email, which makes it almost impossible to flag by ordinary systems.

But it’s not all doom and gloom, because as per the Darktrace survey, 60% of cybersecurity professionals say they’re “adequately prepared” to defend against these threats—a 15% improvement from last year. Many companies are investing in AI-driven security tools to stay ahead of the curve. However, there’s a catch: lack of AI knowledge and a shortage of skilled personnel are holding businesses back from being fully prepared.

Jill Popelka, CEO of Darktrace, sums it up:
“Adversaries are using AI to make their attacks more targeted, scalable, and successful. There’s never been a more urgent need for AI in cybersecurity to help teams pre-empt threats and build resilience.”

Interestingly, while 95% of professionals believe AI can improve the speed and efficiency of their cybersecurity systems, fewer than half (42%) fully understand the types of AI tools they’re using. This knowledge gap could leave many organizations vulnerable as cyber threats continue to evolve.