The article I chose to review is a study published in the International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime. It explores artificial intelligence as a revolutionary tool, and a growing cybercrime threat. Cybercriminals are misusing and exploiting the new technology to generate new malware, phishing campaigns, and conducting various dark-web activities.
The study and concepts presented touch on a few things we have covered in our lectures, specifically some of the social science principles. We see the principle of empiricism by collecting data from hacking forums and expert interviews. It is often difficult to conduct studies in cybersecurity, because data cannot be collected until after an event has happened. Collecting data from the sources the article uses ensures that their findings are based on observed behaviors.
The study explores a few different questions and hypotheses: How is malicious AI generated content distributed on the web/dark web? Does the media/social media play a role in the distribution of the maliciously generated content? How can cybersecurity professionals improve to prevent AI based threats? The study’s purpose is to understand how AI-generated security threats spread, how the technology is being misused, and how to address these issues.
With AI technology developing so quickly, and becoming very convincing, it can be used to target the elderly, who may not understand the technology, or digitally illiterate groups. Victims in these digitally marginalized groups can easily fall prey to generated misinformation and Deepfake scams. The study addresses these groups and highlights them as being at a heightened risk of being targeted. It addresses the issue of these groups lacking quality access to cybersecurity education and resources.
To summarize, from a societal perspective, the study contributes an awareness to the growing issue at hand with artificial intelligence, and its role in cybercrime. It is a growing threat and becoming increasingly easier and accessible to generate malicious content. The study calls for regulation and cybersecurity awareness, naming them as essential countermeasures, as well as imploring future research to explore long-term solutions for artificial intelligence based cyber-threats.
Citation:
Shetty, S. , Choi, K. & Park, I. (2024). Investigating the Intersection of AI and Cybercrime: Risks, Trends, and Countermeasures . International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime, 7(2), – . DOI: https://doi.org/10.52306/2578-3289.1187
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/ijcic/vol7/iss2/3