International intelligence group warns AI is fueling rise in cyberattacks on small businesses, local governments

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - An international coalition of intelligence agencies is warning small businesses and local governments to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses as artificial intelligence makes it easier for criminals to launch sophisticated attacks.

The group known as Five Eyes issued a joint statement saying AI models capable of launching major cyberattacks that could overwhelm the defenses of governments and businesses are months -- not years -- away. Cybersecurity experts say small organizations, such as town councils and school districts, should beef up their security now.

“AI has democratized cybercrime, and you no longer need to be a technical expert to launch a sophisticated attack,” said Howard Globus, a cybersecurity evangelist. “What we’re seeing is more attacks coming. We have a lot of concern and it’s correctly placed.”

Globus said smaller entities remain attractive targets despite their size.

“Even though the individuals or organizations may be smaller, they’re still a treasure trove of information which is valuable,” he said. “The reason why these folks are the most vulnerable is they don’t have dedicated cyber security staff and they’re running on limited budgets and so the attackers know this.”

Experts recommend organizations take the following steps:

Globus noted that AI has made phishing emails harder to detect.

“It used to be a phishing email would come out and the grammar was very poor, and the formatting was bad,” he said. “With AI, almost everyone can write a great email.”

For everyday people whose personal information could be exposed in an attack, experts outlined several protective measures:

“As long as we take some basic steps to protect ourselves, we wind up creating a situation where we’re more likely to be an impediment, and an attacker will move on to the next person down the line,” Globus said.

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