How AI Is Changing Cybercrime

26 Nov How AI Is Changing Cybercrime

Posted at 12:00h in Cybersecurity, TCT News by TCT

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a tool for innovation – it’s now a weapon in the hands of cybercriminals. In 2026, AI-driven attacks will become faster, smarter, and more scalable than ever before, creating a new era of cyber threats that challenge traditional security measures.

The AI Revolution in Cybercrime

AI has fundamentally reshaped the economics of cybercrime. What once required skilled hackers and weeks of manual effort can now be executed in hours—or even minutes—by automated systems. Here’s how AI is changing the game:

1. AI-Powered Phishing and Social Engineering

Phishing emails used to be easy to spot—poor grammar, generic greetings, and suspicious links. Not anymore. AI now crafts hyper-personalised phishing campaigns that mimic corporate communication styles and even replicate entire email threads. Attackers scrape social media and company data to create messages that feel authentic, increasing click-through rates dramatically.
Deepfake technology adds another layer of deception, enabling voice and video impersonations of executives during live calls to authorise fraudulent transactions. In one real-world case, a finance worker was tricked into transferring $25 million after attending a video conference populated entirely by AI-generated deepfakes of senior executives.

2. Adaptive, Self-Evolving Malware

Traditional malware relies on static code, making it easier to detect. AI-powered malware, however, learns and adapts in real time. It analyses security measures, rewrites its own code, and changes behaviour to evade detection. Google reported malware strains like PROMPTFLUX and PROMPTSTEAL that use large language models to autonomously generate new malicious scripts every time they run. This means signature-based antivirus tools are becoming obsolete. Attackers can now deploy polymorphic malware and fileless attacks that slip past traditional defences as if they weren’t even there.

3. Deepfake-Enabled Cyberattacks

Deepfakes have moved beyond social media pranks—they’re now a serious cybersecurity threat. Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated audio and video can impersonate CEOs, government officials, or trusted partners with alarming accuracy. In 2025, 85% of organisations reported at least one deepfake-enabled incident, with average losses exceeding $280,000 per attack. These attacks bypass voice authentication systems and exploit trust at scale, making them one of the fastest-growing cybercrime tactics.

4. Autonomous AI Agents

The rise of agentic AI—autonomous systems capable of planning and executing complex tasks—has lowered the barrier to entry for cybercrime. Anthropic’s recent report revealed that attackers used AI agents to automate up to 90% of a cyber espionage campaign, performing reconnaissance, exploitation, and data exfiltration with minimal human oversight.
This shift means even low-skilled criminals can launch sophisticated attacks, dramatically increasing the volume and impact of cybercrime worldwide.

Why This Matters for Businesses and Individuals

The consequences of AI-driven cybercrime are severe:

Financial Losses: Global cybercrime costs are projected to hit $24 trillion by 2027.
Data Breaches: AI accelerates zero-day exploitation, making patching cycles dangerously slow.
Reputational Damage: Deepfake scams and synthetic identity fraud erode trust in digital communications.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has supercharged cybercrime, turning traditional threats into highly adaptive, scalable attacks. But the same technology can empower defenders—if organisations act now. Building resilience means combining AI-driven security tools, human expertise, and robust governance frameworks to stay ahead in this arms race.

Talk to a TCT team member today about implementing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy plan for your business.

Robert Brown
26/11/2025