As ChatGPT, Google Bard, and other AI tools take the world by storm, hackers and other cybercriminals are also using them to launch cyberattacks.

In a recent conference call with journalists, FBI officials shed new light on how generative AI and open source AI models are being used by hackers to develop new malware, phishing attacks, and other scams aimed at consumers.

Unfortunately, as AI advances, these types of attacks are likely to only get worse, with FBI officials telling journalists, "As AI models are adopted and democratized, we can expect these trends to intensify."

According to PCMag, the FBI did not go so far as to explicitly name the AI models hackers are using in their attacks. However, an official with the agency did reveal that they prefer free, customizable, open-source tools.

If hackers continue to use these types of AI models in their attacks, the companies behind them may have more safeguards in place and require users to register before trying them. However, cybercriminals have also developed their own AI programs that can be accessed for a fee through dark web marketplaces.

By exploiting AI technology, hackers have figured out how to develop new, more powerful malware, along with novel delivery methods, such as using AI-generated websites as phishing pages. At the same time, AI has made it possible to create polymorphic malware that can evade security software.

The FBI is closely watching all the ways hackers utilize AI in their attacks. For example, last month the FBI issued a warning that cybercriminals are using the best AI image generators to create deep-fake AI nudes to use in Sextortion scams.

AI-based cyberattacks will only get worse as artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated. Fortunately, however, many cybersecurity firms are already employing AI to detect and block the latest cyber threats, and so are the defenses against them.

Indeed, Bitdefender, Norton, McAfee, and other antivirus companies are already using AI for both monitoring new threats and analyzing behavior. For this reason, we recommend installing one of the best antivirus software solutions on your PC, the best Mac antivirus software on your Mac, and one of the best Android antivirus apps on your Android smartphone.

While using up-to-date security software on your devices will certainly help protect you from AI-based cyber attacks, you also need to be more vigilant online. That means being extra careful when checking your inbox and social media accounts. Don't click on links contained in messages from unknown senders, and avoid downloading attachments that may be included in these emails. Likewise, beware of carefully crafted emails that attempt to elicit an emotional response. Hackers are trying to worry and scare you so that you are more likely to fall for their scam.

It remains to be seen whether generative AI platforms and open-source AI models will introduce new restrictions that will make it harder for hackers to take advantage, but even so, cybercriminals are already using home-made AI software.