Published on 07/07/2025 & updated on 06/04/2026.
With its transformative potential, AI promises to revolutionise several key sectors, but this raises the question: just how is AI affecting cyber security?
Essentially, AI is reshaping both the tools used to defend against cyber attacks and the techniques used to carry them out.
In a recent article by Forbes, AI‑driven cyber threats are forcing businesses to rethink their defences. A Forbes Technology Council report notes that AI‑generated phishing, deepfake impersonations and adaptive malware are becoming significantly more advanced and harder to detect, representing a growing risk to businesses’ security posture.
This highlights the dangers of AI malfunctions and their malicious use, which are creating new routes for data breaches and improved malware and delivery methods in the field of cyber security.
As the pace of AI development accelerates, it’s crucial to strike a balance between harnessing its potential and safeguarding against the risks it introduces.
In this article, we will explore how AI is shaping the cyber security landscape, and what your business can do to both stay ahead and strengthen its defence against the risks of AI.
How Can AI Improve Cyber Security Operations?
The conversation around AI in cyber security often focuses on the threats it introduces, but it’s equally important to acknowledge the opportunities AI presents for enhancing cyber defence.
Now firmly embedded in modern businesses, generative AI has opened new doors for how security professionals detect, analyse, and respond to cyber threats.
Generative AI refers to systems capable of creating original content, like text, code, or simulations, based on patterns learned from massive datasets. Tools like ChatGPT fall into this category, and they are rapidly being integrated into security workflows.
Rather than replace human expertise, these tools augment it, making complex tasks more manageable across an organisation.
Security teams often face overwhelming volumes of alerts and incident logs. Generative AI can summarise these into concise, actionable reports, improving analysis speed and communication with stakeholders who may not have a technical background. It can also answer natural language questions about threats and incidents, reducing friction in day-to-day operations.
Another emerging use is in cyber training and simulation. Generative AI can build highly realistic, dynamic scenarios that prepare teams to handle evolving attack techniques. It can also assist in investigating incidents, mapping out the attack chain in real time, and even suggesting mitigation steps in plain language.
Generative AI comes with its risks, with third-party exposure, malicious use, and increased attack volume being key concerns. It requires careful monitoring and the implementation of robust governance frameworks to minimise vulnerabilities.
However, despite these limitations, generative AI marks a significant step forward in cyber security, helping organisations with their modern security needs.
Is AI a Threat to Cyber Security?
Yes. As AI becomes more accessible, cyber criminals are harnessing it to increase the speed, scale, and sophistication of their attacks.
Phishing, one of the most common entry points for ransomware, has become far more convincing, thanks to generative AI. Attackers can now craft tailored messages that mimic human tone and include personal details, making them harder to detect and more likely to succeed. There have even been cases where deep-fake vocals of a senior staff member have been generated from their online video content and used in scam voice calls.
What’s concerning is that AI has lowered the barrier to entry. Tasks that once required technical expertise, like writing malicious code or launching phishing scams, can now be automated with publicly available tools. This makes it easier for less experienced threat actors to carry out effective attacks.
Additionally, AI itself is also becoming a target. Attackers are increasingly looking to exploit vulnerabilities in machine learning models, application programming interfaces, and training datasets. This introduces a new frontier of risk, as organisations must now consider how to defend the AI models embedded within their systems, in addition to their current networks and data.
At Net Consulting, we help organisations stay ahead of evolving cyber threats driven by AI. Our expert team can support your business by carrying out a comprehensive Vulnerability and Compliance Assessment to assess weaknesses across your systems. Get in touch today to book a demo or call.
Using AI to Detect and Prevent Zero-Day Exploits
Traditionally, zero-day exploits, which are previously unknown flaws in software, have given attackers the upper hand, catching defenders off guard before patches or mitigations exist. But AI is now flipping the script.
Machine learning models are being trained on data collected from historical cyber attacks and malware samples to mimic real-world behaviours, detecting subtle anomalies that humans might overlook. This proactive defence helps security teams identify suspicious patterns before a zero-day exploit can be weaponised.
Tech giants are also pushing boundaries in this space. Google’s Project Zero has partnered with DeepMind to develop ‘Big Sleep’, an AI system designed to autonomously discover memory safety issues in widely used software.
It recently uncovered a critical vulnerability in SQLite, patched within hours of discovery. This marks one of the first real-world cases of AI catching a zero-day before it was exploited.
This is still an emerging frontier in cyber security, but the potential is clear. AI could shift organisations from reactive to preventative postures, giving defenders a vital edge in the race against cyber threats.
How AI Impacts Cloud Security
As organisations continue their rapid shift to cloud infrastructure, cloud security is facing growing pressure to keep up. With sensitive data now spread across public, private and hybrid clouds, traditional security methods are no longer sufficient. This is where AI is stepping in to transform cloud defence.
AI-powered tools are becoming integral in modern cloud-native security solutions, offering smarter, faster ways to detect threats. Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPPS), built specifically for securing cloud environments, are increasingly integrating AI to stay ahead of cyber threats.
An example is Microsoft’s Defender for Cloud, which integrates AI to monitor AI-powered applications throughout their lifecycle. This includes identifying risks in models and datasets, as well as detecting issues like sensitive data exposure.
These capabilities are particularly relevant as more organisations build and deploy AI applications in the cloud. With AI expanding the potential attack surface, integrating security at every layer of cloud-based AI systems is becoming essential.
How to Use AI to Protect Your Business from Cyber Threats
You can protect your business from cyber threats by using AI to upgrade your security operations.
AI-powered security tools are far more sophisticated than traditional security solutions. As AI has the ability to analyse vast volumes of data in real time, it can continuously monitor networks, endpoints, and cloud environments to detect unusual behaviour and potential cyber threats before they escalate.
This enables your security team to respond faster, prioritise high-risk incidents, and significantly reduce the likelihood of successful attacks.
When you apply AI security tools strategically, AI can significantly improve your business’s cyber resilience, helping your business stay ahead of an ever-evolving cyber threat landscape.
How Net Consulting Can Use AI to Protect Your Business
Of all the risks facing your organisation, cyber risk is perhaps the most pervasive and potentially damaging.
The threat of attack is growing every day as more and more hackers try to steal data and disrupt business.
We offer a wide range of digital security services and can help your business in the first instance by carrying out a Vulnerability and Compliance Assessment.
Our assessment will unearth any security vulnerabilities within your business, determine how effective your current security measures are, and prioritise which new measures are needed.
