Check Point says AI cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are already happening
Check Point Chief of Staff Gil Messing said that cyberattacks using artificial intelligence against critical infrastructure are already taking place. He said this in an interview with radio station 103FM, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Warnings from technology companies
Messing commented on a joint warning by major technology companies about the possible use of AI by hostile actors to attack critical infrastructure. According to him, more than 100 major companies from around the world, including Check Point, joined the appeal.
The company representative believes that the emergence of powerful artificial intelligence models from OpenAI, Anthropic and other developers has significantly narrowed the gap between major states and smaller actors in their ability to carry out complex cyberattacks. He said that such models enable even people with limited knowledge to create new attacks and vulnerabilities, while also making attacks more sophisticated and frequent.
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Updates, specialists and regulation
According to Messing, cyberattacks are usually based on exploiting vulnerabilities in software. The consequences may include service disruptions, data theft, system failures, information encryption and the shutdown of critical systems.
He also claims that modern AI models can enable attacks without human involvement and, at times, operate without the control of the person who tasked them with doing so. In his view, existing countermeasures are insufficient, so cooperation between companies and governments is needed.
Messing named three key areas for countering the threat: regular software updates, training specialists to carry out this work, and government regulation of the AI sector. He noted that organizations often lack staff to install updates in a timely manner, so more specialists need to be trained.
