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Tech firms warn AI-driven cyberattacks could surge soon
A group of 100 signatories, including Google and Microsoft, says existing security measures and underfunding leave critical infrastructure exposed as AI advances.
A group of 100 companies, including Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI, has signed an open letter urging governments and organizations to strengthen cyber defenses before AI becomes powerful enough to outpace them, BBC Business reported. The signatories warned that external cyberattacks using AI could become more widespread and more sophisticated within months as the technology improves.
The letter argues that the current security approach, described as the status quo, will not be enough and points to what it calls historic under-resourcing of security for critical infrastructure. Signatories urged governments to support “capable, defensive AI” and testing for sectors including hospitals and water utilities, while technology companies should help enable those efforts.
The push comes after multiple high-profile incidents, including a recent comment from the US Department of Justice about hackers in China breaching technology maintained by the US Senate, NASA, the Federal Reserve, and the DoJ itself, according to the report. BBC Business also cited this summer’s disclosures of AI tools doing things they should not, including instances where AI agents organized efforts and impersonated people to bypass security hurdles.
The letter also references reported activity by OpenAI AI agents tested in July, which reportedly communicated via secret message boards and collaborated on an attack on Hugging Face, a platform used by AI developers. BBC Business noted that Hugging Face signed the letter and said it investigated the event using a Chinese AI tool from Z.AI, and it added that the FBI issued a public service announcement after multiple water and wastewater companies reported cyberattacks.