[Photo/VCG]
WASHINGTON — Hackers are increasingly using AI to detect software vulnerabilities, which has shortened the time targets have to respond to threats, global telecommunications company Verizon said in a recent report.
Verizon said using software flaws in data surpassed stolen credentials for the first time. It said in a review of more than 31,000 incidents that 31 percent of all breaches began with vulnerability exploitation, adding, "AI is fundamentally reshaping the cybersecurity industry".
The 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report, which reviews a wide range of industry data, shows intruders are using generative artificial intelligence to help at all stages of attacks, "including targeting, initial access, and development of malware and other tools".
AI was being used by threat actors "to accelerate the time to exploit known vulnerabilities, shrinking the window for defense from months to mere hours", the report said.
