'Black October’: AI-Powered Hacking Is On The Rise As Security Vulnerabilities Threaten Websites

Cybercriminals are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to launch faster and more sophisticated cyberattacks, raising concerns about online security as newly discovered software vulnerabilities put millions of websites at risk.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, AI-powered attacks have intensified in recent weeks, prompting security experts to warn of a growing wave of breaches described by some as “Black October”.

The report cited cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike’s senior vice president Adam Meyers, who said there had been an “explosion of these agentic adversaries”, with both sophisticated and inexperienced hackers using AI tools.

AI is helping attackers automate network intrusions, identify vulnerabilities, analyse

stolen data and develop code to exploit security flaws. Microsoft reportedly found threat actors in multiple regions using Artex, an AI-powered hacking tool, to accelerate attacks on hundreds of companies. An attack earlier this month also used the tool to steal data belonging to around 68,000 people from South Korean banks.

The threat comes as organisations race to fix newly discovered vulnerabilities that could potentially expose up to 70% of websites to takeover attempts, according to the WSJ report. The US National Security Agency and FBI reportedly advised some organisations unable to patch the flaws immediately to take their websites offline.

The report also highlighted the experience of startup founder Colin Parsons, who received around 50 emails about unauthorised charges for Anthropic and OpenAI services, totalling $449. The charges were linked to credentials stored with AI-coding platform OpenCode, which was reportedly facing a sustained cyberattack.

Steven Adair, president of cybersecurity firm Volexity, warned that more breaches could come to light in the coming weeks and months.

The developments underline how AI is becoming a tool for cybercriminals as well as security professionals, increasing the pressure on organisations to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen their defences.