13 ways attackers use generative AI to exploit your systems

Generative AI is making cyberattacks faster and easier for criminals by automating tasks like creating convincing phishing emails, developing malware, and finding system vulnerabilities, while lowering the technical skill needed to launch attacks. Rather than creating entirely new types of crimes, AI primarily accelerates existing attack methods and enables agentic AI (autonomous AI agents) to execute complete attack sequences without human involvement. Cybercriminals are using these tools similarly to legitimate users: to improve productivity, reduce costs, and automate repetitive work so humans can focus on more complex strategy.