Partner Article

AI is driving a 44% increase in cyberattacks, IBM warns

Cybercriminals are exploiting public-facing applications at a dramatically increased rate, leveraging artificial intelligence to identify and exploit vulnerabilities faster than ever before, according to IBM's newly published 2026 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index.

The report reveals a 44% year-on-year increase in attacks targeting internet-facing systems such as public websites and online applications. IBM attributes the surge to attackers using AI-enabled vulnerability scanning combined with missing authentication controls to accelerate their operations.

Vulnerability exploitation emerged as the leading cause of security incidents in 2025, accounting for 40 per cent of cases observed by IBM X-Force. The majority of tracked vulnerabilities did not require authentication to exploit, creating easily accessible entry points for attackers.

Mark Hughes, global managing partner for cybersecurity services at IBM, said:

"Attackers aren't reinventing playbooks, they're speeding them up with AI. The core issue is the same: businesses are overwhelmed by software vulnerabilities. The difference now is speed. With so many vulnerabilities requiring no credentials, attackers can bypass humans and move straight from scanning to impact. Security leaders need to shift to a more proactive approach, using agentic-powered threat detection and response to identify gaps and catch threats before they escalate."

IBM's research found that ransomware and extortion continue to plague organisations, with the number of active groups in these categories increasing by 49 per cent over the past year. The number of victims affected by these attacks increased by 12 per cent based on publicly available data.

IBM said automated tools and leaked hacking playbooks are making it increasingly easier for criminals to conduct ransomware campaigns, lowering barriers to entry for smaller, transient groups reusing established tactics.

Supply chain attacks have grown nearly fourfold since 2020, with attackers increasingly targeting software build and deployment environments alongside SaaS integrations. Once the preserve of well-funded nation-state actors, these sophisticated tactics are now circulating on underground forums and being adopted by financially motivated cybercriminal gangs.

The report also highlighted growing risks around AI tool usage within businesses. Infostealer malware exposed over 300,000 ChatGPT credentials in 2025, providing attackers with potential access to sensitive data stored in AI applications and opportunities to manipulate outputs through code tampering.

Manufacturing remained the most targeted sector for the fifth consecutive year, accounting for 27.7 per cent of incidents. North America represented 29 per cent of observed cases, up from 24 per cent in 2024, becoming the most attacked region for the first time in six years.

As multimodal AI models mature, IBM expects adversaries to automate increasingly complex tasks, including reconnaissance and advanced ransomware attacks. The research observed threat actors using AI to conduct research, analyse large datasets and refine attack paths in real time.

In one example cited by IBM, North Korean IT worker schemes employed AI-driven image manipulation to create synthetic identities and translation tools to engage across global marketplaces.

The findingscome just as the UK government steps up efforts to strengthen business cybersecurity, particularly among SMEs. The government has estimated that cyber threats cost UK businesses £14.7 billion annually, with around half of small firms experiencing a breach or attack in the last 12 months.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Leah Weatherall .