AI-Driven Cybersecurity Threats: A Survey of Emerging Risks and Defensive Strategies
By: Sai Teja Erukude, Viswa Chaitanya Marella, Suhasnadh Reddy Veluru
Potential Business Impact:
AI creates new computer security dangers.
Artificial Intelligence's dual-use nature is revolutionizing the cybersecurity landscape, introducing new threats across four main categories: deepfakes and synthetic media, adversarial AI attacks, automated malware, and AI-powered social engineering. This paper aims to analyze emerging risks, attack mechanisms, and defense shortcomings related to AI in cybersecurity. We introduce a comparative taxonomy connecting AI capabilities with threat modalities and defenses, review over 70 academic and industry references, and identify impactful opportunities for research, such as hybrid detection pipelines and benchmarking frameworks. The paper is structured thematically by threat type, with each section addressing technical context, real-world incidents, legal frameworks, and countermeasures. Our findings emphasize the urgency for explainable, interdisciplinary, and regulatory-compliant AI defense systems to maintain trust and security in digital ecosystems.
Similar Papers
Surveying the Operational Cybersecurity and Supply Chain Threat Landscape when Developing and Deploying AI Systems
Cryptography and Security
Protects AI from new kinds of computer attacks.
Autonomous Threat Detection and Response in Cloud Security: A Comprehensive Survey of AI-Driven Strategies
Cryptography and Security
AI guards cloud computers from hackers better.
Cybersecurity AI: Evaluating Agentic Cybersecurity in Attack/Defense CTFs
Cryptography and Security
AI is better at defending computers than attacking.