Artificial Intelligence Is About to Make Ransomware Hack Attacks Even Scarier

A year ago, network security specialists spotted a worrying new trend: hackers began unleashing ransomware attacks on really big targets--America's cities. Atlanta, Baltimore, and Greenville, N.C. would later grind to a halt after devastating computer outages disrupted everything from the collection of parking tickets to the sale of new homes. The next big thing that keeps computer scientist Adam Kujawa up at night? Ransomware powered by artificial intelligence, a development that could give exploits such as RobbinHood and WannaCry a potent new makeover to evade cyber defenses, burrow into computer networks and wreak mayhem. In recent years, artificial intelligence and machine learning have been a godsend to IT security professionals, enabling them to detect malware sooner--even the moment it enters the wild--keeping networks more secure and corporate assets safer. But the same technologies that are supercharging network defenses could become a powerfully destructive counter-threat in the wrong hands, experts warn.