The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, January 29, that Chinese and Iranian hackers have been using American artificial intelligence (AI) products to carry out cyberattacks.
This report comes amid the release of the new version of China’s AI system, “DeepSeek,” which has shifted global perceptions regarding China’s capabilities in this field.
According to U.S. officials cited by The Wall Street Journal, hackers linked to the governments of China, Iran, and several other countries are significantly leveraging AI capabilities to enhance their cyberattacks against the United States.
Google’s AI chatbot, “Gemini,” is one of the AI technologies being used by these hackers.
While Gemini has numerous benefits and positive applications, it has also been used to write malicious code, identify system vulnerabilities, and research organizations and targets for cyberattacks.
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According to Google, over the past year, hackers in 20 countries have used the Gemini chatbot for their cyberattacks.
While Western officials and cybersecurity experts have warned for years about the potential misuse of AI, Google’s recent findings mark the first detailed report on the use of AI by hackers linked to foreign powers.
According to the report, hacker groups linked to the governments of China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea have used the Gemini chatbot in their cyberattacks.
Google states that these hackers have used Gemini’s capabilities to enhance various operational stages, particularly in research, support, and identifying vulnerabilities in their U.S. targets.
According to The Wall Street Journal, there are still many unknowns regarding AI capabilities, and hackers’ use of this technology may be far greater than currently estimated.
Google states that as AI advances, hackers are also gaining more skills and capabilities to use it for malicious attacks, posing a significant security challenge for the U.S. and Western countries.
The connection of these hackers to governments such as China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea has raised serious concerns among U.S. officials.
Hackers also use other AI technologies, including “ChatGPT” developed by OpenAI, in their attacks on U.S. targets.
Research by OpenAI indicates that hackers have not used ChatGPT for direct or large-scale cyberattacks but rather to enhance and support their malicious operations.
Google states that after identifying hackers using Gemini, it has removed the associated accounts.
According to Google, Chinese and Iranian hackers used the Gemini chatbot more than other hacker groups.
Iranian hackers had the highest usage of Gemini and leveraged this technology to identify targets in military and defense organizations, establish infiltration pathways, and generate content in English, Hebrew, and Persian for use in phishing campaigns.
