When AI Turns Into a Weapon: From Cyberattacks to “Vibe Hacking”

 

Cyberattacks are no longer rare events — they’re part of everyday life for companies, governments, and even regular citizens.

Over the past decade, some of the biggest attacks have shown just how devastating the economic and social impact can be. Now, with the explosion of artificial intelligence, we’re facing a new threat: “vibe hacking.” This technique uses AI chatbots to generate malware and supercharge digital extortion campaigns.

The Most Common Cyberattacks in 2025

Recent stats reveal the main types of attacks seen over the last year:

  • Ransomware made up 35% of all attacks, up 84% from the year before. (SentinelOne)
  • Phishing skyrocketed by 1,265%, driven by AI tools that create emails almost impossible to tell apart from real ones. In fact, 90% of cyber incidents start with a phishing email. (OneFortinet)
  • DDoS attacks (distributed denial of service) rose by 31%, with around 44,000 attacks happening every day. (SentinelOne)

How AI Is Powering Cybercrime

  • 87% of companies worldwide experienced AI-driven attacks in 2025. (The CFO)
  • 82.6% of phishing emails were AI-generated, a sharp rise from the year before. (Tech Advisors)
  • 16% of data breaches involved AI, especially automated phishing (37%) and deepfake impersonations (35%). (IBM (IT Pro)
  • In 2025 alone, 16,200 AI-related incidents were reported — a 49% increase year-on-year — with the average cost of a breach reaching $5.72 million. (SQ Magazine

From Global Attacks to “Vibe Hacking”

We’ve all heard of massive cyberattacks like NotPetya, WannaCry, or even the Mafiaboy case. In Europe, incidents at the British Library, Kyivstar, or the EMA made headlines too, showing just how far cybercrime can go.

But now there’s a new twist: vibe hacking. The danger? It doesn’t take deep technical knowledge. All it takes is manipulating language to make an AI chatbot produce malicious code or help run extortion campaigns.

How to Fight Back

To deal with this new wave of threats, organizations need to:

  • Improve filters and detection systems in AI platforms.

  • Train employees continuously to spot evolving tactics.

  • Push for stronger regulation and international cooperation.

  • Carry out regular security audits and penetration tests.

  • Deploy SIEM systems that can detect and respond to threats in real time.

In short, cybercrime is evolving fast — and AI is giving attackers new tools. Staying ahead means combining smarter technology with constant awareness and proactive defense.