Proof of Concept Malware Uses Intelligence

I know executives who are alarmed when they see programmers or major companies outline how new kinds of Malware can be built.  Isn't it bad enough?  But it does help to outline the vulnerabilities to plan for them. This example might be Outlined:  If we can use intelligence to feel you out and trick you as to who we are , we can more likely be successful.    All Phishing does this.   Recent demos of Google Duplex hint at this.   Somewhat unusual to see IBM doing this.   Expect to see more of this.

IBM's proof-of-concept malware uses AI for spear phishing   in V3
The neural network running DeepLocker hides its intent until it finds the right victim  The world is beginning to transition from the cloud era to the artificial intelligence (AI) era, as systems and networks grow and learn. But just as the web and cloud eras had their own threats, the same applies to this new landscape - and it is AI itself.

Excitement and confusion abound over AI, but despite - or perhaps because of - this, the technology can pose a real danger to computer users.

"As machine learning matures into AI, nascent use of AI for cyber threat defense will likely be countered by threat actors using AI for offense," Rick Hemsley, managing director at Accenture Security, told us earlier this year.

So on the face of it, IBM's development of DeepLocker - ‘a new breed of highly targeted and evasive attack tools powered by AI' - seems like it sets a dangerous precedent.

There is method to the madness. IBM reasons that cybercriminals are already working to weaponise AI, and the best way to counter such a threat is to watch how it works ... " 

Here is the report on Deeplocker by IBM.