AI Unlikely to Overtake Humans in Cybersecurity, According to Hackers
A recent survey among hackers reveals that generative artificial intelligence (AI) might outperform hackers within the next five years, but it won’t be able to replicate the creativity of human hackers, according to nearly three-fourths of respondents. The survey was conducted by Bugcrowd for their Inside the Mind of a Hacker report for 2023.
Generative AI, which was seen in a positive light by 64% of respondents, was deemed to increase the value of ethical hacking and security research. Casey Ellis, the founder and CTO of Bugcrowd, believes that generative AI will make cybersecurity less predictable, as 91% of hackers believe it will enhance their effectiveness.
The survey also highlighted the top functions of generative AI being used in hacking workflows. These include automating tasks (50%), analyzing data (48%), identifying vulnerabilities (36%), validating findings (35%), and conducting reconnaissance (33%). Furthermore, a significant majority (94%) said they plan to use AI in the future for ethical hacking purposes, while 78% acknowledged that AI will disrupt how they conduct penetration testing and work on bug bounty programs.
The survey revealed that a large majority of hackers (85%) have already utilized generative AI technology in their hacking workflow, with 64% specifically using it in security research. Interestingly, 21% of respondents already believe that AI outperforms their hacking abilities, and 55% anticipate AI surpassing them within the next five years. However, 45% remain skeptical that AI will ever outperform human hackers.
In terms of AI platforms used by hackers, ChatGPT was the most popular choice (98%), followed by Google Bard and Bing Chat AI (both at 40%).
Aside from generative AI, the survey touched on the understanding of breach risks among companies. Alarmingly, 27% of respondents said that fewer than 10% of companies truly comprehend the risks associated with being breached. Additionally, 84% of respondents reported an increase in vulnerabilities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, 78% of hackers find it increasingly difficult to compromise companies’ attack surfaces.
Hackers generally view ethical hacking in a positive light, with 89% expressing this sentiment. Furthermore, over half of respondents (53%) said that hacking has helped them secure remote work opportunities.
The Bugcrowd survey gathered responses from over 1,000 hackers across 85 countries. It is worth noting that the majority of respondents were young men, with 96% identifying themselves as male. Additionally, 57% of respondents were between the ages of 18-24, while 28% fell into the age range of 25-34.
