Google parent company Alphabet (GOOGL) says that it thwarted an effort by hackers to use artificial intelligence (A.I.) models to stage “a mass vulnerability exploitation operation.”
Google’s Threat Intelligence Group says in a report that it has high confidence that it recorded hackers using an A.I. model to find and exploit a zero-day vulnerability.
A zero-day vulnerability is a software flaw that is unknown to developers and creates a way for hackers to bypass two-factor authentication.
“The criminal threat actor planned to use it in a mass exploitation event but our proactive counter discovery may have prevented its use,” Google wrote in a social media post.
The incident underscore how hackers are using A.I. tools to exploit software flaws in ways that can be damaging to companies, government agencies, and other organizations.
In April, start-up firm Anthropic delayed the rollout of its Mythos A.I. model, citing worries that criminals and adversaries could use the tool to exploit software vulnerabilities.
Anthropic has since released the model to a select group of testers, including Apple (AAPL) and
Microsoft (MSFT).
Last week, OpenAI announced that GPT-5.5-Cyber, a variation of its latest A.I. model, would be previewed by cybersecurity companies before it is made available more broadly.
In its latest report, Google notes how hackers are using tools such as OpenClaw to find vulnerabilities, launch cyberattacks, and develop malware.
GOOGL stock has risen 145% in the last 12 months to trade at $388.64 U.S. per share.
