The AI that cracked Apple Silicon is only the beginning

AI can increase productivity for both defenders and attackers. In one case, AI augmented a human security research team’s work and helped identify a weakness in Apple’s security system. Hard-to-find bugs can be discovered more effectively as AI improves, and this capability will be used repeatedly. Platform providers should be concerned because the most well-resourced attackers will adopt AI to locate vulnerabilities faster and more thoroughly. The threat grows further when attackers are state or state-adjacent entities with substantial resources. Future AI-augmented attacks may rely on the most powerful computational resources, potentially including quantum computers.

"AI boosts productivity for everyone, including attackers. In this case, the technology augmented the human security research team's efforts, enabling them to identify a weakness in Apple's security system. This won't be the first time AI gets used to identify hard-to-find bugs and certainly won't be the last."

"This should be a real concern to any platform provider, as it means the most well-resourced attackers will be leaning deep into AI to help them find vulnerabilities. And as AI improves, the capacity it provides will inevitably become more dangerous."

"That's even before you consider that some attackers work for the kind of state and state-adjacent entities that can afford aircraft carriers."

"Access to such extensive resources means future AI-augmented attacks will have at their disposal the most powerful computational AI money can buy, which probably boils down to quantum computers."

Read at Computerworld