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AI can make some cyberattacks faster and easier to execute, especially reconnaissance and social engineering, but it does not turn every novice into an expert attacker. Organizations should respond by tightening identity and access controls, training employees to verify sensitive requests, governing workplace AI use, and bringing in specialist expertise where needed.
Why AI can act as a force multiplier
The UK National Cyber Security Centre assessed that AI will almost certainly increase the volume and impact of cyberattacks over its two-year assessment period. It highlighted reconnaissance and social engineering as areas where AI can help, including by lowering barriers for less-skilled actors conducting access and information-gathering operations. The NCSC also cautioned that the benefits are uneven: more sophisticated uses are likely to remain constrained by the expertise, resources, and quality data they require. NCSC assessment
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Microsoft Threat Intelligence has reported malicious uses such as drafting phishing lures, translating content, summarizing stolen data, generating or debugging malware, and scaffolding scripts or infrastructure. In the activity it describes, human operators still control objectives, targeting, and deployment. Microsoft says experimentation with agentic AI in attacks remains early and limited by reliability and operational risk, and has not been observed at scale. Microsoft Threat Intelligence
Unit 42’s discussion of its 2026 incident response report describes AI as compressing attack stages and improving operational efficiency, while investigations still involve established methods such as credential theft, phishing, exploitation of known vulnerabilities, and ransomware. The practical implication is not to discard existing defenses: prevention, patching, identity security, and incident response remain relevant. Unit 42 analysis
#1 Best Overall
1. Apply zero trust through least privilege
Zero trust is a way to make access decisions around identity, context, and need rather than assuming that a user or device is safe because it is already inside a network. For a compromised account, the goal is to prevent broad access and limit an intruder’s ability to move laterally.
- Give employees, service accounts, and applications only the permissions needed for their work.
- Require strong identity controls and review access when roles or responsibilities change.
- Find unused or excessive permissions and remove them through a managed review process.
Unit 42 analyzed more than 680,000 cloud identities in 2026 and found that 99% had excessive permissions; some permissions had gone unused for 60 days or more. That is a finding from its analyzed cloud accounts, not an estimate of every organization’s exposure, but it illustrates why permission hygiene matters. Unit 42 cloud identity analysis
2. Train employees to verify sensitive requests
Awareness training should prepare people for realistic requests, not only teach them to spot suspicious wording. AI can help produce fluent, tailored messages, so employees need a reliable way to check whether an unusual request is genuine.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →- Set a procedure to verify wire transfers, credential resets, and other high-impact requests using a known, separate communication channel.
- Make it easy to report suspected phishing and clarify what happens after a report.
- Practice scenarios involving urgency, authority, and requests to bypass normal approvals.
Unit 42 recommends out-of-band verification for requests such as wire transfers, credential resets, and remote hiring. A second-channel check should use a contact method already on file, not details supplied in the message being verified. Unit 42 incident response report discussion
3. Govern employee use of AI tools
Unsanctioned AI use can expose sensitive data or create security and compliance problems. Governance should give staff workable approved options while allowing security teams to see which AI assets are in use and how access and data are managed.
- Identify the AI services and applications employees use, including tools adopted outside formal procurement.
- Set clear rules for entering confidential, personal, customer, or regulated information into AI services.
- Use logging and access controls to monitor use, investigate incidents, and enforce data governance.
Microsoft describes enterprise risk discovery, AI asset visibility, logging, and access and data governance as relevant parts of managing AI risk. Microsoft security guidance
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.4. Work with AI and cybersecurity specialists
Organizations do not all have the same in-house capacity to assess AI-related risks or implement controls. Where internal expertise is limited, experienced cybersecurity or AI security professionals can help map likely exposure, prioritize changes, and test whether controls work with existing identity, logging, and incident-response processes.
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Choose support based on the risk and workflow it addresses, how it limits access or sensitive-data exposure, how it fits current systems, how results will be monitored and validated, and what staff effort is needed to operate it. The objective is a usable control plan, not simply adding another tool.
Quick Recap
How to turn the four priorities into action
- Start with access. Review privileged and cloud identities, remove permissions that are no longer needed, and make identity controls part of routine security operations.
- Protect high-impact workflows. Define which requests require independent verification and ensure employees know the approved method.
- Make AI use visible. Establish approved-use rules and improve visibility into AI services, access, and data handling.
- Validate and improve. Check whether controls are used and working, then bring in specialized help where the organization lacks the capacity to assess or operate them.
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