AI Is Being Weaponized for Cybercrime in ‘Unprecedented’ Ways, Researchers Warn

The report says agentic AI has been weaponized for extortion, fraud, and ransomware, enabling criminals with little skill to operate at unprecedented scale.
AI Is Being Weaponized for Cybercrime in ‘Unprecedented’ Ways, Researchers Warn
In this photo illustration, a phone screen displays an AI logo. Oleksii Pydsosonnii/The Epoch Times
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
|Updated:
0:00

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being weaponized to conduct increasingly sophisticated cybercrimes, according to a new report from Anthropic, which warns of an “unprecedented” evolution in malicious operations that makes defense far more difficult.

In its Aug. 27 Threat Intelligence Report, the AI safety company described how criminals are embedding advanced models like “Claude” into every stage of attacks—from reconnaissance and credential theft to ransomware and fraud. Researchers said AI tools are now acting not just as advisers but as active operators in real-time campaigns.
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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