Microsoft: Sharp Increase in AI-aided Cyberattacks From Russia, China

The United States is the top target of state- and non-state cyberattackers who are quickly adopting AI to launch larger and more sophisticated attacks.

A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration produced on May 13, 2017. Kacper Pempel/Illustration/Reuters

Foreign adversaries are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) in their cyber influence campaigns, with operations picking up “aggressively” this year, Microsoft said on Oct. 16.

In July, Microsoft identified more than 200 instances of AI-generated content from nation-state adversaries, more than four times the number in July 2024, and more than 10 times the number in July 2023, the company’s annual Digital Defense Report shows.