Hackers Used AI to Breach 600 Firewalls in Weeks, Amazon Says

A coordinated cyberattack leveraged AI tools to breach over 600 firewalls globally in just five weeks, according to new security research. The scale and speed of the intrusion highlight AI’s growing role in accelerating sophisticated hacking operations. The attack involved a small group of hackers exploiting widely accessible AI systems to automate and optimize firewall penetration. This marks a shift from traditional manual methods, demonstrating how AI lowers barriers for cybercriminals. Targeted firewalls spanned dozens of countries, suggesting a broad, indiscriminate campaign rather than focused espionage. The geographic spread underscores vulnerabilities in global digital infrastructure against AI-driven threats. Amazon’s research indicates the breaches relied on AI to identify and exploit weaknesses faster than human hackers could. This raises concerns about defensive systems struggling to keep pace with AI-augmented offensive capabilities. The incident serves as a warning for enterprises to reassess cybersecurity frameworks, as conventional defenses may be inadequate against AI-powered attacks. Experts urge immediate upgrades to counter evolving automated threats.