The Bottom Line: Attackers increasingly leverage AI techniques and adaptive malware to bypass established security measures.
According to ESET’s threat report, attackers are increasingly adapting established techniques to AI platforms and changing user behavior. The report shows rising activity in malicious AI usage, AI-assisted malware, ClickFix attacks, and ransomware tools targeting security software.
ESET observes in its current threat report a clear shift in trends: attackers are systematically integrating AI capabilities into their attack methods and adapting classical techniques to modern platforms as well as changing user behavior. This encompasses both direct use of AI systems for malicious purposes as well as the development of malware that is made more intelligent and adaptive through AI methods.
Several new and intensified attack vectors deserve particular attention: ClickFix attacks use social engineering with deceptively authentic error messages to trick users into installing malware. At the same time, ESET documents a record level of activity in quishing attacks – the use of QR codes in phishing campaigns. In the ransomware space, specialized tools are emerging whose explicit goal is to disable or bypass security software.
For CISOs, this development presents a twofold challenge: not only do classical attack patterns become automatable and more scalable through AI use, but the speed at which attackers adapt to new technologies often exceeds the response capability of established defense mechanisms. Signature-based or rule-based detection alone is thus becoming increasingly insufficient.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com · Published July 31, 2026
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