AI-created ransomware and NFC attacks lead the surge in new cyberattacks - here's how you can stay safe this holidays

• ESET discovers PromptLock, first AI-driven ransomware generating malicious scripts dynamically
• PromptLock scans systems, exfiltrates, encrypts, or destroys data based on AI decisions
• NFC malware also rising; experts urge updates, backups, and cautious handling of files/tools

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is now being used to code ransomware encryptors, researchers have said, revealing how the technology is no longer solely used for crafting phishing and scam content.

ESET Research's latest Threat Report detailed PromptLock, the first known AI-driven ransomware, “capable of generating malicious scripts on the fly”, using an OpenAI model, via the Ollama API, to generate, and then execute, malicious scripts.

It contains two main components: a static main module that handles communication with the server running the AI model and carries hardcoded prompts, and cross-platform Lua scripts that are dynamically generated by the model via the prompts.