AI has fundamentally changed the speed of cyberattacks.
In the top 25% of fastest intrusions, attackers now exfiltrate data in about 1 hour. Last year it was nearly 5 hours. That’s a 5x acceleration in just 12 months.
Steve Elovitz, who leads Unit 42’s North America Consulting practice, breaks down exactly how AI is being weaponized:
Automated reconnaissance across massive attack surfaces
AI-generated social engineering that’s more believable
Scripts that automate lateral movement and privilege escalation
Malware that consults AI in real-time for next steps
The most surprising part? Nation-state actors with unlimited resources are choosing AI because of economics. It lets them hit more targets, faster, with lower operational costs.
Steve makes a bold prediction: AI will ultimately help defenders more than attackers. But right now, attackers are winning the AI race because they don’t have change control, compliance requirements, or enterprise implementation challenges.
This clip is from the full episode on the 2026 Unit 42 Global Incident Response Report, based on 750+ breach investigations.
Timestamps:
0:00 – AI prediction: defenders will win
0:35 – How AI accelerates attacks today
2:15 – The "lame hug" malware story
3:45 – Why nation-states choose AI
Listen to the the full episode: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/podcasts/threat-vector
Read the 2026 Unit 42 Global Incident Response Report: https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/resources/research/unit-42-incident-response-report
#AI #Cybersecurity #ThreatIntel #IncidentResponse
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About Threat Vector
Threat Vector is Palo Alto Networks podcast for people who want to understand what’s really happening in cybersecurity. Every episode brings you inside the latest threats, smarter protection strategies, and the trends shaping the field.
You’ll hear from industry leaders, Palo Alto Networks experts, and real customers. The goal is simple. Give security teams and decision-makers the insights they need to stay ahead.
About Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks helps organizations prevent cyberattacks across cloud, network, and mobile with an automated, unified approach to security. Learn more at http://paloaltonetworks.com
