The largest players in the technology market, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services, have joined forces in an unprecedented initiative. More than 100 companies have signed an open letter warning of an imminent wave of cyberattacks using artificial intelligence that will become significantly larger in scale and more sophisticated.
The document was signed by representatives not only from the IT sector but also from the banking industry, insurance companies, and semiconductor manufacturers. Key participants include CrowdStrike, Cloudflare, and Palo Alto Networks.
The Essence of the Letter
The authors of the letter highlight four key groups that need to act immediately. First, any company must elevate cybersecurity to the level of senior management and first close the most critical vulnerabilities. Second, security solution providers need to make AI-driven protection accessible to operators of critical infrastructure.
Government agencies are urged to coordinate response measures and provide support to hospitals, utilities, and local authorities. Leading AI companies are recommended to open access to their models, as well as to fund and train those who lack sufficient resources for defense.
"Modern advances in AI are already giving defenders new ways to eliminate weaknesses that have accumulated over the years. If we act decisively, we can use this window of opportunity to make the digital world much safer," the letter emphasizes.
The Real Threat Landscape
The warnings are not unfounded. Taiwan-based TeamT5, a company specializing in tracking cyberespionage, has recorded a twofold increase in attacks from China-linked hacker groups after they switched to DeepSeek and other open-source models.
The attackers' choice is explained not by power but by low cost. In June, Anthropic analysts examined 832 blocked accounts and found that the share of medium- and high-risk attackers grew from 33% to 56% over the year. Notably, AI now independently handles privilege escalation and lateral movement across networks—tasks that previously required technical skills. The level of an attack is increasingly less dependent on the attacker's expertise.
South Korea's Genians discovered that the North Korean intelligence group Kimsuky is actively testing local AI tools. TRM Labs rated the use of AI for criminal purposes at 54 out of 100 this year, compared to 28 in 2024. In the first half of 2026, they counted 201 hacks of crypto projects, whereas only 83 were recorded a year earlier.
My analysis: We are witnessing a shift from theoretical discussions to a practical arms race in cyberspace. The rise in attacks on crypto projects, especially in light of TRM Labs data, is a signal for investors: security is becoming a key factor for survival in the market. Companies that do not integrate AI-driven protection at the management level risk becoming easy prey in the coming months.