• Health Tech

AI and GPT: The New Weapons in Cybercriminals’ Phishing Arsenal

April 28, 2023

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including ChatGPT, has sparked discussions among CIOs and chief information security officers regarding their impact on healthcare cybersecurity. These professionals share insights on how AI can both empower and endanger the healthcare industry’s security landscape. 

 

From the emergence of novel malware to the potential for highly convincing social engineering attacks, the opinions are varied, highlighting the need for proactive measures to address the evolving threat landscape.

 

Renown Health acknowledges both the positive and negative impacts of AI tools. While advanced phishing messages and increased capabilities for novice hackers are concerning, Steven Ramirez, the CISO of Renown, recognizes the potential benefits. ChatGPT can assist in cybersecurity awareness, policy development, and process/procedure refinement, improving overall security measures.

 

Chief Information Security Officer of Steward Health Care, Esmond Kane,  highlights the need for a shift in security awareness training due to AI’s ability to generate perfectly formatted and grammatically correct phishing emails. Social engineering tactics, such as urgent requests to reset passwords or transfer funds, can become even more convincing as AI technology evolves. This poses a challenge for healthcare organizations in detecting and mitigating these AI-driven attacks.

 

Aaron Weismann, Chief Information Security Officer of Main Line Health, emphasizes the rapid generation of novel malware from ChatGPT, which can be both proficient and unpredictable. Despite efforts by OpenAI to restrict the ease of generating such malware, it remains easily accessible via ChatGPT’s API and other alternatives. The prolific nature of ChatGPT raises concerns, as cybercriminals only require one successful attack to cause significant harm.

 

CISO Sanjeev Sah of Centura Health acknowledges the concerns associated with AI, including the potential for malefactors to leverage new models to create harmful malware. However, he also sees an opportunity to enhance cybersecurity tools and develop AI-driven capabilities to detect and counteract these evolving threats more efficiently. The learning aspects of AI can streamline cybersecurity operations and enable faster problem-solving.

 

UCR Health’s CIO, Simon Linwood, MD,  expresses significant concerns about the potential for AI-driven cyberattacks, particularly using AI tools like ChatGPT for social engineering. The contextual and authentic nature of AI-generated fake content and communications poses a serious risk to healthcare professionals and patients. Patient data security and critical healthcare operations are at stake.

 

Jack Kufahl, Chief Information Security Officer, of Michigan Medicine acknowledges the dual nature of AI tools, acknowledging both the potential threats and opportunities they bring. The speed at which AI capabilities are being developed raises questions about privacy, legality, and ethical use. However, he sees the market forces working to provide effective countermeasures and the importance of leveraging these tools for proactive threat intelligence and vulnerability assessments.

 

The advent of AI tools like ChatGPT brings a mix of opportunities and challenges to healthcare cybersecurity. From generating novel malware to the potential for highly convincing social engineering attacks, healthcare organizations must adapt their security awareness and mitigation strategies. 

 

The evolving threat landscape calls for proactive measures to effectively detect and counteract AI-driven cyber-attacks. By embracing AI for threat intelligence, vulnerability assessments, and secure code reviews, healthcare institutions can better understand their risk ecosystem and prioritize cybersecurity efforts to safeguard critical clinical functions. 

 

Balancing the benefits and risks of AI will be crucial in harnessing its potential while minimizing its negative impact on healthcare cybersecurity.