This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Alphabet (GOOG, Financials) said Google’s Threat Intelligence Group stopped a suspected cyberattack campaign that used artificial intelligence to search for and exploit software vulnerabilities at scale.
Google said the attackers used an AI model to identify a zero-day flaw, meaning a previously unknown software weakness, and attempted to bypass two-factor authentication. The company said it had high confidence the group planned to use the flaw in a broader mass exploitation effort.
Google did not name the hackers involved and said it does not believe its Gemini model was used. The report also pointed to growing interest from China- and North Korea-linked groups in using AI for vulnerability discovery, malware development and cyberattacks.
For investors, the update adds another layer to the AI story. It shows that demand may not be limited to model development, cloud computing and chips. Security, threat detection and AI safeguards could become a bigger part of enterprise technology budgets.
The news may also benefit cybersecurity names tied to corporate defense spending, including cloud security and endpoint protection providers. Investors will now watch how Alphabet and other AI leaders strengthen safeguards as commercial AI adoption expands.
